Abstract
One task during establishing the fact of inappropriate use of agricultural land in the enabling legislation is the determination of the period of nonuse of land for agricultural purposes. In the absence of documented data on the history of the land plot and lack of aerial and/or satellite survey materials, the most accessible methods that can be used to determine the age of a fallow are studies of vegetative cover formed on the considered sites during the postagrogenic succession and the transformation of the plow horizon. A study conducted on agricultural lands in Kurgan oblast shows that the precise determination of the nonuse period of lands is possible using dendrochronology methods in the presence of tree vegetation. Additionally, the study of the species composition of the vegetation layer resulted in identification of a number of communities belonging to the successive stages of postagrogenic succession: weedy vegetation stage, the stage of rhizomatous grasses, and the transitional stage from rhizomatous to loose-cespitose grasses. Although, it is not possible to accurately determine the duration of these stages. However, a comparative analysis of the species composition of grassy vegetation at different areas, as well as the thickness and composition of the sod, allows us to establish the similarity of two or more sites if one of them has woody vegetation, which is an age marker for the fallow and neighboring areas. Thus, the main feature that favors age determination of a fallow is the age of the existing woody vegetation. Additional features promoting contour determination of a fallow land of a certain age include the species composition of the herbaceous community, the degree of development of the sod, and its composition.
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This study was carried out within the framework of the state order of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation “Soil Information Systems and Optimization of the Use of Soil Resources,” registration no. 121040800147-0.
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Translated by T. Kuznetsova
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Dabakhov, M.V., Dabakhova, E.V. Determination of the Age of Fallow Land Based on the Development Patterns of Postagrogenic Succession. Moscow Univ. Soil Sci. Bull. 78, 212–218 (2023). https://doi.org/10.3103/S0147687423030067
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3103/S0147687423030067