Purpose: to monitor mountain soil fertility and provide scientific substantiation of erosion resistance of agricultural crops in the subalpine belt of the central North Caucasus. To ensure the preservation of soil fertility in mountain and slope areas subject to active erosion, systematic monitoring of their agrophysical properties is necessary. The results of monitoring observations of the soil aggregate water stability in the arable soil layer depending on crop rotation in the mountainous zone of North Ossetia were presented.
Materials and methods. Field experiments were conducted in several stages from 1996 to 2013 at a long-term mountain station located at an altitude of 1,560 m above sea level on a northeastern-facing slope with a steepness of 7° in the Dargavskaya basin (suburban area of the Republic of North Ossetia – Alania).
Results. The traditional method for determining the soil aggregate water stability unreasonably overestimates the values due to imperfections in the determination methodology. Taking into account the proposed modernization of the methodology for studying mountain soils, the water stability was recalculated depending on the content of clay shale aggregates at a level of 30.53–34.10 % in different observation periods. The calculations showed that even with these methodological changes, the soil remains satisfactory in terms of water stability in all variants except for natural vegetation. In the first study period, the average water stability indicator for crop rotation was 47.99 %, and in the second period, it was 47.29 %.
Conclusions. Long-term observations have shown that under crop rotation conditions, soil water stability changed insignificantly. Nevertheless, a number of crops contributing to either stabilization or improvement of this indicator can be identified. Natural mountain meadow biocenoses, perennial grasses, and grain crops had the most beneficial effects. These agrocenoses maintained high soil stability, which is especially important in erosion-prone areas.
doi: 10.31774/2712-9357-2025-15-4-241-255
mountain meadow soils, soil structure water stability, clay shale aggregate, soil structural condition, monitoring, crop rotation
Kuchiev S. Е., Kozyrev A. Кh. Water stability of soil aggregates depending on crop rotation in the subalpine zone of North Ossetia. Land Reclamation and Hydraulic Engineering. 2025;15(4):241–255. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.31774/2712-9357-2025-15-4-241-255.
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Funding source: the study was funded by the budget of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education, Gorsky State Agrarian University. No additional grants for carrying out or managing this specific study were received.
