Prediction of soil fertility considering their macronutrient status
Authors: Samokhvalova V. L. , Khristenko A. O. , Shedey L. O. , Samokhvalova P. A. , Karatsuba O. V. 
Published: February 2020

The method for prediction of productive functions of soils, according to their macronutrient status, is grounded on the example of the total concentrations of nitrogen as biogenic macronutrient in different soil types of Polesie, Forest-Steppe and Steppe climatic zones of Ukraine including soils contaminated by heavy metals and fertilized (organic-mineral, organic and mineral system of fertilizer) soils. In the elaborated methodical approach the productive function (fertility) of different genesis soils forecasts by establishing new relationships of total nitrogen content with a humus calorific value, the energy reserves of the soil in layer up to 20 cm, the application of mathematical-statistical analysis. For example, according to the total nitrogen content as a biogenic macronutrient in accordance with the fixed gradations, with a further extension of the method algorithm for different soil types of climatic zones by the influence of technogenic pollution and technological load. The technical result of the elaborated method is to improve the known method of soil fertility prediction, considering their macronutrient status, by the selective choice of the most correlation associated, diagnostics capable of integral indicators of the energy and nitrogen status of the soil, which enhances the informativeness, accuracy and quick speed forecasting of production and ecological functions of different genesis soils with the identification of differences in ecological condition of soils for prediction and regulation of their quality. The elaborated methodological approach may find application in the assessment and ecological standardization of soil quality by chemical elements content, regulation of loads (technogenic, technological) on a soil system, in agroecology by investigating the question of soil fertility monitoring, lands certification of different purpose and use; organic farming, bioenergy and energy of soil formation; diagnosis, evaluation, determination of quality of humus and the state of the chemical elements; in environmental management of soils both for background conditions and different anthropogenic impacts and in research practice – investigating the biogeochemistry and nutrient macronutrients of the soil cover. Distinctive features and advantages of the proposed elaboration in comparison with known methods and approaches are: 1) express obtain of the accurate by predicted levels of total nitrogen content as a nutrient in the soil with the improving of the soil diagnosis accuracy by establishing some interconnected diagnostically suitable indicators of soils humus substances and nitrogen systems functioning, the direction of the mobilization and immobilization of nutrients (C, N) processes, the humification-mineralization and energy intensity of soils, including the negative impacts of anthropogenic pressures and degradation processes; 2) providing the opportunity for increasing effectiveness of predicting data on the functioning of the nitrogen systems of different genesis soils, environmental and energy state of soil and level of their potential fertility due to the background conditions, the application of different fertilization systems, and risk the availability of heavy metals pollution while minimizing the consumption of material resources; 3) expansion of the user’s ability to determine the total nitrogen content in the soil without long-term chemical analytical research due to the choice of regression equations obtained on the basis of the use of baseline soil properties of a certain type and subtype, according to available information; 4) versatility due to suitability of installed dependencies of the proposed method for all soil types and subtypes, climatic zones and contaminants.