About the project
Project Manager
Naushabayev Askhat
PhD doctor, Associate Professor
Scopus Author ID: 55883861200
Researcher ID: JXO-9002-2024
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8291-265X"X
Relevance
Due to its physical and geographical features, more than 80% of saline soils in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) are concentrated in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan (111.5 million ha or 41% of the territory of the republic). If the southern, southwestern and southeastern regions of the Republic are dominated by solonchaks and solonchakous soils, in its northern and central regions, solonetz and solonetzic soils reigned (74,077 million ha). The latter formed a focus among the most fertile chernozems and kastanozems (WRB) in the region in the Northern regions (Akmola, Pavlodar, Kostanay, Kokshetau, North Kazakhstan) located in the grain-producing zone. They contain the most harmful soda for plants and also, in most cases, mixed chlorides and sulfates. Salted by them solonetz and solonetzic soils are characterized by poor water-physical, physico-mechanical properties. All types of agro-technology, from plowing to harvesting, are carried out on small and medium-sized patches of these soils every year, that is, significant material, monetary and labor resources are spent on them. However, the difficulty of developing soda-saline solonetz and the low productivity of agricultural crops in them devalues the work done. Some areas of large patches are not even cultivated.
In addition to the above, in recent years, solonetzic chernozems and chestnut soils, as well as solonetz soils of the grain zone, have been subject to degradation due to the involvement of the soda and chloride-sulphate horizon in the arable horizon under the conditions of the local agricultural system. Well-known scientists explain the reason for this as a result of wind erosion of the chernozems and kastanozems of the field since the first cultivation (1954-1960), thinning of humus layers, as a result of which saline horizons (especially soda) come closer to the earth's surface and mix with surface fertile layers. The occurrence of this process led to the formation of large vertical cracks (>3 cm) in fertile soils and reduced the productivity of agricultural crops. The above-mentioned conditions require the improvement of the sodic salinized solonets and solonetzic chernozems and kastanozems in farms located in the grain zone in the north, and their fertility should be increased. This allows to significantly increase the area of land used for agriculture in the mentioned region.
Today, gypsum and phosphogypsum are still the only traditional amendments used to improve solonetz and solonetzic soils in the grain zone of Kazakhstan. Its inefficiency and ecological danger in the alkaline environment of the soil (residues from the production of phosphorus fertilizers) have been known for a long time. Even in the USA they refused to use it 25 years ago. That is why the need to find highly effective ecologically safe meliorants and develop advanced technology for the conditions of the natural-climatic, production and farming system in the grain zone of our Republic shows the relevance of the project not only in Kazakhstan, but at the International level. In our opinion, the use of sulfur and sulfur-containing meliorants with elements of advanced technologies in developed countries, determination of their relative reclamation efficiency and the use of ecologically safe and effective types allow to increase the fertility of the above-mentioned soils and the productivity of agricultural crops.
The scientific and practical importance of the work: the use of new ameliorants and advanced technology in the mixed soda-saline solonetz and chernozems and kastanozems with various degrees of soda formation in the grain zone in the north of Kazakhstan, to understand the processes taking place in the soil and to control them, as a result of which the fertility of the mentioned soils and agricultural allows to increase the productivity of crops and the potential of the local population.
Aim
Goal of the project is to develop the scientific and technological basis of the highly effective and environmentally safe technology of increasing the fertility of soda-saline solonetz and solonetzic soils with sulfur and sulfur-containing ameliorants, found among the fertile soils of the grain zone (cropland) of Kazakhstan.
Expected and Achieved Results
The project is expected to publish two articles or reviews in peer-reviewed scientific journals indexed in the Science Citation Index Expanded and ranked in the 1st or 2nd quartile by impact factor in the Web of Science database or having a CiteScore percentile in the Scopus database of at least 65, as well as two articles or reviews in a peer-reviewed foreign or domestic journal recommended by the SHEQA MSHE RK. In the grain belt of Northern Kazakhstan, using the Akmola region as an example, sulfur and sulfur-containing ameliorants will be applied for the first time on mixed soda-saline solonetz soils. The scientific and technological foundations for their application will be developed, along with a technology adapted to the natural, climatic, and production conditions. The application of the latter will improve the fertility of the soils in question and the yield of agricultural crops. For the first time, a methodological recommendation will be developed for the development of mixed soda-saline solonetz soils in the grain zone using sulfur or sulfur-containing ameliorants.
During the first year of research, the following scientific and practical results were achieved:
- medium and large-scale soil maps and their explanatory notes were studied, and a review of foreign and domestic literature on mixed soda-saline solonetzic soils was conducted;
- typical sites for field experiments were selected based on the results of reconnaissance field studies of the steppe zone in the grain zone (Akmola Region);
- the initial soil-reclamation conditions of soda-saline solonetz soils in the experimental plots were studied;
- a laboratory model experiment was conducted to determine the comparative reclamation effectiveness of sulfur and sulfur-containing ameliorants on soda-saline solonetzic soils, and a field experiment design was developed based on the laboratory experiment data;
- preparatory work was carried out and a field experiment was conducted with variants of the tested ameliorants on mixed soda-saline solonetz soils.
Information for Potential Users
Potential users of this highly effective and environmentally friendly technology for enhancing the fertility of solonetz and variously solonetzic soils in the grain zone are primarily agricultural enterprises engaged in crop cultivation and whose territories have experienced problems with mixed soda salinization and solonetzification. Furthermore, the developed technology can be utilized by oil and other companies producing or selling both domestic and foreign analogues of sulfur and sulfur-containing ameliorants. Finally, the new knowledge and practical skills gained during the project can be applied in higher education institutions for courses in general soil science, soil reclamation, and ecology.
Project Team
1. Kaldybaev Saginbay
doctor of agriculture, Professor
Scopus Author ID: 56669701100
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2821-3684
2. Yerzhanova Kenzhe
candidate of agricultural science, Associate Professor
Scopus Author ID: 56226825800
Researcher ID: EUB-3779-2022
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5333-0906
3. Vasilina Tursunai
PhD doctor, Associate Professor
Scopus Author ID: 55603939100
Researcher ID: https://publons.com/researcher/AAP-2284-2020/
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0554-9839
4. Seitkali Nurzikhan
PhD doctor, Senior lecturer
Scopus Author ID: 56982925600
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0942-8188
5. Karaeva Karlyga
PhD doctor, Senior lecturer
Scopus ID: 57191890932
Researcher ID: MCK-3094-2025
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4074-5352
6. Aubakirov Nurymzhan
PhD doctor, Senior lecturer
Scopus Author ID: 58645049000
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7340-2735
7. Naushabaeva Svetlana
master of agricultural science, Junior researcher
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8518-7493
8. Abay Ayan
doctoral student, master of agriculture
Scopus Author ID: 59490272400
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9470-9229