Dark-gray podzolized humus-degraded soils on the loessial islands (opilia) of the Chernigiv Polissia: condition and prospects of resoiling

Abstract

Goal. To study the recreational influence of oak vegetation on the prospects of restoring fertility and natural properties of dark gray podzolized humus-degraded soils. Methods. Expeditionary field, morphological-genetic, comparative-analytical, agrarian-analytical. Results. Dark gray podzolized soils with humus-degraded lightened arable layer were described for the first time. They were ignored during the survey of the soil cover of Ukraine, although the arable part contains 20–30% less humus than in the sub-arable layer. These soils are very leached, strongly acidic, and unsaturated with the bases (50–60%). Partial restoration of the lightened layer under the influence of the oak forest belt is shown. Conclusions. It is fixed that dark-gray podzolized soils occur among the dark-colored soils with humus-degraded horizons in the Polissya loessial islands. The primary cause of humus losses in the arable land is its instability to mineralization in conditions of good moisture, enhanced aeration, and activation of microbiological activity.