Concentration and reserves of nitrogen in soils and plant matter in blocks of grass ecosystems of the North‐Western Precaspian region, Russia

Aim. Determination of phytocenosis productivity, nitrogen concentration and reserves in blocks of plant associations and by soil types in the North‐Western Precaspian region of Russia. 

Methods. Comprehensive research on the accumulation of organic matter and nitrogen in five blocks of plant matter, six plant associations and three types of soil by season using well‐known methods of accounting and analysis of soils and plants. 

Results. The regularities of phytomass formation, changes in nitrogen concentration and reserves in the main soil types and six plant associations for the 2011–2018 seasons were revealed. 

Conclusions. Ephemeroid‐wormwood‐cereal, ephemeroid‐wormwood, cereal‐wormwood, forb‐campfire and mixed‐grass‐campfire plant communities formed on light chestnut soil are the most productive, with a total productivity of 24.34 t/ha. The maximum nitrogen concentration was observed in the cereal‐wormwood, wormwood‐saltwort, forb‐saltwort and cereal‐saltwort associations – 1.9, 1.97, 2.2, and 2.57%, respectively, which is due to the predominance of Artemisia taurica Willd., Artemisia lercheana Web.ex Stechm. and Salsola iberica Sennen&Pau. In associations where there are representatives of the Poaceae, Brassicaceae and Caryophyllaceae, nitrogen decreases to 1.72–1.74%. Its value was higher on light‐chestnut soil, being 1.82% of absolutely dry mass, while on meadow‐chestnut soil it decreased to 1.75 and on saline soil is typically 1.38%. In the root mass of plant associations, its indicators were 3.2 times less than in the above ground mass. Nitrogen reserves by blocks of plant matter formed the following decreasing series: roots ≥ green mass ≥ rags ≥ felt. In the input part of the balance in plant associations, 171.6 nitrogen accumulates on light‐chestnut soil, 63.1 on meadow‐chestnut soil, 49.1 kg/ha on automorphic typical saline soil, and 171.9; 64.3 and  58.1 kg/ha in the expenditure part, respectively. the balance of nitrogen in the first type of soil is formed with a minimum deficit of 0.6 kg/ha, 1.2 and 9 kg/ha, respectively.

1. Gasanov G.N., Asvarova T.A., K.M. Gadzhiev, Akhmedova Z.N., Abdulayeva A.S., Bashirov R.R., Sultanakhmedov M.S. Theoretically possible and practically realized under the conditions of moisture supply and salinity productivity of light chestnut soil of the North‐Western Precaspian (on the example of the Kochubey biosphere station of the PIBR DNC RAS). Yug Rossii: ekologiya, razvitie [South of Russia: ecology, development]. 2014, no. 2, pp. 130–138. (In Russian)

2. Zalibekov Z.G., Biarslanov A.B. On the diversity of soil resources and their Role in creating food security. Aridnye ekosistemy [Arid ecosystems]. 2016, vol. 22, no. 2 (67), pp. 5–15. (In Russian)

3. Gasanov G.N., Asvarova T.A., Gadzhiev K.M., Akhmedova Z.N., Abdulayeva A.S., Bashirov R.R. Dependence of pasture phytocenosis yield on various types of soils in the NorthWestern Precaspian on the ecological factor and FAR. Aridnye ekosistemy [Arid ecosystems]. 2017, vol. 3, no. 2 (1), pp. 24–28. (In Russian)

4. Kulik K.N., Petrov V.I., Rulev A.S., Kosheleva O.Yu., Shinkarenko S.S. on the 30th anniversary of the "General scheme for combating desertification of black lands and Kizlyar pastures". Aridnye ekosistemy [Arid ecosystems]. 2018, vol. 24, no. 1 (74), pp. 3–10. (In Russian)

5. Radochinskaya L.P., Kladiev A.K., Rybashlykova L.P. Productive potential of restored pastures of the NorthWestern Precaspian. Aridnye ekosistemy [Arid ecosystems]. 2019, vol. 25, no. 1 (78), pp. 61–68. (In Russian)

6. Dzhapova R.R. Dinamika pastbishch i senokosov Kalmykii [Dynamics of pastures and haymaking in Kalmykia]. Elista, Kalmykia Publ., 2008, 176 p. (In Russian)

7. Usmanov R.Z., Osipova S.V., Jalalova M.I., Babaeva M.A. Use of phytomelioration methods on degraded pastures of the Terek‐Kuma lowland. Yug Rossii: ekologiya, razvitie [South of Russia: ecology and development]. 2008, no. 3, pp. 109–111. (In Russian)

8. Gasanov G.N., Asvarova T.A., Gadzhiev K.M., Bashirov R.R., Abdulayeva A.S., Akhmedova Z.N., Salikhov Sh. K. Species composition and productivity of pasture phytocenoses of the Terek‐Kuma lowland (on the example of the Kochubey biosphere station of the PIBR DNC RAS). Rastitel'nye resursy [Plant resources]. 2017, no. 53 (4), pp. 459–475. (In Russian)

9. Gasanova Z.U., Zagidova R.M. Features of formation of degraded pastures against the background of climate changes in the Western Precaspian. Zhivye i biokosnye sistemy [Living and biokosnye systems]. 2017, no. 20, pp. 18–25. (In Russian)

10. Asvarova T.A., Gasanov G.N., Gadzhiev K.M., Bashirov R.R., Akhmedova Z.N., Abdulayeva A.S. Balance of organic matter and chemical elements in pasture phytocenoses of the TerekKuma plain. Izvestiya Samarskogo nauchnogo tsentra Rossiiskoi akademii nauk [Proceedings of the Samara scientific center of the Russian Academy of Sciences]. 2017, vol. 19, no. 2 (3), pp. 412–415. (In Russian)

11. Gasanov G.N., Asvarova T.A., Gadzhiev K.M., Bashirov R.R., Akhmedova Z.N., Abdulayeva A.S., Salikhov Sh.K. Concentration, translocation and balance of phosphor in grass ecosystems of semi‐desert landscapes of the North‐Western Precaspian. Arid ecosystems, 2019, no. 2, pp. 52–58. (In Russian) https://doi.org/10.24411/1993‐3916‐2019‐10054

12. Gasanov G.N., Asvarova T.A. Gadzhiev K.M., Bashirov R.R., Abdulaeva A.S., Akhmedova Z.N., Salikhov Sh.K., Semenova V.V., Shaychalova J.O. Accumulation of potassium and calcium in plant associations of grassland plant communities of TerekKuma lowland. Izvestiya vysshikh uchebnykh zavedenii. Severo‐Kavkazskii region [News of higher educational institutions. North Caucasus region]. 2019, no. 1, pp. 46–56. (In Russian)

13. Gasanov G.N., Asvarova T.A., Gadzhiev K.M., Bashirov R.R., Akhmedova Z.N., Abdulayeva A.S., Salikhov Sh.K. Dynamics of chemical elements in blocks of plant matter in grass ecosystems of the Terek‐Kuma lowland of the Precaspian. Problemy razvitiya APK [Problems of agro‐industrial complex development]. 2018, no. 4, pp. 39–45. (In Russian)

14. Asvarova T.A., Hasanov G.N., Gadzhiev K.M., Bashirov R.R., Akhmedova Z.N., Abdulayeva A.S. Features of potassium Accumulation in aboveground and underground phytomass in the Tersk‐Kum semi‐desert Of the Caspian sea. Izvestiya Dagestanskogo gosudarstvennogo pedagogicheskogo universiteta. Estestvennye i tochnye nauki [News of Dagestan State Pedagogical University. Natural and exact sciences]. 2017, no. 11 (3), pp. 35–40. (In Russian)

15. Gasanov G.N., Asvarova T.A., Gadzhiev K.M., Abdulayeva A.S., Akhmedova Z.N., Salikhov Sh.K., Bashirov R.R. Dynamics of climatic conditions of the Terek‐Kuma lowland of the Precaspian over the past 120 years. Yug Rossii: ekologiya, razvitie [South of Russia: ecology and development]. 2013, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 96–104. (In Russian)

16. Arinushkina E.V. Khimicheskii analiz pochv [Chemical analysis of soils]. Moscow, MSU Publ., 1970, pp. 386–426. (In Russian)

17. Yagodin B.A., Deryugin I.P., Zhukov Yu.P. et al. Praktikum po agrokhimii [Practicum on Agrochemistry]. Moscow, Agropromizdat Publ., 1987, 275 p. (In Russian)

18. Titlyanova A.A. Productivity of grass ecosystems. Biologicheskaya produktivnost' travyanykh ekosistem. Geograficheskie zakonomernosti i ekologicheskie osobennosti [Biological productivity of grass ecosystems. Geographical patterns and environmental features]. Nauka Publ., 1988, pp. 109–127. (In Russian)

19. Murtazaliev R.A. Synopsis of the flora of Dagestan, vol. I (Licopodiaceae – Urticaceae), 320 p.; vol. II (Euphorbiaceae – Dipsacaceae), 248 p.; vol. III (Campanulaceae – Hippuridaceae), 304 p.; vol. IV (Melanthiaceae – Acoraceae), 232 p. Makhachkala, Epoch Publ., 2009. (In Russian)

20. Salmanov A.B. Agrokhimicheskaya kharakteristika pochv, effektivnost' mineral'nykh udobrenii i perspektivy ikh primeneniya v usloviyakh Dagestanskoi ASSR [Agrochemical characteristics of soils, the effectiveness of mineral fertilizers and prospects for their use in the conditions of the Dagestan ASSR]. Vsesoyuznoe soveshchanie Gosagrokhimsluzhby, Riga, 1970 [All‐Union meeting of the State Agrochemical Service, Riga, 1970]. Riga, 1970, pp. 145–148. (In Russian)

21. Zalibekov Z.G. Opyt ekologicheskogo analiza pochvennogo pokrova Dagestana [Experience of ecological analysis of the soil cover of Dagestan]. Makhachkala, 1995, 146 p. (In Russian)

22. Balamirzoev M.A., Kotenko M.E. Ecological aspects of soil evolution in the Delta regions of the Western Caspian sea. Yug Rossii: ekologiya, razvitie [South of Russia: ecology, development]. 2009, no. 4 (4), pp. 200–204. (In Russian)

23. Mirzoev E.M.‐R. Soil‐reclamation zoning of the North Dagestan lowland. In: Trudy pochvennogo instituta im. V.V. Dokuchaeva [Proceedings of the V.V. Dokuchaev Soil Institute]. Moscow, 1975, pp. 63–73. (In Russian)

24. Saidov A.K. Opustynivanie pochv vodno‐akkumulyativnykh ravnin aridnykh oblastei Rossii na primere pochv Kizlyarskikh pastbishch Dagestana. Avt. Diss.dokt. boil. nauk [Desertification of soils of water‐accumulative plains of arid regions of Russia on the example of soils of Kizlyar pastures of Dagestan. Auth. Dis. Doc. Biol. Sciences]. Moscow, 2009, 40 p. (In Russian)

25. Gasanov G.N., Abasov M.M., Musaev M.R., Adzhiev A.M., et al. Nauchnye osnovy povysheniya plodorodiya pochv Zapadnogo Prikaspiya [Scientific bases of increasing soil fertility in the Western Precaspian]. Makhachkala, DGSSA Publ., 2005, 25 p. (In Russian)

26. Kulakova N.Yu., Abaturov B.D. Elements of the nitrogen cycle in the landscapes of the Northern Precaspian. Povolzhskii ekologicheskii zhurnal [Volga ecological journal]. 2010, no. 2, pp. 151–159. (In Russian)

27. Bobritskaya M.A. Nitrogen supply to the soil with atmospheric precipitation in various zones of the European part of the USSR. Pochvovedenie [Pedology]. 1962, no. 12, pp. 5–61. (In Russian)

28. Kudeyarov V.N. Tsikl azota v pochve i effektivnost' udobrenii [Nitrogen cycle in soil and fertilizer efficiency]. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1989, 186 p. (In Russian)

29. Mikhailov A.V., Lukyanov A.M., Bykhovets S.S., Priputina I.V. Influence of nitrogen deposition levels and climate changes on various methods of forest management. Modelirovanie dinamiki organicheskogo veshchestva v lesnykh ekosistemakh [Modeling the dynamics of organic matter in forest ecosystems]. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 2007, 379 p. (In Russian)

30. Titlyanova A.A. Budget of food elements in ecosystems. Pochvovedenie [Pedology]. 2007, no. 12, pp. 1422–1429. (In Russian)

31. Trepachev E.P. Agrokhimicheskie aspekty biologicheskogo azota v sovremennom zemledelii [Agrochemical aspects of biological nitrogen in modern agriculture]. Moscow, 1999, 532 p. (In Russian)

32. Gasanov G.N., Abasov M.M., Musaev M.R., Abdurakhmanov G.M., et al. Ekologicheskoe sostoyanie i nauchnye osnovy povysheniya plodorodiya zasolennykh i podverzhennykh opustynivaniyu pochv Zapadnogo Prikaspiya [Ecological state and scientific bases of increasing the fertility of saline and desertification‐prone soils of the Western Caspian region]. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 2006, 264 p. (In Russian)

33. Abaturov B.D. Critical parameters of the quality of plant feed for Saiga (Saiga tatarica) on a natural pasture in a semidesert. Zoologicheskii zhurnal [Zoological journal]. 1999, vol. 78, no. 8, pp. 999–1010. (In Russian)

34. Vasilenko R.N. The value of perennial grasses in the system of agriculture. AgroOne [AgroOne]. 2017, no. 23, pp. 23–25. (In Russian)

35. Sizemskaya M.L. Sovremennaya prirodno‐antropogennaya transformatsiya pochv polupustyni Severnogo Prikaspiya [Modern natural and anthropogenic transformation of soils in the semidesert of the Northern Precaspian]. Moscow, KMK Publ., 2013, 276 p. (In Russian)

36. Kulakova N.Yu. Distribution of carbon and nitrogen reserves in meadow‐chestnut soils of the Northern Precaspian in natural steppe plant communities and forest plantations. Vestnik VGU, Seriya: Geografiya, geoekologiya [Vestnik VSU, Series: Geography, geoecology]. 2014, no. 1, pp. 47–52. (In Russian)

37. Safiollin F.N. Produktivnost' oroshaemykh senokosov v poimakh malykh rek srednego povolzh'ya v zavisimosti ot tipa travostoya i rezhima azotnogo pitaniya [Productivity of irrigated hayfields in the floodplains of small rivers of the middle Volga region depending on the type of grass and nitrogen Nutrition regime]. Moscow, 1984, 20 p. (In Russian)