• • • Crop productivity on slope area of southeastern Cisbaikalia
This paper reports on slope lands, used as farm fields in a forest-steppe. Forest-steppe comprises open steppe and high-density woodlands, varying in microclimate, soil fertility and productivity. Nonerodible forest-steppe provides the most favorable microclimatic and soil conditions for high crop productivity in the upper zones of south-eastern slopes. Open steppe affected by erosion processes shows better conditions and higher grain crop yield in the lower and middle zones of north-eastern slopes. High-density woodland of south-eastern slopes has the most optimal physical and chemical soil parameters in the upper area. Better conditions of dark-gray forest soil, such as physical texture, profile and nutrient availability in the upper zones are the result of predominated fine particle-size fractions of less than 0.01 mm in size (silt-and-clay). Open north-eastern steppe slopes affected by intensive scouring and drifting form better physical properties of leached chernozem in the middle and lower zones. Leached chernozem has higher fertility-defining chemical values, compared to dark-grey forest soil, providing optimal conditions for crops, cultivated on all the slope sections. Agrotechnological complex in the Irkutsk region does not utilize slope lands, ignoring their potential. Territorial division for farming should consider slope land properties and differentiate methods of land cultivation.
Source: https://kormoproizvodstvo.ru/4-2018/04-2018-02-1183/, p. 16
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