Structure and operational properties of porous cermets on the basis of alloyed steel scale

Compositions of batches for obtaining porous cermets on the basis of alloyed steel scale with addition of ferrosilicon have been developed. Roentgenograms of the obtained alloys were shown, mechanical durability and porosity of the obtained materials were investigated. The model of formation of porous cermets was offere

Investigation and Assessment of Soil Fertility in Agroforest Landscapes

The article presents the research materials of agrochemical properties of soil land use in the agricultural production co-operative ”Kolos”, Oktyabrsky district of the Volgograd region. The studied agroforestry landscape is located on the left bank of the Tsimlyansk reservoir, in the watershed of the Myshkov River. The territory of the farm is typical for the light chestnut sub -- zone of soils in the South of the Volgograd region. The results of the research are data on agrochemical properties of soils, their analysis and relative assessment, as well as proposals for improving fertility. The analysis of soil samples was carried out in accordance with the guidelines for the comprehensive monitoring of soil fertility of agricultural land. The soil sample was taken from an area of 40 hectares and is a mixed sample composed of 20 individual samples taken from the depth of the arable layer (0 -- 0.30 m). The total area of the surveyed arable land is 13.3 thousand hectares. Under laboratory conditions, chemical analyses were carried out and such parameters of soil fertility as humus content, content of macronutrients (NPK), content of water-bearing salts, soil granulometric composition, pH index were determined. Laboratory data are summarized in the table. The analysis of experimental data revealed the ranges of the studied parameters and identified four groups of relative soil fertility: fields with high, medium, low and very low fertility. The grouping of fields based on the account of soil fertility will allow using more differentiated and effective application of the system of measures aimed at increasing the yield and preserving soil fertility

Spatial Principles of Territories Selection for Priority Development of Agroforestry Complexes

The creation of protective forest plantations on agricultural land is a long-term and capital-intensive investment aimed at creating sustainable agroforest landscapes. The purpose of the ongoing scientific research was to identify areas and create protective plantings, which will bring maximum effects. The methodology for achieving this goal is based on cartographic methods. Modern means of geoinformation modeling of territories and remote data make it possible to identify and follow the components of landscapes to obtain their quantitative characteristics. The result of the work carried out is a cartographic model of the study area, which allows for the analysis of the sufficiency of the number of existing forest plantations to ensure a sustainable development of the territories. The theoretical basis for determining the sufficiency of the number of forest plantations is the idea of the optimal forest cover of the territories. A review and analysis of existing points of view on the issue of optimal forest cover made it possible to identify the minimum parameters of protective forest cover. For the region of research, it is equal to 3%. The actual average value of the indicator of protective forest cover, calculated on the basis of the area of the entire study area, is 0.8%. The search for factors that determine the high efficiency of agroforestry measures made it possible to perform a differentiated assessment of the need for agroforestry measures. The ability to identify priority sites for the creation of protective forest plantations in these areas will bring maximum effects. The main principles of the search for areas of priority development are taking into account the geomorphological features of the study area, as well as the differences in the forest-growing properties of soils. The range of protective forest cover values for six geomorphologically different parts of the study area is from 0.6% to 2.7%. An analysis of the mutual arrangement of protective forest plantations and soil contours made it possible to identify the localization of spatial areas. When planning the creation of new protective forest plantations, priority is given to the most fertile lands, the indicators of protective forest cover of which are minimal

Agroforestry-Enhancing Typification of Agricultural Territories as a Basic Condition for Increasing the Efficiency of Protective Afforestation

Upgrading the scale of agricultural production and the effectiveness of protective afforestation is based on the strategy of identifying similar crop production conditions. The given research identifies the territories that require different approaches to forest reclamation. The research is based on the use of remote data as well as geoinformation research methods. The area for investigation is the territory of the right bank of the Khoper River in the Volgograd region. This territory is characterized by the distribution of the most fertile soils in the world, southern chernozems and typical chernozems. The study area is a long-standing historical center of agricultural production, and the task of protecting and increasing the fertility of cultivated soils is very urgent for this territory. The investigation of the catchment areas for identifying spatial patterns is an important methodological aspect of the present research. The studies were carried out within the network of catchments in ravines and gullies. The parameters of the areas of each catchment were used to calculate the specific indicators characterizing the territory. Mapping the territory of the research area made it possible to identify the range of parameters which characterize the erosion process as well as the parameters that cause its development. The studies of the interdependence of land structure and relief parameters made it possible to identify the processes for evaluating the agroecological state of the territories and their typification. These parameters include: erosive dissection, km/km2; the density of ravine tops, units/km2; the area of arable land in the catchment located on slopes with a steepness of more than 3°, %; and the nonforested area of slopes with a steepness of more than 8°. The values of indicators estimated on the basis of statistical scoring procedures became the basis for the allocation of four groups of conditional agroecological states of territories: normal, risk, crisis, and disaster. These groups differ in the set of reclamation measures used and their focus and scope