Humus is the most important indicator of soil fertility, which determines the productivity of agricultural land. Some of its parameters are subject to environmental monitoring. Long-term changes in the humus content in the soil is one of the main criteria for assessing the quality of agricultural systems in terms of their impact on soil fertility.
Humus balance can be deficit-free when losses are replenished by neoplasms, positive ones by gains more losses, and deficit (negative) ones when humus losses are greater than its neoplasms.
The main items of income that are taken into account in the calculation of humus balance are organic and mineral fertilizers, plowed crop (post-harvest) residues, non-commodity (side) part of the crop, green crops, land reclamation, precipitation. The item of losses includes: removal of nutrients by harvest, erosion losses, leaching with filtration water and venting into the atmosphere.
In the systematic analysis of soil fertility from such indicators as humus and mobile nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), in conditions of intensification of agriculture is extremely important to calculate the balance of humus, which allows to control the nature of changes in its content. areas and level of application of mineral and organic fertilizers. In order to determine the direction and intensity of these changes, use the balance method, which has articles of receipt and items of alienation of organic matter.
The balance method for assessing the humus condition of soils, in particular the calculation of the dynamics of humus and nutrient content, is in-house, so it does not provide a complete picture of the ecological condition of soils, but can be used for forecasting.
The results of scientific research and industrial experience convincingly prove that the decrease in humus content and nutrient imbalance cause deterioration of soil fertility. The quality of food, the purity of groundwater, surface water and the health of the population, respectively, also depend on the humus condition of the soil. Undoubtedly, it is for these reasons that the issue of soil fertility reproduction is perhaps the most important for specialists, which involves first of all ensuring a positive balance of humus and nutrients in the soil.
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Proceedings of the Periodic Report