Study of the caragana shrub areas and its dynamics in the territory of the Suusamyr valley of the Kyrgyz Republic
Authors:   Kyrgyz State Technical University named after I. Razzakov, Umanova Nurgiz , Akmatov Ruslan ,   Kyrgyz State University named after I. Arabaev, Sharshenova Damira ,   Kyrgyz State University named after I. Arabaev
Published: January 2025

Introduction. This paper describes the features of the growth and distribution of the caragana shrub, widespread in the Suusamyr valley of the Kyrgyz Republic. Based on a study of the conditions of growth and distribution of this weedy shrub, an assessment was made of the area of growth of shrubs in the conditions of mountain pastures located in the study area. Based on the study of collected materials and their processing, using the Earth remote sensing data and using geoinformation technologies, the current state of pasture areas was determined and the distribution area of the caragana shrubs during the period from 2015-2020 was specified. Breach in the grazing load standards and non - compliance with the terms of use of pasture lands, especially due to non - compliance with pasture rotation, leads to the deterioration of the quality of feed on pastures and their productivity, as well as to the disruption of the ecological balance, decrease in feed reserves and overgrowing of pastures with weeds. The relevance of this study is related to the need to regulate the grazing of livestock, which prevents deterioration of the water - physical properties of soils and decrease of the fertility of soils, as well as the losses of productivity of pasture lands. Other reasons for the desertification of pasture lands are related with the failure to implement a number of required measures such as inadequate calculation of livestock load standards, scientifically based grazing methods and conditions, as well as pasture utilization rates and others. The shrub Caragana aurantiaca Kochne (caragana) considered in this work belongs to a harmful and inedible animal plant, therefore it belongs to the unconditional weeds, in addition, it takes a large amount of water and nutrients from the soil. These shrubs also disrupt the grazing conditions due to the impossibility and difficulty of animals’ access to other edible plants around the caragana shrubs. These negative effects significantly reduce the yield and nutrient value of pastures, resulting in the loss of useful feed resources. Purpose of the study. Study of the areas of the Caragana shrub and its dynamics on the territory of the Suusamyr valley of the Kyrgyz Republic. Materials and methods. The study of the area of distribution of the caragana was based on data and methods of remote sensing, field research to clarify the area of their development using the ArcGIS 10.3 software package. To determine the distribution areas of the caragana shrub, open Landsat-7 satellite images for 2015 and 2020, downloaded from the Earth explorer website of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), were used. Based on the results of the classification of satellite images, thematic maps of the distribution of the caragana shrub in the study area were compiled. The results and discussion. When determining the distribution area of the shrub, a controlled classification of satellite images was used with the determination and introduction into the automated calculation of pixel values for different types of vegetation, including caragana, water surface, populated areas, degraded and open areas of the earth’s surface. The values of different bands in each pixel of the images were revealed by visual interpretation using the results of field work performed in the study area. Combinations of different visible spectral bands in “natural” and “artificial” colors were used. After their clarification, the difference in the distribution areas of the caragana shrub was determined, which made it possible to determine their increased range for the last five years under study. Based on Landsat-7 satellite images, the area of the caragana shrub for 2015 and 2020 was clarified, which showed that it is increasing in the study area. Conclusion. Studies using Earth remote sensing data in the form of satellite images, geographic information systems (GIS) and field work showed that unsystematic use and excessive grazing are the main reasons for the formation of pasture digression and severe contamination by toxic plants on natural forage lands. An analysis of the distribution of areas of caragana shrubs from 2015 to 2020 showed the threatening danger of the uncontrolled and ever - increasing spread of these weeds in the Suusamyr Valley, which is one of the vast pasture lands in the country. Resume. The results of the studies can be useful in the analysis of degradation and severe weed infestation in rangelands, as well as in the regulation of grazing for the accurate calculation of load rates and pasture utilization rates.