Structure of Sown Areas and its Significance in the Steppe Zone of Ukraine

Abstract

The way of transformation of old-age natural grasslands of the southern Steppe into anthropogenic agricultural landscapes is shown, which led to a significant change in the structure of land use in Ukraine. Due to a significant decrease in the acreage of forage crops in recent years, there has been an increase in the acreage of corn, sunflower, soybean and winter rape, that is, cereals and industrial crops that are in demand on the world market. Prerequisites that did not contribute to the intensive development of agriculture in the southern part of the Steppe zone at the end of the XX and early XXI centuries are associated with extremely high plowing of existing agricultural landscapes and their degradation. The return to no science-based farming systems, while reducing the area of natural steppe landscapes, has led to the creation of an unstable state of agricultural lands. This is also due to the negative impact of regional climate change. The systematic expansion of arable land was the beginning of a significant anthropogenic impact on existing agricultural landscapes. Therefore, the prerequisites created over the past two centuries for the intensive development of crop production, horticulture and viniculture have led to the formation of anthropogenic agricultural landscapes. The main direction of scientific and economic activity of agricultural enterprises in the southern region should be to optimize the structure of sown areas with optimal participation of perennial grasses. This will help to strengthen the feed base for livestock, reduce the mineralization of humus in the soils and improve their physical and physic-chemical properties, first of all, a significant increase in the content of carbon and mineral and easily hydrolyzable nitrogen compounds and increase crop yields. Weather and climatic conditions of the Steppe zone indicate a significant instability of natural humidification and the growth of evaporation and lack of moisture supply, especially in mid-dry and dry on precipitation years. Therefore, the development and implementation of landscape and ecological farming systems in the southern region will contribute to ensuring food security in Ukraine.

Keywords

• agriculture; agricultural landscapes; yield; winter wheat; corn