Soil as the main source of plant nutrition needs versatile care and maintaining the balance of agrotechnical indicators of the fertile layer. Along with machining in the solution of such problems, fertilizers and ameliorants are actively used. Chemical land reclamation is engaged in a comprehensive way to improve the nutrition of agricultural vegetation, studying not only the technological parameters of the use of energy additives, but also the environmental aspects of external impact on the soil cover.
Basic concepts of land reclamation
Translated from Latin, “reclamation” means improvement. But as applied to the agricultural industry, it should be understood as a well-defined set of technical and organizational measures aimed at increasing the efficiency of crop rotation by stimulating favorable soil conditions. The very nature of the impact on the fertile layer may be different, which determines the basic division of land reclamation into species, depending on methods for increasing land productivity. Along with chemical methods of land reclamation, technical and hydraulic methods are also used to improve the water-physical properties of the soil. However, only chemical methods can radically improve the condition of the fertile layer in a wide range of indicators, which is reflected in the yield figures. But the chemical approach to land reclamation is heterogeneous. At the basic level, salt-dressing and acid-regulating measures are distinguished, which differently regulate the nutrient content of the soil layer.
Reclamation in the plant nutrition system
The process of energy supply of vegetation is a complex physicochemical problem, during the solution of which the formation and conversion of organic substances occurs. In this context, chemical reclamation should be understood as one of the ways to regulate the balance of useful elements in the soil-plant circulation system. By a point change in the individual parameters of this interaction, taking into account the specifics of growing specific plants and soil characteristics, agricultural technicians increase the productivity of the cultivated area. However, a tangible result can be achieved only with the systematic use of chemicals in the application of intensive farming technologies. Specifically, land reclamation methods are expressed in providing mineral nutrition as a regulatory basis, but are not limited to this. An integrated approach also requires taking into account other factors affecting the growth and development of plants - including the balance of humidity, light and heat.
Liming soil
One of the methods of land reclamation, which, however, has many limitations and is recommended for use only in certain conditions of crop rotation. What soils require liming? This procedure is carried out on acidic soils, which are also subjected to intensive cultivation for grain varieties of plants. Moreover, on strongly acidic soils, reclamation of this type can also be considered as a factor in protecting the environment, which is due to a decrease in the anthropogenic load on nature. If we talk about the technological aspect, then liming acts as a means of compensating for the loss of magnesium and calcium in the composition of the soil in order to prevent acidification and deterioration of the nutritional regime of plants.
This technology is used not only by large agricultural enterprises, but also by small farmers and summer residents. Experts recommend improving the acidity balance at the site by adding slaked lime to the cannon, which is obtained from the processing of chalk and limestone. The introduction of this filler is produced in the fall or spring in the process of digging. This procedure is repeated every few years.
Plaster reclamation
Even on acidic soils, the liming operation does not always justify itself, not to mention the fact that not all plants require a slightly acidic reaction from the nutrient medium in all cases. In areas dominated by alkaline and neutral soil, gypsum is used instead of liming. In Russia, this approach has been successfully used in Western Siberia and Kazakhstan. In conditions of sharp alkalization, the addition of organic fertilizers is necessary, and chemical reclamation by plastering is already used as a radical way to stimulate the properties of the nutrient medium. The effect achieved in this way is expressed in the formation of neutral sodium sulfate, which, with a relatively low content in the soil, does not harm plants. With balanced irrigation, it is possible to remove residual sodium. For crops that are sensitive to the balance of calcium in the mineral base of the soil, gypsum increases yield by several times.
Features of land reclamation on solonetzic soils
The presence of solonetzic spots on the surfaces of arable land indicates the degradation of the fertile layer and necessitates the use of special restoration measures. Among them are chemical methods of land reclamation, which are superior to the agrobiological approach to solving the problem of the spread of solonetzes. This is due to the fact that for self-reclamation usually there is not enough calcium salts, which requires the use of special means of chemical regulation. In addition, alternative types of land reclamation, such as complex and hydraulic methods, are ineffective in conditions of high soil moisture, as the derivatives of their reactions are quickly washed away. As for the chemical approach to land reclamation, in this case it is a set of measures to regulate the alkalinity and alkalinity of the soil by changing the concentration of magnesium and sodium. But this group of methods is implemented in different ways.
Reclamation of solonetzes by calcium and phosphorus
The introduction of calcium is one of the most effective and cost-effective ways of regulating soil solonetzes. Industrial waste and natural deposits with calcium content are used as starting material. Phosphoric acid based phosphogypsum is also used. Studies show that the importance of chemical soil reclamation by calcium and phosphorus-containing materials is crucial from the point of view of maintaining the productivity of the fertile layer. The very next year, after the introduction of active raw materials, there is a change in the water-physical properties of the earth. In particular, the efficiency of drainage increases, the characteristic soil crust disappears and, in general, the structure of the cover improves.
Reclamation of solonetzes by organomineral composts
In part, this approach can be called complex, since it uses a combination of calcium, acid, phosphorus and fertilizer substances. These and other components are included in manure compost and are used to improve the nutritional regime of the soil against the background of the general fight against salt licks. In practice, it turned out that chemical reclamation by organomineral composts creates favorable conditions for improving the humus state of the fertile layer. For example, the coefficient of calcium humic acids increases by about 1.3 times, and the content of mobile substances that upset the nutritional balance is reduced by 25%.
Conclusion
It is impossible to obtain regular rich yields without the system of land reclamation that is correctly selected to the specific conditions under the current conditions of intensive cultivation of soils. To determine the methods and technologies that will solve the current problems of land reclamation, a comprehensive study is needed. Even at the household level, it is possible today to analyze the state of the soil with an acidity meter with the display of pH, humidity and light. These and other data allow precise selection of the formulations of organic and mineral additives, adjusted to the requirements of the crops grown. If we talk about the final effect, then the benefits of land reclamation will be long-term in view of the active impact on the particle size distribution of the fertile layer.