Research of the borehole moisture capacity of deeply loosened soils in the south of the Rostov region

Abstract

The article presents the results of studies of the water absorption rate and the change in the possible limiting moisture capacity of the soil, deeply loosened flat and sloping areas of ordinary (Pre-Caucasian) chernozem, taking into account climatic changes in southern Russia. The current state of the climate and indicators of the physical and mechanical properties of the soil of cultivated flat and sloping lands require the development of new technologies and technical means to create the necessary conditions for increasing the water permeability of cultivated soils. For research, cultivated lands of the Federal State Budgetary Institution of Higher Education UNPK Donskoy "Uchkhoz Grain" DGAU, Rostov Region, Zernogradsky District were used. The coefficient of natural moisture varies from 0.30-0.35 in a predominantly dry year to 0.7-0.9 in a wet year. Precipitation during the growing season - 310-470 mm. The heat consumption for their evaporation is in the range from 80 to 118 kJ/cm². Soil moisture deficit is 400-550 mm, while evaporation is 1050-1200 mm. The deficit of water consumption is 300-390 mm. Mostly since the last ten days of June, there has been a significant lack of soil moisture. Data processing was carried out using standard and special techniques. On the field cultivated by plowing to 0.20-0.25 m at a depth of 0.30 m, water was absorbed by the soil on average 38 % worse than in the area cultivated by deep loosening up to 0.60 m with the innovative chisel GNCh-0.6M in mode "Processing flat areas". On plowing, the moisture capacity of a meter layer of soil is approximately 1.5 times lower compared to deep loosening. The use of the innovative chisel-subsoiler GNCH-0.6M in the "Treatment of flat areas" mode allows: firstly, to increase the maximum moisture capacity of a meter horizon of cultivated land by 1.5 times in comparison with plowing; secondly, to reduce the impact of surface water runoff; thirdly, in a meter layer of soil to increase the reserves of productive moisture by more than 50 %.