Sanding of drained peatlands

Abstract

The results of many years of original research based on soil-ecological monitoring showed the development of degradation processes of previously drained peat soils of the Ryazan Meshchera. Structural amelioration (sanding) of peat soils had some positive effect. The aim of the research was to study the properties of the dried peat soil at reclamation site Tinki-II in the settlement of Polkovo, Ryazan District of Ryazan Region, as a result of sanding. The most common type of German mixed-layer sanding was used in investigations. The methodology was based on the principle of comparing the state of dried peat soil before and after sanding. The content of the less than 0.01 mm fractions was 4.3 %, the rest consisted of particles from 0.25 to 0.05 mm; the pH of the salt extract was 5.7. Mineral fertilizers were applied in the experiment in small quantities: ammonium nitrate – 180 g, superphosphate – 185 g and potassium sulfate – 260 g. The water supply was atmospheric-ground. Variant 2 was more effective – sanding with a dose of 1200 t/ha for sluicing and maintaining GWL = 90 cm, as evidenced by improved water-physical properties of the soil: the total porosity increased by 5 %; the total water capacity decreased from 270 to 70%, that was almost 4 times. Keywords: peat soil, degradation, sluicing, sanding, yield, potato.