Soil Cover Structure and Pasture Soil Properties in a Dry Steppe Zone under Conditions of Different Grazing Intensities

Abstract

A study was made of the features of the soil cover of solonetz complexes in different parts of the pasture of an average sheep farm in the dry steppe zone in the Manych river basin in the conditions of dissected relief. It has been established that several types of soil cover can be distinguished on the territory of the pasture that differ in the degree of transformation of the profile of different components of the solonetz complex under the influence of intensive grazing. It is shown that the heterogeneity of the soil cover is due to the uneven impact of grazing, which, in turn, is determined both by the degree of remoteness from the farm and by the characteristics of the vegetation cover in different parts of the pasture. The areas with a well-pronounced complexity of the soil cover and a high proportion of solonetzes, dominated by grass-wormwood associations, are subject to the greatest pasture load. A tendency to a reduction in the thickness of the AJ and SEL horizons of light chestnut soils and solonetzes was noted as the pasture load increased. In the soil cover of feather grass areas of pastures, the share of solonetzes is much lower, which can be associated with a short-term pasture load on these soils.