Yu.G. Chendev
Belgorod State National Research University (The National Research University «Belgorod State University» / «BelSU») ul. Pobedy, 85, korp. 14, Belgorod, 308015, Russian Federation
Summary. Peculiarities of the natural (bioclimatic) and anthropogenic (agrogenic) evolution of automorphic gray forest soils were studied in the South of the Central Russian Upland. On watersheds, under earth linear fortifications in the six studied Early Iron Age hill forts, built at the beginning of Sub-Atlantic period of the Holocene (2800-2030 years BP) buried dark-colored soils with signs of mid-Holocene steppe stage of development were identified. There were chernozems with no signs of morphologically defined forest soil formation, or chernozems in the initial stages of degradation under forest vegetation. One of proofs of steppe formation in the past for the studied buried soils was the presence in their profiles of burrows, formed by steppe earth animals - mole rats. These burrows were filled with well-structured humus loamy material from the paleochernozems. Late Holocene climatic moistening contributed to an expansion of broad-leaved forests to the meadow steppe areas. Once found under the forests, the chernozems began to evolve into gray forest soils through intermediate link of their evolution – podzolized chernozems. The components of this process were rise in the texture differentiation coefficient in soil profiles, leaching and acidification of soils, increasing the proportion of fulvic acids in the humus composition. Agrogenic evolution of automorphic gray forest-steppe soils under conditions of extensive farming techniques (at low doses of organic fertilizers) for long period of plowing (150-230 years) was accompanied by recurrent changes of these soils into the chernozems. The growth of zoogenic processing and improvement of soil structure, development of morphologically detected humus profile thickness, increase in stocks of humus in the upper meter of soils, formation of more humate soil organic matter, increase in exchangeable capacity contributed to the processes of chernozems formation. Thus, the divergence of bioclimatic and agrogenic evolution of gray forest soils was revealed, which reflects the combination of a complex set of properties and processes of natural and human-caused soil genesis in the soil space of the studied area.
Keywords: gray forest-steppe soils, south of the Central Russian Upland, evolution of soils, Holocene, climate changes, plowing.
Author Details: Yu.G. Chendev, D.Sc. (Geogr.), head of department.
For citation: Chendev Yu.G. Trends of Natural and Anthropogenic Evolution of Gray Forest-Steppe Soils in Late Holocene: the South of the Central Russian Upland. Dostizheniya nauki i tekhniki APK. 2016. V.30. No. 7. Pp. 14-19 (in Russ.).