The entire territory of our country is divided into territorial units. One of them is the Krasnodar Territory. This region is unique. It is distinguished by its unique geographical location, the variety of landscapes of nature, soil, climate, flora and fauna. About the soils of the Krasnodar Territory, their characteristics, description, read in this article.
General information
By the total land indicator in the region they occupy 7546.6 thousand hectares. Two thirds of the plains are occupied by plains. To the question about what soils are represented in the Krasnodar Territory, the answer will be as follows - the most diverse (108 names): powerful, heavy-duty and ordinary chernozems, gray and brown forest, sod-carbonate, meadow chernozem and other.
The most fertile chernozems in our country cover the largest Azov-Kuban plain. They differ from similar soils in other regions and regions of Russia. Their humus layer has a large power exceeding 120 centimeters. When asked which soils prevail in the Krasnodar Territory, we can say with confidence - chernozem soils.
Irrigated lands, which occupy 453.4 thousand hectares, deserve special attention. They are rice plantations and large systems with sprinklers. Agricultural lands also include drained soils, occupying a little more than 24 thousand hectares. They are occupied under arable land and perennial plantings.
Natural potential
The Black Sea coast in the Krasnodar Territory is the only region in the Russian Federation with a subtropical climate occupying a small territory, the infrastructure of which is well developed. The economic situation here leaves much to be desired. But, despite this, the main task facing the leaders of the region is to preserve the unique complex of nature. The region occupies almost 84 thousand square kilometers of territory located in the North-West Caucasus. 5 million people live here.
Soil cover
According to climatic conditions, the territory of the region was divided into zones (there are only five of them): North, South Piedmont, West, Central and Black Sea. Krasnodar is the territory of the Central zone, which in addition to this city covers such large areas of the Krasnodar Territory as Primorsko-Akhtarsky, Dinskoy, Timashevsky, Korenovsky, Kalininsky. This also includes Krasnogvardeisky, Ust-Labinsky, Caucasian, Bryukhovetsky, Kurganinsky, Gulkevichsky, Vyselkovsky, Novokubansky, Tbilisi districts.
Regions of the Krasnodar Territory are considered the best for cultivating most crops, as precipitation is evenly distributed over the months of the year. In autumn and winter, the earth receives good moisture, so that the seedlings appear evenly.
Soil of the Krasnodar Territory
A description of the central zone should begin with a description of the soil, which is highly fertile. Most are weakly leached (typical), with a low humus content, heavy-duty chernozems. A characteristic feature is that they have humus horizons of great power, reaching 170 centimeters. The soil is dark gray in color at the depth of lightens and becomes brown. The profile at the top has a lumpy-granular structure, and the bottom has a nutty structure. This horizon is distinguished by the appearance of carbonate precipitates that resemble pseudomycelia.
In the upper horizon of humus contains a little, 4-5 percent. But humus has the ability to penetrate quite deeply. The two-meter stratum of soil with an area of one hectare contains 70 tons of humus. Humus is rich in nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus. Despite this, typical chernozems need fertilizer, since most of the elements are in a form that is difficult to access or completely inaccessible to plants.
Chernozems of Kuban
These soils are highly fertile and comprise the bulk of the country's wealth. The black soil of the Kuban extends over most of the plain and foothill steppes, on the Taman Peninsula. Depending on the content of humus, these soils are with its weak content (4%), small - 4-6%, medium - 6-9%, quite large - 9% and higher. According to the thickness of the humus layer, the soils of the Kuban are distinguished: low-power - its thickness is 40 centimeters, medium-power - 40-80, powerful - 80-120, heavy-duty - 120 centimeters and more.
Kuban chernozems have the following subtypes: ordinary, leached, typical, chestnut, mountain. Most of these soils have differences from chernozems, which are rich in other regions of the region. Kuban lands have a large thickness of the humus horizon, although the humus content in them is low. The climate helps him to penetrate deeply. In humid warm conditions, meadow-steppe representatives of the flora abundantly grow, having a powerful root system that penetrates deep into. In this climate, biological processes, including the humification of dead plants, are carried out almost all year round, covering loose deposits located in the soil in large areas.
Soils of the highlands
They are located at an altitude of 1200 meters and more. Soil formation (Krasnodar Territory) occurs here in harsh conditions. In winter, temperatures are low, and in summer, solar radiation has a great influence. Mechanical weathering dominates, and strong destructive processes occur. All this leads to the formation of a rocky landscape where screeches are frequent occurrences, the formation of steep slopes of valleys, deep gorges. Stormy streams run along their bottom during snowmelt, which disappear completely during a drought.
Soil formation in the Krasnodar Territory in the mountains begins from the moment when vegetation settles on the rocks and boulders. The fact is that the last glaciation for a long time fettered the highlands. Soil cover appeared recently. It has been updated many times. This is due to severe erosion. Under their influence, the soil cover drifted down. The population of mountainous areas with vegetation depends on a number of conditions:
- The friability of the rock and the presence of cracks on it.
- The steepness of the surface.
- Positions in relation to parts of the world.
The nature of soil formation and its appearance varies depending on the development of plants. Lichens need the least moisture, so they chose the upper part of the rocks as their place of growth, they can exist on rock screes. In the lower part and in the recesses of the rock, there is more moisture; mosses develop there, which create conditions in which demanding herbaceous plants can grow: dicotyledons and cereals. Their impact leads to the emergence of soil primordia. First, these are very small accumulations of fine earth, later low-power soils arise. They develop further. Their power is gradually increasing. Genetic horizons form.
Steppe soil
They occupy the flat part of the region. Their development is at different stages, a pronounced zonality is revealed. The course of soil processes occurs more intensively in the southern and central parts of the plain. This is facilitated by great moisture and dense vegetation. Chernozems dominate here. Taman and the eastern regions are characterized by a predominance of chestnut soils. In a small amount there are chernozems with the same name. The steppe soils of the Krasnodar Territory are characterized by the following features:
- Dark color with depth brightens.
- The upper horizon has a granular structure.
- Carbonate neoplasms are present.
- The humus part of the profile is well dissected.
A characteristic feature of the steppe zone is the gradual transition of soils. In some places, the processes of their formation overlap.
Soils of forest-steppes
Their formation in this zone occurred under more complex conditions than in the steppes. There is no consensus on how the soil cover developed here. Most scientists believe that this was influenced by the imposition of the forest formation process.
Soils of the Krasnodar Territory forest-steppe are characterized by the following features:
- Horizon “A” consists of two parts, the upper one is light gray in color.
- The soil of horizon “B” has a dark color, which brightens with depth.
- There is a merged horizon, the structure in it is lost, the soil becomes a monolithic block.
- The upper part of horizon “B” has clusters of brownish color, which, as they deepen, turn into glandular nodules.
Forest soil
The mountainous territories of the region are covered with continuous forests. Their lower border runs along the slopes of the Caucasus from the north at an altitude of 100 meters. As it moves east, it rises into the mountains. On the southwestern side of the forest edge begin from the Black Sea coast. Near the Novorossiysk and in the areas north of it, almost all the forests were destroyed. The territory where they grew up is reserved for arable land, vineyards, orchards, cattle pastures, and hayfields. Huge spaces were occupied by grassy vegetation.
Soil formation in the Krasnodar Territory in the mountains continuously took place under conditions where the closed forest was a canopy for them. Exposure was provided by complete hydration due to precipitation in large quantities and forest litter. Fallen leaves, decomposing under the influence of fungi, forming humic acids, among which, for the most part, compounds are colorless or slightly colored. They give the soil solution acidity, and with downward flows fall into the deep layers of the soil. Their effect extends to substances of mineral origin and plant residues.