ALBERT

Description:    It was shown that the soil loss equation for different types of erosion should and can be theoretically derived in a general form. An analogy was drawn between the detachment of soil particles by water or air flows, on the one hand, and the heat and mass exchange in the boundary layer on a plate flowed around by a flow, on the other hand, which allowed finding the thermodynamic parameters of the circumfluent flow analogous to the mechanical parameters of a flow eroding the soil. On this basis, the Clausius-Clapeyron equation for equilibrium sublimation was transformed into an equation describing the removal of soil by both water and wind. The validity of the obtained equation for the description of the soil loss rate as a function of the eroding flow parameters was confirmed using the data on the physical simulation of wind erosion in wind tunnels and water erosion in hydraulic flumes. The confirmed adequacy of the derived equation to the phenomena of soil erosion by water and wind provides the theoretical substantiation of the equations previously derived for soil loss by washing [6] and blowing [3] and forms the basis for the further development of the theory of soil erosion. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Erosion Pages 182-188 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312020093 Authors V. M. Gendugov, Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia G. P. Glazunov, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia G. A. Larionov, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia N. F. Nazarov, Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 2

Description:    An approach to assess the mineralogical status of chernozems is discussed. It is based on ten characteristics of the main groups of minerals composing the silicate part of the soil and allows us to give a comprehensive assessment of the mineralogical status of chernozems and its transformation under the impact of pedogenetic processes. The obtained data may be used for determining the soil genesis; improving soil classification; and solving various applied problems, including the assessment of the adverse effect of irrigation of chernozems on the state of their minerals, the irrigation-induced degradation of smectites and illite formation, illite formation upon the nonexchangeable fixation of potassium from fertilizers, etc. The principles of this approach may also be applied to other soils with due consideration for their mineralogical composition. Content Type Journal Article Category Mineralogy and Micromorphology of Soils Pages 162-171 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312020020 Authors V. E. Alekseev, Dimo Institute of Soil Science, Agricultural Chemistry, and Soil Melioration, ul. Yalovenskaya 100, Chisinau, 2070 Moldova Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 2

Description:    Pedosediments of the Mikulino interglacial paleosol contain information about the Early Valdai cooling. For the periglacial zone of the East European Plain, this period correlating with marine oxygen-isotope stage (MIS) 5d has not been separately distinguished in the known national stratigraphic schemes by the Committee on Stratigraphy and by Velichko with coauthors [4]. However, in the buried erosional landforms of the Mikulino interglacial, the deposits corresponding to this period reach considerable thickness (up to 5 m). They were examined in the key section of the Aleksandrov quarry (Kursk oblast). On the basis of the textural and micromorphological analyses of the Early Valdai pedosediments, the paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the first Early Valdai cooling was performed, and the major supergene processes (pedogenic, cryogenic, erosional, etc.) that shaped the pedosediments were characterized. Four stages of the development of local landscapes were distinguished, and a unidirectional trend for climatic cooling against the background of the complex pattern of climatic moistening in that period was established. Thus, a detailed pattern of the changes in the climate at the turn of the Mikulino interglacial period and the Early Valdai cooling was reconstructed. Content Type Journal Article Category Mineralogy and Micromorphology of Soils Pages 172-181 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312020111 Authors T. M. Grigor’eva, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia S. A. Sycheva, Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, per. Staromonetnyi 29, Moscow, 119017 Russia Yu. R. Belyaev, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia E. D. Sheremetskaya, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 2

Description:    The trends of the soil-forming process and the changes in the main physicochemical properties of leached chernozems under different phytocenoses (virgin land, cereal-row crop rotation, and sown perennial grasses ( Galega + Bromopsis )) were studied. In the cereal-row crop agrocenoses, as compared to the virgin land, the thickness of the humus horizon increased, and the depth of effervescence remained the same. The reaction of the leached chernozems in the phytocenoses did not change, and the sum of exchangeable bases increased in the following sequence: sown perennial grasses 〈 cropland = virgin land. The humus content and its reserves in the 0- to 20-cm soil layer of all the agrophytocenoses were almost the same, and the total nitrogen content decreased in the following sequence: virgin land = cropland 〉 perennial grasses. On the contrary, the total phosphorus content, its mobility, the phosphorus capacity and reserves, and the sum of the mineral phosphates increased in the same order. The highest content of exchangeable potassium was found in the soils of the virgin land and the lowest one, in the soils of the cereal-row crop agrocenosis. The perennial grasses consumed the greatest amounts of potassium and nitrogen and the spring wheat of the cereal-row crop rotation, those of nitrogen. The removal of nitrogen was 1.6–1.8 and 2.3 times greater than the losses of phosphorus and potassium, respectively. Content Type Journal Article Category Degradation, Rehabilitation, and Conservation of Soils Pages 206-219 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312020081 Authors L. P. Galeeva, Novosibirsk State Agrarian University, ul. Dobrolyubova 160, Novosibirsk, 630039 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 2

Description:    Morphogenetic features of soils developed from noncalcareous and calcareous deposits of the marine and glacial origins on the coasts of Billefjord and Petunia Bay in West Spitsbergen are studied. Grayhumus (soddy) soils develop from noncalcareous deposits; they consist of the AO-AY-C horizons and differ from analogous soils in other locations in a higher bulk content of calcium, a close to neutral reaction, and a relatively high degree of base saturation. Gray-humus residually calcareous soils (AO-AYca-Cca) developed from calcareous deposits have a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction; their exchange complex is almost completely saturated with bases. The soils that developed from both marine and moraine deposits are generally similar in their major genetic features. The profiles of all the soils are not differentiated with respect to the contents of major elements, including oxalate-soluble forms of aluminum and iron. Gley features are also absent in the profiles of these soils. Content Type Journal Article Category Genesis and Geography of Soils Pages 1023-1032 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312070046 Authors V. N. Pereverzev, Avrorin Polar-Alpine Botanical Garden-Institute, Kola Science Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Apatity, Murmansk oblast, 184209 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 11

Description:    A new methodological approach aimed at the creation and correction of digital soil maps on the basis of systematized and georeferenced available cartographic and attribute information arranged into a GIS project has been tested. The particular stages and methods of the creation of a digital map of salt-affected soils of Khakassia with the use of GIS technologies in the ArcInfo format are described. All the available cartographic materials, including the Soils of Russia GIS project, digital elevation models, remote sensing data, and analytical data on 82 soil pits (including the authors’ materials and previously published data), have been used for the creation of this new map. Content Type Journal Article Category Genesis and Geography of Soils Pages 997-1012 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312110026 Authors G. I. Chernousenko, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia N. V. Kalinina, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia D. I. Rukhovich, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia P. V. Koroleva, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 11

Description:    The use of multiple centrifuging and filtration of water suspensions from different soils and subsoil deposits allowed revealing the ultrafine forms (nanosized, nanoforms) of bacteria. In the soils studied, the number of bacteria obtained by filtration using 0.2-μm filters was 20–300 mln cells in 1 g soil; the share of these bacteria of their total population in the natural soils reached 5% and was higher (up to 15%) in the polluted urban soils. The study of bacterial nanoforms in situ by the methods of scanning and transmission microscopy has shown the presence of dividing cells, which testifies to their viability. The cells without signs of division were similar in their ultrastructural characteristics to dormant forms of nonspore-forming bacteria. They were observed in permafrost deposits. The data obtained attest that the bacterial nanoforms are widespread in soils and subsoil deposits. According to their morphological and cytological characteristics, they are represented by both active and dormant forms to survive unfavorable conditions. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Biology Pages 1048-1056 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312110087 Authors V. S. Soina, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia L. V. Lysak, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia I. A. Konova, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia E. V. Lapygina, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia D. G. Zvyagintsev, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 11

Description:    The parameters of the elemental composition, molecular weight distribution, infrared and proton spectroscopy, and hydrophilic-hydrophobic properties were determined for humic acids preparations isolated from arable horizons of soils from different natural zones (an ordinary chernozem, a soddy-podzolic soil, and a meadow sierozem). The general and specific properties of the humic acids from the three studied soils were revealed. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Chemistry Pages 1033-1041 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312110051 Authors G. V. Motuzova, Faculty of Soil Science, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia H. M. Derham, Faculty of Soil Science, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia A. A. Stepanov, Faculty of Soil Science, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 11

Description:    The formation of the adsorption layers of polyelectrolytes (PEs) with the development of a mineralogical matrix on the surface of soil minerals and soils (kaolinite, montmorillonite, quartz sand, gray forest soil, and a chernozem) were established on the basis of direct measurements and IR spectroscopy. The differences in the adsorption kinetics of polyacrylamide (PAM) and polyacrylic acid (PAA) were revealed depending on the mineral nature, which were confirmed by the calculated values of the effective adsorption constants. It was found that the limit values of the PAM and PAA adsorption derived from experimental measurements for all the minerals were significantly higher than the values calculated for the formation of a monomolecular layer, which indicated adsorption on the surface of not only separate macromolecules but also secondary PE structures such as packets or fibrils. The IR spectroscopy studies confirmed the differences in the adsorption mechanism of PEs on soil minerals (from physical adsorption to chemisorption with the formation of surface compounds due to polar groups of PEs and surface groups of mineral particles). As a result, a cluster-matrix structure controlling the physicochemical properties of the modified surface was developed on the surface of natural aluminosilicates and soils. Content Type Journal Article Category Mineralogy and Micromorphology of Soils Pages 1057-1067 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312050067 Authors G. N. Kurochkina, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Institutskaya 2, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290 Russia D. L. Pinskii, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Institutskaya 2, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 11

Description:    The relationship between the fixation of organic matter into a form resistant to oxidative destruction and the actual structure of the clay component was studied in profiles of different-aged chernozemic soils of a filled fortification in the Volga Bulgaria. With the use of modern methods (X-ray phase analysis, laser diffraction granulometry, hyphenated thermal analysis-FT-IR spectroscopy, adsorption-luminescence analysis, and ICP emission spectroscopy), it was shown that the formation of organic-smectite complexes with a disordered c*-axis structure is a universal and usual way for the kinetic stabilization of the system during pedogenesis under forest-steppe conditions. The main aim of the study was to experimentally substantiate this phenomenon. Content Type Journal Article Category Mineralogy and Micromorphology of Soils Pages 1068-1080 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312050043 Authors K. G. Giniyatullin, Kazan State University, ul. Kremlevskaya 18, Kazan, 420008 Tatarstan, Russia A. A. Shinkarev Jr., Central Research Institute of Geology of Nonmetalliferous Mineral Resources, ul. Zinina 4, Kazan, 420096 Tatarstan, Russia A. A. Shinkarev, Kazan State University, ul. Kremlevskaya 18, Kazan, 420008 Tatarstan, Russia G. A. Krinari, Kazan State University, ul. Kremlevskaya 18, Kazan, 420008 Tatarstan, Russia T. Z. Lygina, Central Research Institute of Geology of Nonmetalliferous Mineral Resources, ul. Zinina 4, Kazan, 420096 Tatarstan, Russia A. M. Gubaidullina, Central Research Institute of Geology of Nonmetalliferous Mineral Resources, ul. Zinina 4, Kazan, 420096 Tatarstan, Russia A. G. Kornilova, Central Research Institute of Geology of Nonmetalliferous Mineral Resources, ul. Zinina 4, Kazan, 420096 Tatarstan, Russia L. V. Mel’nikov, Kazan State University, ul. Kremlevskaya 18, Kazan, 420008 Tatarstan, Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 11

Description: Scientific rationale and instruments to prevent fires on peatlands Content Type Journal Article Category Book Reviews Pages 995-996 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312100031 Authors N. A. Karavaeva, Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, per. Staromonetnyi 29, Moscow, 119017 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 10

Description:    The contents of organic compounds in water extracts from organic horizons of loamy soils with different water contents from the medium taiga zone of the Komi Republic were determined by gas-liquid chromatography and chromatography-mass spectrometry. The mass concentration of organic carbon in the extracts was in the range of 290–330 mg/dm 3 ; the mass fraction of the carbon from the identified compounds was 0.5–1.9%. Hydrocarbons made up about 60% of the total identified compounds; acids and their derivatives composed less than 40%. Most of the acids (40–70%) were aliphatic hydroxy acids. The tendencies in the formation of different classes of organic compounds were revealed depending on the degree of the soil hydromorphism. The acid properties of the water-soluble compounds were studied by pK spectroscopy. Five groups of compounds containing acid groups with similar pK a values were revealed. The compounds containing groups with pK a 〈 4.0 were predominant. The increase in the surface wetting favored the formation of compounds with pK a 3.2–4.0 and 7.4–8.4. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Chemistry Pages 939-946 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312100080 Authors E. V. Shamrikova, Institute of Biology, Komi Research Center, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Kommunisticheskaya 28, Syktyvkar, 167982 Russia V. V. Punegov, Institute of Biology, Komi Research Center, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Kommunisticheskaya 28, Syktyvkar, 167982 Russia I. V. Gruzdev, Institute of Biology, Komi Research Center, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Kommunisticheskaya 28, Syktyvkar, 167982 Russia E. V. Vanchikova, Institute of Biology, Komi Research Center, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Kommunisticheskaya 28, Syktyvkar, 167982 Russia A. A. Vetoshkina, Syktyvkar State University, ul. Petrozavodskaya 120, Syktyvkar, Komi Republic, 167982 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 10

Description:    The methane emission from typical bog landscapes of the West Siberian subtaiga was studied in the summer-autumn of 2007–2010. The lowest specific fluxes (the median value is 0.08 mg C-CH 4 /m 2 per h) were recorded from ryams (raised bogs with dwarf shrub-sphagnum associations). From the ridges of the ridge-pool complexes, the fluxes were estimated at 0.49 mg C-CH 4 /m 2 per h; from the oligotrophic hollows, eutrophic bogs, floating lake mats, and mesotrophic quaking bogs, they were estimated at 2.68, 3.36, 4.53, and 4.98 mg C-CH 4 /m 2 per h, respectively. The maximal flux was determined from the lakes (the median is 17.98 mg C-CH 4 /m 2 per h). The regional assessment of the methane flux from the bogs of Western Siberia (2.93 Tg C-CH 4 /yr) was obtained on the basis of the authors’ and literature data. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Chemistry Pages 947-957 DOI 10.1134/S106422931210002X Authors M. V. Glagolev, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1, Moscow, 119991 Russia A. F. Sabrekov, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1, Moscow, 119991 Russia I. E. Kleptsova, Yugorskii State University, ul. Chekhova 16, Khanty-Mansiisk, 628012 Russia I. V. Filippov, Yugorskii State University, ul. Chekhova 16, Khanty-Mansiisk, 628012 Russia E. D. Lapshina, Yugorskii State University, ul. Chekhova 16, Khanty-Mansiisk, 628012 Russia T. Machida, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Nishi Odori str., Tsukuba, 305-8506 Japan Sh. Sh. Maksyutov, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Nishi Odori str., Tsukuba, 305-8506 Japan Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 10

Description:    The concentrations of rare-earth elements were studied in the profiles of soddy podburs and mucky-humus gley soils. The soil horizons differed significantly in the contents of C org (0–26%), the physical clay (〈0.01 mm) fraction (3–31%), the acidity (pH 4 to 5.5), and the presence/absence of Al-Fe-humus accumulations. The most significant relationship was observed between the concentrations of rare-earth elements and the physical clay content, particularly for Nd: x (Nd, mg/kg) = 7 + 1.6 y (fraction 〈0.01 mm, %). Weak biogenic accumulations in the upper horizons were observed for Nd, Ce, and Dy; Nd, Pr, and La accumulated in the Al-Fe-humus illuvial horizon. The concentrations of rare-earth elements in the studied soils formed the following sequence (mg/kg): Nd (20–101)-Ce (10–44)-La, Sm, Gd, Dy, Yb (3–20)-Pr (1–4)-Ho (0.1–0.4)-Tm, Lu, and Tl (0.0). A clear trend was observed to higher contents of even-numbered elements as compared with odd-numbered elements, excluding La. Content Type Journal Article Category Degradation, Rehabilitation, and Conservation of Soils Pages 983-994 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312100079 Authors L. V. Perelomov, Tula State University, pr. Lenina 92, Tula, 300600 Russia Zh. S. Asainova, Pushchino Branch of Lomonosov Moscow State University, district V, 20A, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142292 Russia S. Yoshida, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Anagawa 4-9-1, Inage-ku, Chiba-shi, 263-8555 Japan I. V. Ivanov, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Institutskaya 2, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 10

Description:    The spatial changes in the ecological conditions of the humus formation; the humus content and reserves and its fractional-group composition and amphiphilic properties; and the structure, density, and water absorption coefficient of ordinary chernozems were studied on nine key plots at distances of 34 and 2 km from two forest massifs of different sizes—the Buzuluk Bor (111 000 ha) and a small birch grove (25 ha)—in the steppe zone of the Cis-Ural region. With an increase in the distance from the forests, the soil humus reserves decrease, the C ha /C fa ratio becomes larger, and the portion of hydrophilic and amphiphilicneutral fractions in the soil organic matter increases. In the same direction, the structure coefficient decreases (from 2.5–3.7 to 1.5–2.2), the soil density gradually increases, and the water permeability decreases and remains within the optimal values range. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Physics Pages 684-689 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312010140 Authors A. M. Rusanov, Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, Orenburg State University, pr. Pobedy 13, Orenburg, 460018 Russia E. Yu. Milanovskii, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia Yu. P. Verkhoshentseva, Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, Orenburg State University, pr. Pobedy 13, Orenburg, 460018 Russia S. B. Voropaev, Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, Orenburg State University, pr. Pobedy 13, Orenburg, 460018 Russia L. V. Anilova, Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, Orenburg State University, pr. Pobedy 13, Orenburg, 460018 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 7

Description:    Under laboratory conditions, the spores of a xerotolerant Streptomyces odorifera strain germinated in brown semidesert soil even at extremely low soil water pressure ( P = −96.4 MPa, −964 atm, a w 0.50); the plantlets increased in length and formed mycelium, on which a new generation of spores was produced (a complete development cycle of the actinomycetes—from a spore to the formation of new spores—passed). The duration of the first cycles of the actinomycetes’ development varied from 13 days at P = −27 atm to 57 days at P = −964 atm and was directly proportional to the absolute value of the soil water pressure ( P ). In the first cycles of the actinomycetes’ development, the rate of increase of the concentration of the germinated spores and mycelium, as well as the logarithms of the mycelium-to-germinated spore concentration ratios, was inversely proportional to the logarithm of P . These relationships indicated that the energy state of the water determined its availability to soil biota and, hence, the activity of its physiological and biochemical processes. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Biology Pages 717-723 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312030155 Authors D. G. Zvyagintsev, Faculty of Soil Science, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia G. M. Zenova, Faculty of Soil Science, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia I. I. Sudnitsyn, Faculty of Soil Science, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia T. A. Gracheva, Faculty of Soil Science, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia E. E. Lapygina, Faculty of Soil Science, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia K. R. Napol’skaya, Faculty of Soil Science, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia A. E. Sydnitsyna, Faculty of Soil Science, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 7

Description:    The number and biomass of various groups of microorganisms in fallow soils is greater as compared to plowed soils. The microbial biomass in all fallow and plowed soils is dominated by fungal mycelium (from 90% in the top horizons to 97% in the lower ones). The part of spores in the fungal biomass is higher in plowed soils (from 9% in the top horizons to 4% in the lower ones) as compared to fallow soils (3.5–6%). The fallow soils are characterized by the greater part of prokaryotic microorganisms in the biomass, and the reserves and structure of the microbial biomass are more similar to those in the undisturbed soils. These characteristics changed during a ten-year-long period in a soddy-calcareous soil and during a 25-year-long period in a leached chernozem. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Biology Pages 710-716 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312030088 Authors L. M. Polyanskaya, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991 Russia N. I. Sukhanova, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991 Russia K. V. Chakmazyan, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991 Russia D. G. Zvyagintsev, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 7

Description:    The transport parameters were determined for the 18 O isotope (in the form of H 2 18 O), the Br − ion, and atrazine in intact columns of allophanic Andosol (Mexico State, Mexico). A one-dimensional model for the convective-dispersive transport of chemicals with account for the decomposition and equilibrium adsorption (HYDRUS-1D), which is widely applied for assessing the risk of the chemical and bacterial contamination of natural waters, was used. The model parameters were obtained by solving the inverse problem on the basis of laboratory experiments on the transport of the 18 O isotope, the Br − ion, and atrazine in intact soil columns at a fixed filtration velocity. The hydrodynamic dispersion parameters determined for the 18 O and Br − ions in one column were of the same order of magnitude, and those for atrazine were higher by 3–4 times. The obtained parameters were used to calculate the transport of these substances in another column with different values of the water content and filtration velocity. The transport process was adequately described only for the 18 O isotope. In the case of the Br − ion, the model significantly underestimated the transport velocity; for atrazine, its peak concentration in the column was overestimated. The column study of the transport of the three chemical compounds showed that transport parameters could not be reliably predicted from the results of a single experiment, even when several compounds were used in this experiment. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Chemistry Pages 675-683 DOI 10.1134/S106422931207006X Authors E. Raymundo-Raymundo, Colegio de Postgraduados, Montecillo, Carretera Mexico, Texcoco Km. 36.5, Edo. Mexico CP 56230, Mexico Yu. N. Nikolskii, Colegio de Postgraduados, Montecillo, Carretera Mexico, Texcoco Km. 36.5, Edo. Mexico CP 56230, Mexico A. K. Guber, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA C. Landeros-Sanchez, Colegio de Postgraduados, Montecillo, Carretera Mexico, Texcoco Km. 36.5, Edo. Mexico CP 56230, Mexico Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 7

Description:    The morphology of the profile, some chemical properties, and particle-size distribution of the automorphic soils developed from lacustrine-alluvial loamy-clayey deposits in the Sredneobskaya Lowland are considered. The soils of the West Siberian middle taiga zone remain poorly studied. A comparison of our data with data on podzolic soils in the northeastern part of European Russia and with diagnostic characteristics of the soil type of svetlozems included in the new classification system of Russian soils (2004) allows to argue that the studied soils cannot be classified as podzolic soils; most of them also do not fit the diagnostic criteria of svetlozems. The obtained data on the particle-size distribution in the studied soils do not agree with the concept of the sedimentation zonality in the West Siberian Plain. Content Type Journal Article Category Genesis and Geography Of Soils Pages 651-656 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312070022 Authors N. A. Avetov, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991 Russia S. A. Avetyan, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991 Russia E. I. Dorofeeva, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991 Russia S. Ya. Trofimov, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 7

Description:    The structural state of modern (surface) soils and the soils buried under Anna Ioannovna’s rampart (1718–1720) was studied. These soils are the components of solonetzic soil complexes in the southern Privolzhskaya Upland. The dehumification and the high content of calcium in the exchange complex determine the state of the macrostructure of the chestnut soil buried about 300 years ago. The dehumification drastically lowers the water stability of the soil aggregates, and the predominance of calcium ions in the soil exchange complex prevents the destruction of the chestnut paleosol aggregates and preserves their aggregate state upon moistening. For the last 300 years, no significant changes in the macrostructure of the solonetzes have been observed. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Physics Pages 690-699 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312010176 Authors B. N. Zolotareva, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Institutskaya 2, Moscow oblast, Pushchino, 142290 Russia A. V. Bukhonov, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Institutskaya 2, Moscow oblast, Pushchino, 142290 Russia V. A. Demkin, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Institutskaya 2, Moscow oblast, Pushchino, 142290 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 7

Description:    The soil-genetic zoning proposed, unlike the known scheme of soil-genetic zoning, is based on the analysis of soil properties and soil-forming processes. Its objective is to interpret the soil cover in the format of the substantive-genetic soil classification of Russia (2004). The units of the soil-genetic zoning are distinguished according to the manifestations of horizon-forming processes: the main processes determining the principal trend of pedogenesis and the soil profile composition at the first level and the additional processes (forming the associated soils) serving as criteria for distinguishing the units at the second level. The results obtained allow considering this investigation as an experience of a new interpretation of a small-scale soil map and its analysis from two positions: the geography of the soil-forming processes and the complexity of the soil cover. The soil-genetic zoning has been carried out on the basis of the State Soil Map sheets; it can be an instrument for the conversion of the map’s contents into the substantive-genetic soil classification of Russia (2004). Content Type Journal Article Category Genesis and Geography of Soils Pages 639-650 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312050079 Authors I. I. Lebedeva, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 117017 Russia S. V. Ovechkin, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 117017 Russia T. V. Korolyuk, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 117017 Russia M. I. Gerasimova, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 117017 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 7

Description:    There are scarce data on the content of lanthanides in the soils of Russia, which is explained by the difficulties in their identification. The improvement of X-ray radiometric analysis permitted us to analyze a significant group of lanthanides in soils, i.e., La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, and Dy. Methods of diagnostics are developed for different groups of lanthanides. The new procedure permitted achieving high accuracy in the measurement; the limit of the lanthanide identification in soils is equal to 2–5 mg/kg. The new procedure allows revealing the particularities of heavy lanthanides’ distribution depending on the lithogenic and anthropogenic factors. The procedure is applicable for revealing the technogenic anomalies of heavy lanthanides and determining their content in soils within positive and weakly negative anomalies. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Chemistry Pages 665-674 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312050122 Authors A. T. Savichev, Geological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia Yu. N. Vodyanitskii, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 7

Description:    Excessive wetting significantly affects the physicochemical, chemical, and biological properties of soils and changes the valence of Fe and Mn and the fractional composition of their compounds, as well as the compounds of the microelements and heavy metals bound to them. It was found that the metals are subdivided into three groups with respect to the soil wetting conditions: (1) the iron-group metals, the state of which is determined by the soil wetting conditions, the development of the reduction processes, and the status of the Fe and Mn compounds as the main sorption complexes closely bound to Co and Ni; (2) the Cu and Pb compounds, the status of which depends on the soil wetting and redox conditions and which are closely bound to organic matter and Fe and Mn compounds; and (3) the Zn and Cd compounds, the status of which little depends on the soil wetting and redox conditions and which are characterized by a low affinity for Fe, Mn, and organic compounds. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Chemistry Pages 657-664 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312070058 Authors I. O. Plekhanova, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 7

Description:    The methods and results of tomographic soil studies are discussed. A brief history of the development of the tomographic method and its application in soil science are described, and the major results obtained with the use of this method are outlined. An experience of the application of X-ray microtomography for studying the structure of undisturbed samples of some Russian soils is also considered. Three-dimensional images of soil aggregates and soil pore space with a resolution of 15.8 μm have been obtained for the upper horizons of gray forest and soddy-podzolic soils. On the basis of these data, the merits and demerits of the tomographic method in comparison with the traditional method for studying soil pedality and pore space in thin sections are discussed. Certain advantages of the tomographic method provide good possibilities to study soil processes at a qualitatively new level. Priority directions of the development of tomographic studies in soil science are outlined. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Physics Pages 700-709 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312070034 Authors K. M. Gerke, Institute of Geosphere Dynamics, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. Leninskii 38/1, Moscow, 119334 Russia E. B. Skvortsova, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia D. V. Korost, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 7

Description:    The distribution pattern of the fine fractions (〈1.0 and 1–5 μm) and the mineralogical composition of the agrochernozems formed on the erosional-denudational plains of the Stavropol region have been studied. Erosion and denudation caused the redistribution of the fine material within the catena with its maximal accumulation on the lowermost part of the slope. The same processes favored the formation of surface deposits slightly differing in the composition of the principal mineral phases, i.e., complex disordered mixedlayered micas-smectites with varying combinations of micaceous and smectite layers in crystallites and di- and trioctahedral hydromicas. Imperfect kaolinite and magnesium-ferric chlorite are accompanying minerals. An increase in the amount of mixed-layered minerals with smectite layer is observed down the profile. In addition to the mentioned minerals, the individual smectite and clinoptilolite, which are components of Tertiary deposits, are identified in the lower parts of the agrochernozem profiles. The fine-silt fractions consist of (in decreasing order) di- and tri-octahedral micas, quartz, feldspars, plagioclase, and an admixture of phyllosilicates (kaolinite, chlorite, and mixed-layered chlorite-smectites). The maximal amount of the fine fraction, as well as the maximal amount of mica in it, is registered in the soils in the lower part of the slope. The phyllosilicates are decomposed in this fraction in the upper horizons. The seven-year-long application of mineral fertilizers intensified the peptization of the soil mass in the arable horizons, which increased the content of clay particles in them. A more contrasting distribution of the mixed-layered formations in the profiles, a considerable decrease in their reflection intensities, an increase in the structural disorder of the minerals, and a certain increase in the content of the fine-dispersed quartz are observed. Content Type Journal Article Category Mineralogy and Micromorphology of Soils Pages 882-894 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312090025 Authors N. P. Chizhikova, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia E. I. Godunova, Stavropol Agricultural Research Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, ul. Nikonova 49, Mikhailovsk, Stavropol Region, 356241 Russia S. N. Shkabarda, Stavropol Agricultural Research Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, ul. Nikonova 49, Mikhailovsk, Stavropol Region, 356241 Russia A. A. Samsonova, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia T. I. Malueva, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 9

Description:    The species composition of the soil algae and cyanobacteria in the Tra-Tau and Yurak-Tau mountains is represented by 136 species belonging to five phyla: Cyanobacteria (56 species), Chlorophyta (52 species), Xanthophyta (13 species), Bacillariophyta (12 species), and Eustigmatophyta (3 species). Hantzschia amphioxys var. amphioxys, Hantzschia amphioxys var. constricta, Klebsormidium flaccidum, Leptolyngbya foveolarum, Luticola mutica, Navicula minima var. minima, Nostoc punctiforme, Phormidium jadinianum, Phormidium autumnale , and Pinnularia borealis were identified more often than other species. The composition of the algal flora depended on the soil properties; the higher plants also had a significant influence on the species composition of the soil algae. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Biology Pages 873-881 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312030027 Authors G. R. Bakieva, Akmullah Bashkir State Pedagogical University, ul. Oktyabr’skoi revolyutsii 3a, Ufa, 450000 Russia L. S. Khaibullina, Akmullah Bashkir State Pedagogical University, ul. Oktyabr’skoi revolyutsii 3a, Ufa, 450000 Russia L. A. Gaisina, Akmullah Bashkir State Pedagogical University, ul. Oktyabr’skoi revolyutsii 3a, Ufa, 450000 Russia R. R. Kabirov, Akmullah Bashkir State Pedagogical University, ul. Oktyabr’skoi revolyutsii 3a, Ufa, 450000 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 9

Description:    In this paper a method for the description and reconstruction of the soil pore space using correlation functions has been examined. The reconstruction procedure employed here is the best way of verification of the potential descriptor of the soil pore space. Thin sections representing eight major types of pore space in zonal loamy soils and parent materials of the Russian Plain with pores of different shapes and orientations have been chosen for this study. Comparison based on the morphological analysis of the original pore space images and their correlation function reconstructions obtained using simulated annealing technique indicates that this method of reconstruction adequately describes the isometric soil pore space with isometric dissected, isometric slightly dissected, and rounded pores. The two-point correlation functions calculated with the use of the orthogonal method proved to be different for the examined types of soil pore space; they reflect the soil porosity, specific surface, and pore structure correlations at different lengths. The results of this study allow us to conclude that the description of the soil pore space with the help of correlation functions is a promising approach, but requires more development. Further directions of the development of this method for describing the soil pore space and determining the soil physical processes are outlined. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Physics Pages 861-872 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312090049 Authors K. M. Gerke, Institute of Geosphere Dynamics, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. Leninskiy 38/1, Moscow, 119334 Russia M. V. Karsanina, Institute of Geosphere Dynamics, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. Leninskiy 38/1, Moscow, 119334 Russia E. B. Skvortsova, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 9

Description:    The analysis of the responses of users of the substantive-genetic Russian soil classification system revealed some problems concerning the genetic (diagnostic) horizons. Applying horizons is essential since soil diagnostics are based on their identification and their combinations in soil profiles. In the recent Russian system, there are many diagnostic horizons, and their recognition is not always easy. This review is aimed at displaying the main elements and the genetic essence of the horizons, as well as the reasons to choose the diagnostic criteria and parameters for most of them. The horizons are grouped into genetic sets, and the specific properties of the horizons are emphasized, as well as the differences between the horizons and the feasibility to introduce new horizons. A rough comparison of the diagnostic horizons in the Russian and WRB systems revealed the considerable similarity of the taxa, whose definitions depend on the presence of the diagnostic horizons: these are the orders and soil reference groups, respectively. Content Type Journal Article Category Genesis and Geography of Soils Pages 823-833 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312090086 Authors I. I. Lebedeva, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia M. I. Gerasimova, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 9

Description: Memorable meetings with great pedologists that have passed away Content Type Journal Article Category History of Science Pages 895-899 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312090074 Authors I. A. Krupenikov, Dimo Institute of Soil Science, Agricultural Chemistry, and Soil Conservation, Chisinau, Moldova Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 9

Description:    The assessment of the humus content in the mineral soils of Russia based on theoretical, calculated, and expert approaches is given. A review and analysis of the gradations according to the humus content elaborated at the Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute (1977, 1985, 1997, 2001, 2003, and 2004) and by Orlov with coauthors (1978 and 2004) are presented. A theoretical substantiation is given, and an inventory of the soils of Russia qualified by their humus content where the starting point is the minimal humus content is suggested. The objective intervals of the schedule of the humus content are based on the permissible discrepancy of the results obtained by different laboratories. A notion of the global assessment covering a wide spectrum of soils and reflecting the difference between the soil types according to the humus content is introduced, and a differentiated assessment characterizing the differences within the type (subtype) of soils assessed using this parameter is given. The methodological approaches for the determination of the minimally permissible, optimal, and maximally allowable humus contents in the plow horizons are described. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Chemistry Pages 843-851 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312090062 Authors B. M. Kogut, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 9

Description:    Little-discussed aspects of mathematical models of migration, which contribute to better understanding of soil processes, were considered. These are the effect of the sorption isotherm parameters and sorption kinetics on the complexity of the migration models, the potentially great contribution of the diffusion of adsorbed ions to the general migration in the soil, the probability of an anomalously high diffusion flux through the soil under high sorption conditions, and the possibility for the nontrivial assessment of the exchangeable and mobile forms of substances in the soil from the migration parameters. The migration analysis features under field conditions and related additional uncertainties compared to the laboratory experiments were discussed, as well as new opportunities for the control of the technogenic contamination of the environment. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Physics Pages 852-860 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312090037 Authors A. S. Frid, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 9

Description:    On the basis of soil studies along routes and on key plots, 35 new areas of soils with definite features of vertigenesis have been identified in Belgorod and Voronezh oblasts and in the northern part of Volgograd oblast (in the Don River basin). Earlier, vertic soils were not noted for these areas. In the studied region, their portion in the soil cover is much less than 1%. All the delineated areas of vertic soils are confined to the outcrops of swelling clay materials of different origins (marine, lacustrine, glacial, and colluvial sediments) and ages (Quaternary or Tertiary) that may be found in four landscape positions: (1) in the deep closed depressions within vast flat watersheds; (2) in the bottoms of wide hollows on interfluvial slopes and, sometimes, on steeper slopes of local ravines; (3) in the hydromorphic solonetzic soil complexes, and (4) on step-like interfluvial surfaces with the outcrops of Tertiary clays. Within the studied areas, soils with different degrees of expression (six grades) of vertic properties are present. These soils belong to the type of dark vertic soils proper and to vertic subtypes of different soil types according to the Russian soil classification system; according to the WRB system, they belong to Vertisols proper and to reference soil units with a Vertic prefix in the groups of Chernozems, Phaeozems, and Solonetzes. Statistical data on the morphometric indices of the vertic properties (the depth and thickness of the soil horizons with slickensides, a wedge-shaped structure, and cracks filled with material from the upper horizons) and the depth and thickness of the Vertic horizon are analyzed. Content Type Journal Article Category Genesis and Geography of Soils Pages 834-842 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312090050 Authors N. B. Khitrov, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 9

Description:    The sorption and desorption capacities of two soils (a loamy soddy-podzolic soil and a sandy clay chernozem) were analyzed. Both the entire soils and their particle-size fractions were studied. Samples were taken from the soils of long-term field experiments with fertilizers. A 0.01 M CaCl 2 solution was used as the extractant. The soil fractions 〈10 μm were found to have the maximum capacities for sorption-desorption of potassium. The soil fractions 〈0.2 μm were the most enriched with potassium. The use of kinetic methods of analysis allowed assessing the contributions of the particle-size fractions to the potassium status of soils with different degrees of fertilization. It was noted that different fertilizing systems had no effect on the rates of potassium desorption from the colloidal fraction, while appreciable differences among the different treatments were observed for the fractions of 0.2–1.0 and 1–10 μm. Content Type Journal Article Category Agrochemistry and Fertility of Soils Pages 598-611 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312060099 Authors V. L. Petrofanov, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 6

Description:    The results of the radioecological survey in the high-mountain regions of the Great Caucasus at the heights from 2200 to 3800 m a.s.l. are considered. This survey encompassed the territories of Dagestan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Chechnya, Northern Ossetia-Alania, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, and the Stavropol and Krasnodar regions. The natural γ background radiation in the studied regions is subjected to considerable fluctuations and varies from 6 to 40 μR/h. The major regularities of the migration of natural radionuclides 238 U, 232 Th, 226 Ra, and 40 K in soils in dependence on the particular environmental conditions (the initial concentration of the radionuclides in the parent material; the intensity of pedogenesis; the intensity of the vertical and horizontal migration; and the geographic, climatic, and landscape-geochemical factors) are discussed. Content Type Journal Article Category Degradation, Rehabilitation, and Conservation of Soils Pages 625-637 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312060026 Authors T. A. Asvarova, Caspian Institute of the Biological Resources, Dagestan Science Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Gadzhieva 45, Makhachkala, 367025 Russia A. S. Abdulaeva, Caspian Institute of the Biological Resources, Dagestan Science Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Gadzhieva 45, Makhachkala, 367025 Russia M. A. Magomedov, Alpine Botanical Garden, Dagestan Science Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Gadzhieva 45, Makhachkala, 367025 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 6

Description:    The influence of various ecological factors (air and soil temperature, atmospheric pressure, level of peatland waters, and the content of CO 2 in the atmosphere) on the emission of CO 2 from the surface of a peat deposit of an oligotrophic peatland in the south taiga subzone of West Siberia was studied. On the basis of the investigations, day and seasonal dynamics of the emission of CO 2 from the surface of the peat deposit were revealed. A detailed correlation analysis allowed us to describe the dependences of the CO 2 flux from the surface of the peat deposit on the environmental parameters at various levels of averaging: hour, day, and month. It was shown that the temperature of the air and surface of the peat deposit have a reliable impact on the emission of CO 2 on all time scales. The atmospheric pressure, as a factor that changes relatively slowly, influences the emission of CO 2 weakly. The performed studies did not allow us to draw an unambiguous conclusion about the influence of the level of bog waters on the emission of CO 2 from the surface of a peat deposit. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Physics Pages 588-597 DOI 10.1134/S106422931206004X Authors E. A. Golovatskaya, Institute of Monitoring of Climatic and Ecological Systems, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. Akademicheskii 10/3, Tomsk, 634055 Russia E. A. Dyukarev, Institute of Monitoring of Climatic and Ecological Systems, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. Akademicheskii 10/3, Tomsk, 634055 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 6

Description:    The physical and hydrophysical properties of ordinary chernozems from the Kamennaya Steppe were studied for the experimental support of a soil water infiltration model. Increased fissuring and density of the plow horizon were noted because of the dry weather conditions, which caused high infiltration values. The soil water retention curve parameters were calculated from the experimentally determined particle-size distribution, the bulk density of the soil, the solid phase density, the organic matter content, and the physicomechanical and soil-hydrological constants using the known pedotransfer functions and the Voronin secant method. A model experiment with different input parameters was performed. It was shown that the best experimental support of the model included parameters calculated by the Voronin method with the following approximation by the van Genuchten function. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Physics Pages 578-587 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312040102 Authors E. V. Shein, Faculty of Soil Science, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia D. I. Shcheglov, Faculty of Soil Science and Biology, Voronezh State University, pl. Universitetskaya 1, Voronezh, 394006 Russia V. V. Moskvin, Faculty of Soil Science and Biology, Voronezh State University, pl. Universitetskaya 1, Voronezh, 394006 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 6

Description:    A series of microcatenas on the slopes of sinkholes were studied on the western macroslope of the southern Urals in the Shulgan-Tash Reserve. The morphological, chemical, physical, and physicochemical characteristics of the soils were analyzed. In order to reveal their regional specificity, the soils of the sinkholes under broadleaved forests in the southern Urals were compared with analogous soils under the northern taiga of the Belomorsk-Kuloi Plateau. It was shown that the full-profile vertically differentiated soils in the upper parts of the microcatenas are replaced by weakly developed and slightly differentiated soils in the lower parts of the microcatenas crossing sinkholes of different diameters in both natural zones. Content Type Journal Article Category Genesis and Geography of Soils Pages 551-560 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312060117 Authors M. A. Smirnova, Geographical Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991 Russia A. N. Gennadiev, Geographical Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 6

Description:    The development of fertility of soils on different parent rocks is considered for different types of spruce forests in the Khibiny Mountains. The spruce forests of Mts. Kuel’por, Vud’yavrchorr, Chil’mana, and Saami were the objects for the study. The results showed that the fertility level of the soils of the Khibiny Mountains was determined by the combined influence of the parent rock’s composition and the vegetation. The differences in the soil properties are mainly explained by the composition of the parent rocks. The pod-burs differ from the podzols by the higher contents of organic matter, nitrogen, and available nutrients. The podzols are the most acid soils there. The podburs of Mt Kuel’por developing on base-rich parent rocks are the most fertile. The differences in the fertility of the soils on the intrabiogeocenotic (tessera) level are related to the vegetation. The soils of the spruce and tall-grass tesseras are richer in nitrogen, calcium, and manganese as compared to the soils of the dwarf shrub-green moss, low-grass-dwarf shrub-green moss, and tussock grass-dwarf shrub tesseras. Content Type Journal Article Category Degradation, Rehabilitation, and Conservation of Soils Pages 612-624 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312060087 Authors M. A. Orlova, Center of Ecology and Productivity of Forests, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Profsoyuznaya 84/32, Moscow, 117997 Russia N. V. Lukina, Center of Ecology and Productivity of Forests, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Profsoyuznaya 84/32, Moscow, 117997 Russia V. E. Smirnov, Institute of Mathematical Problems of Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Institutskaya 4, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290 Russia D. A. Krasnov, Center of Ecology and Productivity of Forests, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Profsoyuznaya 84/32, Moscow, 117997 Russia I. O. Kamaev, Center of Ecology and Productivity of Forests, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Profsoyuznaya 84/32, Moscow, 117997 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 6

Description:    The results of the investigation into the history of soilscapes in the Kislovodsk Depression are discussed. It is shown that up to 60–70% of the area of slopes and interfluvial plateaus at the heights of 900–1500 m a.s.l. was terraced in the Late Bronze-Early Iron ages, during the Kobansk cultural stage (1200–600 BC). Under these conditions, a sharp change in the climate with a considerable increase in the annual precipitation in the middle of the first millennium BC resulted in the activation of erosion and the formation of a layer of colluvial sediments overlying the buried soil on the terraces. Thus, the middle of the first millennium BC can be considered the zero moment for the modern stage of soil formation in the region. Problems of the current state of the terrace complexes and the development of erosion on them are also discussed. Content Type Journal Article Category Genesis and Geography of Soils Pages 561-577 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312060038 Authors A. V. Borisov, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Institutskaya 2, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290 Russia D. S. Korobov, Institute of Archeology, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Dm. Ul’yanova 19, Moscow, 117036 Russia A. N. Simakova, Geological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia O. G. Zanina, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Institutskaya 2, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290 Russia A. V. Bukhonov, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Institutskaya 2, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290 Russia V. V. Demidov, Institute of Fundamental Problems of Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Institutskaya 2, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 6

Description:    The soil cover patterns in the Kabansk district (the Baikal region of the Buryat Republic), including the Selenga River delta, are analyzed. A soil map of this area has been developed on a scale of 1 : 500000. Stony organic soils are widespread in the tundra zone. Mountain-meadow soddy soils and tundra podburs (under dwarf pine) are formed at lower heights around lakes and in glacial valleys. Kabansk district includes taiga landscapes on the northern slopes of the Khamar-Daban Ridge with the predominance of podburs, podzols, soddy-taiga soils, and burozems. Agrolandscapes occur in the Nizhneselenginsk meadow-bog and forest-steppe natural region with a predominance of soddy forest, soddy gray forest, meadow, alluvial, meadow-bog, and bog soils. Data on the land evaluation in the agricultural part of the studied region are given. Content Type Journal Article Category Genesis and Geography of Soils Pages 348-356 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312040151 Authors Ts. Ts. Tsybikdorzhiev, Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. M. Sakh’yanovoi 6, Ulan-Ude, 670047 Buryat Republic, Russia S. O. Khodoeva, Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. M. Sakh’yanovoi 6, Ulan-Ude, 670047 Buryat Republic, Russia B. -M. N. Gonchikov, Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. M. Sakh’yanovoi 6, Ulan-Ude, 670047 Buryat Republic, Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 4

Description:    The water-stability of soil and coprolite aggregates in soddy-podzolic soils and the participation of fungi in the formation of water-stable aggregates from earthworm ( Aporrectodea caliginosa ) coprolites were assessed. The water stability of the soil and coprolite aggregates in the soils increased in the following sequence: potato field—mown meadow—mixed forest. The fungal mycelium reserves increased in the same sequence. The water stability of the coprolite aggregates of Aporrectodea caliginosa inhabiting these soils is 2–2.5 times higher than that of the soil aggregates of the same size (3–5 mm). The inhibition of the growth of fungi by cycloheximide decreased the water stability of the coprolite aggregates, on the average, by 15–20%. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Biology Pages 429-434 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312040072 Authors A. V. Kurakov, International Biotechnological Center, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia S. A. Kharin, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 4

Description:    The regularities of extracting humus acids from soils of different types with solutions of sodium pyrophosphate at the equilibrium pH values of 5–13 were studied. The increase in the humus acids yield from the soils with the increasing alkalinity of the solution applied is directly related to the capability of acid functional groups (carboxyl and phenol hydroxyl) for dissociation at definite pH values. The regularities of the changes in the chemical nature and degree of humification of humus acids extracted from the soils related to the pH of the solution were revealed. A sodium pyrophosphate solution (pH 10) was suggested for extracting the humus acids most active in the given soil. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Chemistry Pages 392-398 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312040023 Authors L. G. Bakina, St. Petersburg Research Center of Ecological Safety, ul. Korpusnaya 18, St. Petersburg, 197110 Russia N. E. Orlova, St. Petersburg State University, ul. 16 liniya 27, St. Petersburg, 199034 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 4

Description:    A new instrumental method was proposed for the rapid estimation of the water-retention capacity of soils and sediments. The method is based on the use of a centrifugal field to remove water from distributed soil columns. In distinction from the classical method of high columns, the use of a centrifugal force field stronger than the gravity field allowed reducing the height of the soil samples from several meters to 10–20 cm (the typical size of centrifuge bags). In distinction from equilibrium centrifugation, the proposed method obtained an almost continuous water retention curve during the rotation of the soil column only at one-two centrifuge speeds. The procedure was simple in use, had high accuracy, and obtained reliable relationships between the capillary-sorption water potential and the soil water content in a wide range from the total water capacity to the wilting point. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Physics Pages 416-422 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312040126 Authors A. V. Smagin, Faculty of Soil Science, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 4

Description:    Problems of the creation of a high-quality digitized version of the State Soil Map (SSM) on a scale of 1 : 1 M for the European part of Russia are discussed. Sheets of the SSM have been compiled for the entire territory of Russia. For the European part of Russia, they have been digitized, and a corresponding geographic information system has been created. At present, the attribute database to the map is being developed. In the course of the digitization of separate sheets of the map and the creation of a general legend, certain drawbacks of the map have been revealed. They are related to the insufficient completeness of information on the genesis of soil-forming rocks shown on different sheets; to the inconsistency in the names of some soils; and to the use of the same conventional signs for describing the soil texture in the upper horizons and in the parent material, which is incorrect in the case of texture-differentiated soils. The reasons for these drawbacks of the original map are explained. It is stressed that the SSM is a highly informative map that has played a crucial role in the development of pedology and soil cartography in Russia. A digitized version of this map makes it possible to introduce certain corrections to the original map sheets. The essence of the first stage of the work on the correction of the SSM in the digitized version and the methods applied for this purpose are characterized. Problems related to the creation of the database for the digitized version of this map are also discussed. Content Type Journal Article Category Genesis and Geography of Soils Pages 337-347 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312040114 Authors M. S. Simakova, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia D. I. Rukhovich, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia P. V. Koroleva, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia E. V. Vil’chevskaya, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia N. V. Kalinina, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 4

Description:    Numerous experimental data obtained by different methods confirm the theoretical ideas about the electric nature of the interaction between the solid and liquid soil phases, which were first suggested by the Maxwell-Boltzmann-Helmholtz-Gouy and Deryagin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theories about the double electric layer in two-phase disperse systems. The interaction between the solid phase and water in the diffuse part of this layer may be described by the theoretically derived equation ln P w = A − BW , where P w is the soil moisture pressure, W is the ratio between the masses of the water and the solid phase in the soil, and A and B are physically grounded parameters. The exponential form of this equation first predicted by the out-standing researcher Gouy 100 years ago results from the exponential distribution of ions in the diffuse layer near the electrically charged surface of the solid soil phase. Content Type Journal Article Category History of Science Pages 452-457 DOI 10.1134/S106422931204014X Authors I. I. Sudnitsyn, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119992 Russia A. V. Smagin, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119992 Russia A. P. Shvarov, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119992 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 4

Description:    Thermal diffusivity of the upper horizons of leached meadow-chernozemic soils varies in dependence on the soil water content within the following limits: 1.20–4.11 × 10 −7 m 2 /s for the Ap horizon, 1.21–3.85 ×10 −7 m 2 /s for the A1 horizon, and 1.35–3.73 × 10 −7 m 2 /s for the A1B horizon. The relationships between the thermal diffusivity and the soil water content are described by S-shape curves with a long gently inclined segment within the range of water contents of 〈0.20 cm 3 /cm 3 , a distinct rise in thermal diffusivity within the water contents from 0.20 to 0.30–0.35 cm 3 /cm 3 , and a flattened or somewhat declining segment in the area with the high (〉0.30–0.35 cm 3 /cm 3 ) water contents. The thermal diffusivity of air-dried soil samples correlates with the physical clay (〈0.01 mm) content. The Pearson correlation coefficient for these two variables equals −0.67 and is statistically significant at the significance level of 0.05. Regression equations allowing one to calculate the thermal diffusivity of the investigated soil horizons on the basis of data on the soil water content have been obtained. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Physics Pages 404-407 DOI 10.1134/S1064229311120076 Authors K. I. Luk’yashchenko, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia T. A. Arkhangel’skaya, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia A. B. Umarova, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 4

Description:    New analytical solutions are proposed for the problem of the convective-dispersion transfer of salts in a soil layer of finite and semifinite thickness at the boundary conditions of the first and third kinds on the soil’s surface under the alternating (pulsating) impact of washing water. Numerical studies (computer experiments) of the salt transfer equation were performed for the equilibrium sorption and linear sorption isotherms in soils with deep and shallow groundwater tables and for nonequilibrium irreversible sorption (characterized by biological transformation in the soil solution following the first-order kinetics) to examine the effect of the upper and lower boundary conditions on the transfer of salts in a soil. The analysis revealed relationships between the parameters of the convective diffusion equation (for which simpler equations were proposed for calculating the irrigation rates from the average salt content in the soil layer before and after washing), which included the filtration rate, the physicochemical features of the soil and salts, and the degree and depth of the preset desalination. The use of the initial and permissible salt concentrations averaged for the studied layer was substantiated for the first time. After wide experimental validation, the obtained equations can be used in soil-reclamation practice. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Physics Pages 408-415 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312040084 Authors F. D. Mikayilov, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Selcuk, Konya, 42031 Turkey Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 4

Description:    The content of microelements (Mn, Zn, Cu, Co, Ni, Cr, Pb, and Cd) and Fe is determined in the soils and plants of the Lake Kotokel’ basin. Their content in the soils is proved not to exceed the regional background and the existing MPC and APC. The content of Cd is revealed to exceed its clarke value for the world soils, which is related to the natural origin of this element. The concentrations of Mn, Co, and Pb are close to their clarke values, and those of Zn, Cu, Ni, and Cr are lower than their clarkes. The studied soils are specified by the maximal amount of the mobile forms of microelements. The profile distribution of the microelements differs depending on the genetic soil type. For Mn, Zn, and Cu, a significant biogenic accumulation is pronounced in the organic soil horizons. The content of microelements in the aboveground phytomass exceeds the maximal permissible levels for Mn, Co, Cr, and Fe. The intensity of the microelements absorption by the plants varies widely, being specified by the high coefficient of the biological adsorption (except for Fe). Mn, Zn, and Cu are accumulated in the plant phytomass the most intensely. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Chemistry Pages 376-385 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312040138 Authors S. B. Sosorova, Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Sakh’yanovoi 6, Ulan-Ude, 670047 Russia A. B. Gyninova, Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Sakh’yanovoi 6, Ulan-Ude, 670047 Russia M. G. Merkusheva, Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Sakh’yanovoi 6, Ulan-Ude, 670047 Russia L. L. Ubugunov, Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Sakh’yanovoi 6, Ulan-Ude, 670047 Russia L. N. Boloneva, Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Sakh’yanovoi 6, Ulan-Ude, 670047 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 4

Description:    Some particularities of the distribution of boron in the main types of soils were studied. A close dependency between the boron content in the soils and its concentration in the soil-forming rocks ( r = 0.85) was established, as well as the absence of a correlation between the content of boron and that of humus. It was found that boron is an element with an average intensity of accumulation in plants: the coefficient of its biological absorption from the soil of the steppe, meadow, and agrocenoses varied from 1.2 to 3.2. A correlation between the bulk content of boron in the soils and its accumulation in plants was absent ( r = −0.07–0.11). The vegetation of a significant part of the steppe, dry-steppe, and forest-steppe landscapes had a boron deficiency (30–75%). Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Chemistry Pages 368-375 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312040059 Authors V. K. Kashin, Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Sakh’yanovoi 6, Ulan-Ude, 670047 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 4

Description:    The phosphatase activity (PA) was studied in the chestnut paleosols buried in 1718–1720 under the Anna Ivanovna rampart in the southern part of the Privolzhskaya Upland and in the middle of the third millennium BC under the burial mound of the Bronze Age on the Northern Yergeni Upland; the background analogues of these soils were also examined. The PA values in the fresh soil samples varied from 2.5 to 37 mg of P 2 O 5 /10 g of soil per h with maximums in the A1 horizon of the surface soils and in the B1 horizon of the paleosols. The PA values depended on the time of storage of the samples: with time, they increased by 2.6–2.9 times in the A1 horizon of the background surface soil and decreased by 20–60% in the other soil samples. The specific distribution patterns of the PA values in the soil profiles remained the same independently of the time of storage of the samples. Relatively small amounts of the soil samples were sufficient for the reliable determination of the PA: 1–2 g for the A1 horizon and 3–5 g for the B1 and B2 horizons. The time of incubation with the substrate had to be increased up to 4 h for the long-stored samples. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Biology Pages 423-428 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312040060 Authors T. E. Khomutova, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Institutskaya 2, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290 Russia T. S. Demkina, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Institutskaya 2, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290 Russia N. N. Kashirskaya, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Institutskaya 2, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290 Russia V. A. Demkin, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Institutskaya 2, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 4

Description:    Specific features of the development of redox systems in the soils of coal mine dumps in Kemerovo oblast were studied. The quantitative characteristics of the fractional composition of the oxidized and reduced components in these soils were obtained, and their heterogeneity was shown. Distribution patterns of the reduced and oxidized components in the parent material of these specific technogenic landscapes in the course of soil evolution were revealed. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Chemistry Pages 399-403 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312020032 Authors V. A. Androkhanov, Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Sovetskaya 18, Novosibirsk, 630099 Russia D. A. Sokolov, Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Sovetskaya 18, Novosibirsk, 630099 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 4

Description:    The transformation of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH, a propellant component) applied at a rate of 240 g/kg to different soils was studied. The kinetic regularities of a decrease in the UDMH concentration and the accumulation of its transformation products leached out from dry and wet soils were investigated 3, 10, 30, and 90 days after its application. As the UDMH enters the soil, it vaporizes, and the elevated moisture of the soils promotes an increase in the pollutant’s concentration at the initial moment; then, the concentration differences become leveled to the end of observation. It was also shown that the higher the organic matter content in the soil, the higher the UDMH concentration. However, at the end of the observations, on the 90th day, the total UDMH concentration did not exceed 0.5% of its initial content. In order to explain the UDMH behavior in the soils, one should take into account the existence of different forms of this substance and the changes in their ratios with time. The main portion of UDMH retained by the soil in the free form is transformed during the first few days. The products of the UDMH transformation, such as 1-methyl-1,2,4-triazole, formic acid dimethylhydrazide, dimethylguanidine, and dimethylamine are formed in considerable amounts, and their concentrations should be controlled in places of UDMH spills on soils. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Chemistry Pages 386-391 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312040096 Authors I. A. Rodin, Faculty of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991 Russia R. S. Smirnov, Faculty of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991 Russia A. D. Smolenkov, Faculty of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991 Russia P. P. Krechetov, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991 Russia O. A. Shpigun, Faculty of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 4

Description:    The evolution of automorphic cultivated soils of the Fayette series (the order of Alfisols)—close analogues of gray forest soils in the European part of Russia—was studied by the method of agrosoil chronosequences in the lower reaches of the Iowa River. It was found that the old-arable soils are characterized by an increase in the thickness of humus horizons and better aggregation; they are subjected to active biogenic turbation by rodents; some alkalization of the soil reaction and an increase in the sum of exchangeable bases also take place. These features are developed against the background of active eluvial-illuvial differentiation and gleyzation of the soil profiles under conditions of a relatively wet climate typical of the ecotone between the zones of prairies and broadleaved forests in the northeast Central Plains of the United States. Content Type Journal Article Category Genesis and Geography of Soils Pages 357-367 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312040035 Authors Yu. G. Chendev, Belgorod State University, ul. Pobedy 85, Belgorod, 308015 Russia C. L. Burras, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50010, USA T. J. Sauer, National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, USDA, Ames, IA 50011, USA Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 4

Description:    The priming effect (PE) initiated by the application of 14 C-glucose was studied for copiotrophic microbial communities of organic horizons and for oligotrophic microbial communities of mineral soil horizons, as well as for mineral horizons of buried soils depleted in the input of fresh organic matter. The intensity of the PE depended on the reserves of C org , the initial amount of the microbial biomass, and the enzymatic activity, which decreased from the organic to the mineral soil horizons. The ratio of the PE to the applied carbon was two times higher in the mineral horizons as compared with the organic horizons. This is explained by the predominance of K-strategists capable of decomposing difficultly available organic compounds in the mineral horizons, so that the turnover of the microbial biomass in the mineral horizons was more active than that in the organic horizons. The predominance of K-strategists was confirmed by the close correlation between the PE and the activity of the cellobiohydrolase enzyme decomposing cellulose ( R = 0.96). In general, the absolute value of the PE was controlled by the soil organic matter content, whereas the specific PE was controlled by the functional features of the microorganisms. It was shown that the functional features of the soil microorganisms remained unchanged under the conditions of their preservation in the buried soil. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Biology Pages 435-444 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312040163 Authors A. I. Zhuravleva, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Institutskaya 2, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290 Russia A. S. Yakimov, Institute of the Earth Cryosphere, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Malygina 86, Tyumen, 625000 Russia V. A. Demkin, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Institutskaya 2, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290 Russia E. V. Blagodatskaya, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Institutskaya 2, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 4

Description:    Predictive digital soil mapping is widely used in soil science. Its objective is the prediction of the spatial distribution of soil taxonomic units and quantitative soil properties via the analysis of spatially distributed quantitative characteristics of soil-forming factors. Western pedometrists stress the scientific priority and principal importance of Hans Jenny’s book (1941) for the emergence and development of predictive soil mapping. In this paper, we demonstrate that Vasily Dokuchaev explicitly defined the central idea and statement of the problem of contemporary predictive soil mapping in the year 1886. Then, we reconstruct the history of the soil formation equation from 1899 to 1941. We argue that Jenny adopted the soil formation equation from Sergey Zakharov, who published it in a well-known fundamental textbook in 1927. It is encouraging that this issue was clarified in 2011, the anniversary year for publications of Dokuchaev and Jenny. Content Type Journal Article Category History of Science Pages 445-451 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312040047 Authors I. V. Florinsky, Institute of Mathematical Problems of Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 4

Description:    Classiology can be defined as a science studying the principles and rules of classification of objects of any nature. The development of the theory of classification and the particular methods for classifying objects are the main challenges of classiology; to a certain extent, they are close to the challenges of pattern recognition. The methodology of classiology integrates a wide range of methods and approaches: from expert judgment to formal logic, multivariate statistics, and informatics. Soil classification assumes generalization of available data and practical experience, formalization of our notions about soils, and their representation in the form of an information system. As an information system, soil classification is designed to predict the maximum number of a soil’s properties from the position of this soil in the classification space. The existing soil classification systems do not completely satisfy the principles of classiology. The violation of logical basis, poor structuring, low integrity, and inadequate level of formalization make these systems verbal schemes rather than classification systems sensu stricto . The concept of classification as listing (enumeration) of objects makes it possible to introduce the notion of the information base of classification. For soil objects, this is the database of soil indices (properties) that might be applied for generating target-oriented soil classification system. Mathematical methods enlarge the prognostic capacity of classification systems; they can be applied to assess the quality of these systems and to recognize new soil objects to be included in the existing systems. The application of particular principles and rules of classiology for soil classification purposes is discussed in this paper. Content Type Journal Article Category Genesis and Geography of Soils Pages 221-230 DOI 10.1134/S106422931203009X Authors V. A. Rozhkov, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 3

Description:    Regularities in the formation of the pool of priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the soil-plant systems of the northern taiga forest biocenoses were revealed. In soils and plants, PAHs mainly consisted of 3- and 4-nuclear structures. The content of polyarenes in plants on technogenically contaminated areas exceeded the background values by 2–5 times. The maximum bioconsumption of polyarenes was observed for bilberry leaves and Siberian spruce sprouts 4–5 years old. The highest mass fraction of PAHs was found in Siberian spruce plants of a mixed spruce-birch forest of the northern taiga. It was revealed that bilberry plants are hyperaccumulators of light PAHs. Content Type Journal Article Category Degradation, Rehabilitation, and Conservation of Soils Pages 309-320 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312030143 Authors E. V. Yakovleva, Institute of Biology, Komi Research Center, Urals Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Kommunisticheskaya 28, Syktyvkar, 167982 Russia V. A. Beznosikov, Institute of Biology, Komi Research Center, Urals Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Kommunisticheskaya 28, Syktyvkar, 167982 Russia B. M. Kondratenok, Institute of Biology, Komi Research Center, Urals Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Kommunisticheskaya 28, Syktyvkar, 167982 Russia D. N. Gabov, Institute of Biology, Komi Research Center, Urals Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Kommunisticheskaya 28, Syktyvkar, 167982 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 3

Description:    The alteration of the typical chernozem structure under long fallow, black fallow, and perennial grasses under the impact of sprinkling were studied. The changes in the macrostructural status of the soil were objectively estimated from the results of two coupled analysis methods. It was found that the most important changes in the aggregate-structural status occurred in the soil under black fallow and perennial grasses; long-fallow lands were the most stable and resistant to external impacts. Soil classes characterizing the quality of the soil structure in terms of the aggregation and water stability were proposed. As a result of the sprinkling, the soil structure quality of the long-fallow land changed from good (classes IVa–IVb) to medium (IIIb–IIIc), that of the black fallow changed from good and medium (classes IVa–IIIb) to poor (classes IIa, IIb, and IIc), and the structure quality of the soil under perennial grasses changed from medium and poor (IIIb–IIb) to poor and even unsatisfactory (classes IIb–Ic). Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Reclamation Pages 303-308 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312010024 Authors E. V. Dubovik, All-Russia Research Institute of Farming and Soil Erosion Control, ul. Karla Marksa 70b, Kursk, 305021 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 3

Description:    Oil biodegradation in oil-contaminated meadow-chestnut soils under the impact of different biological preparations was studied in a model experiment. The soils differed from one another in the age of contamination and in the presence/absence of the stage of preliminary biological remediation. Background uncontaminated soils served as the control. To characterize oil degradation, the indices of basal respiration (BR) and dehydrogenase activity (DA) and data on oil concentrations in the soil were applied. It was shown that the most complete biodegradation of oil takes place in the soils with recent oil contamination in comparison with the soils contaminated with oil for 6.5 and 19.5 months. Maximum BR values were observed in the soils contaminated with oil for 19.5 months, whereas maximum DA values were observed in the soils contaminated with oil for 6.5 months. According to the multivariate analysis of variance, the major factors affecting the rate of oil biodegradation were the age of oil contamination, the biological preparation applied, and the presence (or absence) of the stage of preliminary biological remediation. These factors specified 18, 72, and 3% of the total variance of the residual oil content in the samples, respectively. The type of the applied biological preparations had the major effect on the BR and DA indices specifying 63 and 53% of their total variances, respectively. The results obtained in this study can be used as recommendations for remediation of oil-contaminated soils in the Stavropol region. Content Type Journal Article Category Degradation, Rehabilitation, and Conservation of Soils Pages 329-336 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312030040 Authors I. Z. Ibatullina, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991 Russia T. A. Semenova, Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskii pr. 33, Moscow 117071, Russia A. S. Yakovlev, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 3

Description:    The soil formation was studied in the 21- to 35-year-old pine plantations created on the overburden dumps of the Nazarovskaya Depression without applying the material of the humus horizon. The surface technogenic formations under the pine plantations belong to the group of naturfabricats (surface formations devoid of the humus horizon and composed of natural substrate). The morphological characteristics, bulk chemical and particle-size compositions, and labile properties of the soils indicate that the accumulation and transformation of organic matter are dominant processes in the artificially planted forests. The accumulation of organic residues and destruction and humification are tightly related to the environmental conditions transformed by the technogenesis and conceal other processes forming the soil profiles. Quasizems created for agricultural production purposes were the objects of the study. They were formed by covering the technically planned overburden rocks with the material of humus layers. The thickness of the humus horizons of the quasizems varies greatly (25–64%); the variation of the humus reserves in them is 34–122%. Middle-profile horizons have not been formed by the present time. Content Type Journal Article Category Genesis and Geography of Soils Pages 246-256 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312030106 Authors L. S. Shugalei, Sukachev Institute of Forestry, Siberian Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, Akademgorodok, Krasnoyarsk, 660036 Russia V. V. Chuprova, Krasnoyarsk State Agrarian University, pr. Mira 90, Krasnoyarsk, 660049 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 3

Description:    In line with the present-day ecological and toxicological data obtained by Dutch ecologists, heavy metals/metalloids form the following succession according to their hazard degree in soils: Se 〉 Tl 〉 Sb 〉 Cd 〉 V 〉 Hg 〉 Ni 〉 Cu 〉 Cr 〉 As 〉 Ba. This sequence substantially differs from the succession of heavy elements presented in the general toxicological GOST (State Norms and Standards) 17.4.1.02-8, which considers As, Cd, Hg, Se, Pb, and Zn to be strongly hazardous elements, whereas Co, Ni, Mo, Sb, and Cr to be moderately hazardous. As compared to the general toxicological approach, the hazard of lead, zinc, and cobalt is lower in soils, and that of vanadium, antimony, and barium is higher. The new sequence also differs from that of the metal hazard in soils according to the Russian standard on the maximal permissible concentration of mobile metal forms (MPC mob ): Cu 〉 Ni 〉 Co 〉 Cr 〉 Zn. Neither an MPC mob nor an APC mob has been adopted for strongly hazardous thallium, selenium, and vanadium in Russia. The content of heavy metals in contaminated soils is very unevenly studied: 11 of them, i.e., Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cd, Cr, As, Mn, Co, Hg, and Se, are better known, while the rest, much worse, although there are dangerous elements (Ba, V, Tl) among them. Content Type Journal Article Category Degradation, Rehabilitation, and Conservation of Soils Pages 321-328 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312030131 Authors Yu. N. Vodyanitskii, V.V. Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, per. Pyzhevskii 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 3

Description:    The water-physical properties (bulk density, air conductivity, texture, water content, and temperature dynamics) were studied in a chronosequence of soils developing on self-overgrowing quarry-dump complexes in the area of Sokolov, Czechia. The area overgrown for 12 years was covered by a thin grass cover; osiers were observed after 20 years of overgrowth; a broadleaved forest was found on a plot after 45 years of overgrowth. The particle-size distribution in the soil was determined using peptization by pyrophosphate and the FAO method. When the soil was prepared by the FAO method, a predominance of physical clay (62–72%) in the dump material was revealed; at the use of pyrophosphate peptization, the content of this fraction was lower (18–19%). The observed differences can be due to the incomplete degradation of the microaggregates composed of clay particles during the peptization by pyrophosphate. A decrease in the field water content of the soils with the increasing time of the dump’s overgrowth was observed. This could be attributed to the more significant evapotranspiration of the perennial woody vegetation compared to the herbaceous plants, which agreed with the data on the projective cover of plants and their root biomass. A decrease in the soil temperature in the root-inhabited layer (in the diurnal variation) with the age of succession was also observed. The analysis of the data on the field soil water content and their comparison with the results of the laboratory measuring of the wilting points indicated that the development of plants could be restricted by a water deficit at the 20- and 45-year-old stages of the succession. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Physics Pages 266-272 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312030076 Authors V. Kuráž, Czech Technical University of Prague, Takurova 7, Prague, 16000 Czech Republic J. Frouz, Institute of Soil Biology, Biological Center, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Na Sádkách 7, České Budéjovice, 38005 Czech Republic M. Kuráž, Czech Technical University of Prague, Takurova 7, Prague, 16000 Czech Republic A. Mako, University of Pannonia, Deák F. 16, Keszthely, 8350 Hungary V. Shustr, Institute of Soil Biology, Biological Center, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Na Sádkách 7, České Budéjovice, 38005 Czech Republic J. Cejpek, Institute for Environmental Studies, Charles University in Prague, Benatska 2, Prague, 12801 Czech Republic O. V. Romanov, St. Petersburg State University, 16 liniya V.O. 29, St. Petersburg, 199178 Russia E. V. Abakumov, St. Petersburg State University, 16 liniya V.O. 29, St. Petersburg, 199178 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 3

Description:    The number, structure, and physical state of the microbial communities in high-moor and low-moor peat bogs were compared. Distinct differences in these characteristics were revealed. The microbial biomass in the high-moor peat exceeded that in the low-moor peat by 2–9 times. Fungi predominated in the high-moor peat, whereas bacteria were the dominant microorganisms in the low-moor peat. The micromycetal complexes of the high-moor peat were characterized by a high portion of dark-colored representatives; the complexes of the low-moor peat were dominated by fast-growing fungi. The species of the Penicillum genus were dominant in the high-moor peat; the species of Trichoderma were abundant in the low-moor peat. In the former, the bacteria were distinguished as minor components; in the latter, they predominated in the saprotrophic bacterial complex. In the high-moor peat, the microorganisms were represented by bacilli, while, in the low-moor peat, by cytophages, myxobacteria, and actinobacteria. The different physiological states of the bacteria in the studied objects reflecting the duration of the lag phase and the readiness of the metabolic system to consume different substrates were demonstrated for the first time. The relationships between the trophic characteristics of bacterial habitats and the capacity of the bacteria to consume substrates were established. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Biology Pages 273-281 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312030039 Authors T. G. Dobrovol’skaya, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia A. V. Golovchenko, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia O. S. Kukharenko, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia A. V. Yakushev, Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia T. A. Semenova, Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. Leninskii 33, Moscow, 119071 Russia L. A. Inisheva, Tomsk State Pedagogical University, ul. Kievskaya 60, Tomsk, 634050 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 3

Description:    The results of long-term studies (1957–2007) of the changes in the morphology of soil profiles and in the reserves and fractional composition of the humus in the soils of the Ingulets irrigation system are discussed. After 50 years of irrigation, the boundaries of the genetic horizons shifted downward by 15–30 cm. The redistribution of the humus took place: its content decreased to a low level in the plow layer of the irrigated and rainfed soils and significantly increased in the layer of 60–100 cm so that the reserves of humus in the layer of 0–100 cm somewhat increased and corresponded to a moderate level. The distribution of humus in the soil profiles was characterized by the gradual lowering down the soil profile. The concentration of nitrogen in the humus of the irrigated southern chernozems was very low. The degree of humification of the soil organic matter was high. The humus was of the humate type in the upper horizons and of the fulvate-humate type in the lower horizons. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Reclamation Pages 290-302 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312010103 Authors P. S. Lozovitsii, Faculty of Geography, Shevchenko Kiev National University, pr. Glushkova 2, Kiev-85, 03085 Ukraine Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 3

Description:    The soil cover patterns in the subtaiga landscapes on the northern spurs of the Tsagan-Daban Ridge in the Selenga Mountains have been studied. Gray-humus lithozems and bedrock outcrops are typical of the steep south-facing slopes under herbaceous pine forests. Soddy iron-illuvial podburs are formed under forest vegetation on gentle slopes of northern and western aspects with a thick mantle of loose colluvial deposits. Dark-humus metamorphic soils occur on the slopes of western and northwestern aspects below 700 m a.s.l. under secondary forb-grassy communities that replaced the initial herbaceous pine forests. Windblown hollows (yardangs) are occupied by humus psammozems under steppe pine forests. The morphological and physicochemical characteristics of these soils are discussed in the paper. Content Type Journal Article Category Genesis and Geography of Soils Pages 231-236 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312030118 Authors D. P. Sympilova, Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Sakh’yanovoi 6, Ulan-Ude, Buryat Republic, 670047 Russia A. B. Gyninova, Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Sakh’yanovoi 6, Ulan-Ude, Buryat Republic, 670047 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 3

Description:    The biological activity of different subtypes of soddy-calcareous soils (rendzinas) of the Northwest Caucasus region was studied. In the Novorossiisk-Abrau-Dyurso region (dry subtropics), typical soddy-calcareous soils with the high content of carbonates predominate; in the more humid conditions of the Lagonaki Plateau (Republic of Adygeya), leached soddy-calcareous soils carbonate-free down to the parent rock are spread. The number of microarthropods, the populations of fungi and bacteria, and the enzyme activity (catalase, dehydrogenase, and invertase) testify that the biological activity of these soils significantly differs. In the typical soddy-calcareous soils of the dry subtropics, the content of carbonates does not affect the characteristics mentioned; in the more humid conditions of the West Caucasus region, the presence of carbonates in the parent rocks intensifies the biological activity of the soddy-calcareous soils. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Biology Pages 282-289 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312030052 Authors K. Sh. Kazeev, Southern Federal University, ul. Bol’shaya Sadovaya 105/42, Rostov-on-Don, 344006 Russia M. A. Kutrovskii, Southern Federal University, ul. Bol’shaya Sadovaya 105/42, Rostov-on-Don, 344006 Russia E. V. Dadenko, Southern Federal University, ul. Bol’shaya Sadovaya 105/42, Rostov-on-Don, 344006 Russia L. S. Vezdeneeva, Southern Federal University, ul. Bol’shaya Sadovaya 105/42, Rostov-on-Don, 344006 Russia S. I. Kolesnikov, Southern Federal University, ul. Bol’shaya Sadovaya 105/42, Rostov-on-Don, 344006 Russia V. F. Val’kov, Southern Federal University, ul. Bol’shaya Sadovaya 105/42, Rostov-on-Don, 344006 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 3

Description:    The environmental conditions of soil formation and the diversity and classification position of soils developing on the Zavkhan River floodplain are considered, and the morphogenetic and agrochemical properties of these soils are characterized. It is shown that the conditions of soil formation on the floodplain of the Zavkhan River are specified by the mountainous topography, the effect of the large Mongol Els sand massif, the character of the alluviation processes, the groundwater level and salinity, and the regime of floods. The position of the floodplain in the system of altitudinal zones largely dictates the character of the soil cover pattern. In terms of the new Russian soil classification system, the soils studied belong to three trunks, four orders, and seven types: stratified humus alluvial soils, light-humus alluvial soils, light-humus quasigley alluvial soils, light-humus stratozems, and solonchaks. The soils of floodplain ecosystems in arid regions are characterized by low fertility. For their efficient use for pasturing and crop growing, the ecologically balanced differentiated application of manure, mineral fertilizers (NPK), and some microelements is required. Content Type Journal Article Category Genesis and Geography of Soils Pages 237-245 DOI 10.1134/S106422931203012X Authors L. L. Ubugunov, Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Sakh’yanovoi 6, Ulan-Ude, Buryat Republic, 670047 Russia V. I. Ubugunova, Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Sakh’yanovoi 6, Ulan-Ude, Buryat Republic, 670047 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 3

Description:    The physical properties of ordinary chernozems and meadow-chernozemic soils under different land management practices (maple, larch, birch, and pine sections of the shelterbelts; continuous (since 1959) fallow; and arable field (since 1952)) were studied in the Kamennaya Steppe. The soils had favorable physicochemical properties, light clayey texture, and high microaggregation independently from the type of land management. The long-term impact of the shelterbelts improved the soil structure in the upper part of the humus horizon: the content of agronomically valuable aggregates increased, the content of coarse aggregates (〉10 mm) decreased, the aggregation coefficient increased by 3.7–4.3 times, and the water stability of the aggregates became by 8–12% higher. The soils under the shelterbelts were characterized by minimum values of the bulk density and solid phase density and by maximum values of the total, active, and air porosities. At the same time, no considerable differences between water reserves in the studied range of soils were detected. The ratio of the optimum productive water range to the active (productive) water range (OPWR/AWR) within the upper soil meter varied from 0.42–0.44 to 0.45–0.54. This points to changes in the character of perched water: the content of intra-aggregate capillary-perched water decreases, and content of film perched water increases down the soil profile. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Physics Pages 257-265 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312030064 Authors V. A. Korolev, Voronezh State University, pl. Universitetskaya 1, Voronezh, 394006 Russia A. I. Gromovik, Voronezh State University, pl. Universitetskaya 1, Voronezh, 394006 Russia O. A. Ionko, Voronezh State University, pl. Universitetskaya 1, Voronezh, 394006 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 3

Description:    The processes of the organic matter (OM) mineralization in forest soils developed under temperate continental (Moscow oblast, Russia), Mediterranean (the central and western parts of Spain), and tropical monsoon (southern Vietnam) climates were studied under laboratory conditions. The potential and specific rates of the OM mineralization ( PR min and PR min /C org , respectively), the ecophysiological parameters of the microbial communities status (C mic , q CO 2 , and C mic /C org ), and the sensitivity of the rate of the OM mineralization to the rise in temperature were evaluated by the temperature coefficients ( Q 10 ) determined in the humus horizons (0–10 cm, without forest litter). The average values of PR min for the climatic zones decreased in the following order: Mediterranean (57.1 ± 10.6 mg C/kg per day) 〉 temperate continental (23.8 ± 7.1 mg C/kg per day) 〉 tropical monsoon (10.4 ± 1.6 mg C/kg per day). The lowest resistance of the soil OM to mineralization as evaluated by the PR min /C org values was found in the Albeluvisol and Phaeozem of the temperate continental climate and in the Acrisol of the Mediterranean climate. The highest Q 10 coefficients were attributed to the OM mineralization in the forest soils of the temperate continental climate. This allowed us to conclude that the observed and expected climate changes with an increase in the mean annual air temperature should lead to the maximum intensification of the OM mineralization processes in the forest soils of northern regions. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Chemistry Pages 68-79 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312010085 Authors I. N. Kurganova, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290 Russia V. O. Lopes de Gerenyu, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290 Russia J. F. Gallardo Lancho, Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia de Salamanca, Spanish C.S.I.C., IRNASa, C/Cordel de Merinas 40, Salamanca, 37080 Spain C. T. Oehm, Institut für Geoéokologie, University Tübingen, Sigwartstrasse 10, Tübingen, 72076 Germany Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 1

Description:    A typification of soil catenas on slopes from the manifestations of soil erosion and accumulation processes studied at several key plots in the central part of the East European Plain and in the Mid-West of the United States is suggested. The magnetic tracer method was used for assessing the rate of lateral mechanical migration of the products of pedogenesis. The typification of soil catenas on slopes was performed with the quantitative consideration for the material loss and accumulation rates, the degree of openness of the soil catenas for the migration fluxes, and the localization of accumulation zones on the slopes. Content Type Journal Article Category On the Jubilee of M.A. Glazovskaya Pages 12-21 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312010036 Authors A. N. Gennadiev, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia A. P. Zhidkin, Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 1

Description:    The study of Upper Permian paleosols in the eastern part of the Russian Plain enables us to consider general problems, like interrelation of pedogenic and lithogenic memory, the development of Pre-Quaternary loess-paleosol series, the use of red beds as a paleogeographic archive, the paleoenvironmental reconstructions based on the study of paleosols, pedostratigraphy, and the relationships between pedogenesis and sedimentation. Content Type Journal Article Category Discussions Pages 98-107 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312010127 Authors A. O. Makeev, Ecological Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 1

Description:    The levels of the accumulation of copper, lead, nickel, and cadmium in the parent material-soil-plants-soil organic matter system are given for gray forest soils in the Buryat Republic. The concentrations of copper, lead, and nickel in the parent materials do not exceed the corresponding clarkes, and cadmium is present in trace amounts. The concentrations of copper and nickel in the humus horizon are lower than those in the parent material; an opposite situation is observed for lead. The concentrations of copper, lead, and nickel in the soil organic matter and in the herbaceous plants correspond to their contents in the soil and do not exceed the background (clarke) values. Cadmium was not detected in the aboveground part of the plants, though it was found in the root mass and in the organic soil horizon. In the humus of gray forest soils, these heavy metals are mainly present in the acid filtrate remaining after the precipitation of humic acids. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Chemistry Pages 141-146 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312020068 Authors G. D. Chimitdorzhieva, Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. M. Sakh’yanovoi 6, Ulan-Ude, Buryat Republic, 670047 Russia A. Z. Nimbueva, Buryat Republican Pedagogical College, ul. Khotsa-Namsaraeva 5, Ulan-Ude, Buryat Republic, 670034 Russia E. A. Bodeeva, Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. M. Sakh’yanovoi 6, Ulan-Ude, Buryat Republic, 670047 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 2

Description:    Molecular methods were used to study variation in the taxonomic structure of bacterial, archaeal, and fungal communities in soil samples taken along a salinity gradient from a solonchak in the vicinity of Lake Akkol’ (Shingirlau, Kazakhstan). Soils from arable fields located 195 km from the solonchak served as the control. Total DNA was isolated from every sample and analyzed by T-RFLP and real-time PCR. Salinization was found to be the main ecological factor determining the structure of soil microbial community in the study region. The values of Simpson’s index characterizing the diversity of this community proved to be similar in all the samples, which, however, significantly differed in the taxonomic composition of microorganisms. A significantly increased content of archaea was revealed in the sample with the highest salinity. The results of this study show that the structure of soil microbial community reflects specific features of a given soil and can be used as an indicator of its ecological state. Content Type Journal Article Category Soil Biology Pages 147-156 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312020044 Authors E. E. Andronov, All-Russia Research Institute of Agricultural Microbiology (VNIISkhM), Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, sh. Podbel’skogo 3, Pushkin, St. Petersburg, 198608 Russia S. N. Petrova, Orel State Agrarian University, ul. Generala Rodina 69, Orel, 302019 Russia A. G. Pinaev, All-Russia Research Institute of Agricultural Microbiology (VNIISkhM), Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, sh. Podbel’skogo 3, Pushkin, St. Petersburg, 198608 Russia E. V. Pershina, All-Russia Research Institute of Agricultural Microbiology (VNIISkhM), Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, sh. Podbel’skogo 3, Pushkin, St. Petersburg, 198608 Russia S. Zh. Rakhimgalieva, Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, West Kazakhstan Agrarian Technical University, ul. Zhangir Khana 51, Uralsk, 090009 Kazakhstan K. M. Akhmedenov, Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, West Kazakhstan Agrarian Technical University, ul. Zhangir Khana 51, Uralsk, 090009 Kazakhstan A. V. Gorobets, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Pyzhevskii per. 7, Moscow, 119017 Russia N. Kh. Sergaliev, Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, West Kazakhstan Agrarian Technical University, ul. Zhangir Khana 51, Uralsk, 090009 Kazakhstan Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 2

Description:    The landscape-geochemical consequences of the full cycle of Caspian Sea fluctuations (regression-transgression-stabilization) that has taken place in the recent decades are analyzed. The regressive and lagoon-transgressive sets of landscape-geochemical processes (LGPs) are characterized. The impact of the regressive stage on the environment is seen in the development of the regressive LGPs in the soils and sediments of the coastal landscapes with a predominance of salinization and weak humus accumulation. The transgression of the sea was accompanied by the formation of specific lagoon-marsh landscapes, in which the accumulation of sulfides, gleyzation, iron oxidation, and humus formation were clearly pronounced. The general scheme of the evolution of the LGPs within the past 30 years is discussed. The rates of the humus accumulation and salinization during the stabilization stage are estimated. The organic matter reserves in the coastal soils increased by 1.5–2 times in a decade. The transformation of the particular forms of chemical elements in the lagoon-marsh landscapes upon fluctuations in the sea level is shown. The rise in the Caspian sea level was accompanied by the enhanced migration of elements with varying valences, such as Fe and Mn (as well as Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni, and Co) due to their mobilization in the slightly alkaline and neutral reducing conditions and their precipitation at the geochemical barriers. Content Type Journal Article Category On The Jubilee of M.A. Glazovskaya Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312010073 Authors N. S. Kasimov, Geographical Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991 Russia M. S. Kasatenkova, Geographical Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991 Russia A. N. Gennadiev, Geographical Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991 Russia M. Yu. Lychagin, Geographical Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 1

Description:    Gravelly clay loamy and clayey soils developed from the derivatives of ultramafic rocks of the dunite-harzburgite complex of the Rai-Iz massif in the Polar Urals have been studied. They are represented by raw-humus pelozems (weakly developed clayey soils) under conditions of perfect drainage on steep slopes and by the gleyzems (Gleysols) with vivid gley color patterns in the eluvial positions on leveled elements of the relief. The magnesium released from the silicates with the high content of this element (mainly from olivine) specifies the neutral-alkaline reaction in these soils. Cryoturbation, the accumulation of raw humus, the impregnation of the soil mass with humic substances, gleyzation, and the ferrugination of the gleyed horizons are also clearly pronounced in the studied soils. Despite the high pH values, the destruction of supergene smectites in the upper horizons and ferrugination (the accumulation of iron hydroxides) in the microfissures dissecting the grains of olivine, pyroxene, and serpentine, and in decomposing plant tissues take place. The development of these processes may be related to the local acidification (neutralization) of the soil medium under the impact of biota and carbonic acids. The specificity of gleyzation in the soils developing from ultramafic rocks is shown in the absence of iron depletion from the fine earth material against the background of the greenish blue gley color pattern. Content Type Journal Article Category Genesis and Geography of Soils Pages 33-44 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312010097 Authors S. N. Lesovaya, Faculty of Geography and Geoecology, St. Petersburg State University, Vasil’evskii ostrov, 10 liniya 33, St. Petersburg, 199178 Russia S. V. Goryachkin, Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, per. Staromonetnyi 29, Moscow, 119017 Russia Yu. S. Polekhovskii, Geological Faculty, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab. 7/9, St. Petersburg, 199034 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 1

Description:    The methodological aspects and practice of soil monitoring in some European countries are discussed. European experience in this field may be useful for Russia and FSU countries, where soil monitoring works are at the early stage of their development. The programs of work, the standards for assessing the state of soils, and the distribution patterns of soil monitoring sites are described. Mandatory and optional (regional) parameters of soils for monitoring purposes are defined. The parameters of natural soils, the first observations concerning the soils studied, and the optimum soil parameters are recommended for their use as standards. The concept of multiple standards expands the potential of the applied interpretation of the monitoring results. The soil monitoring network is established with due account for the natural and anthropogenic conditions. It can be built on a regular or irregular basis. The adaptation of the European soil monitoring practice requires the modernization of the software, mathematical, instrumental, and cartographic support of soil monitoring programs in Russia and Ukraine. Content Type Journal Article Category Degradation, Rehabilitation, and Conservation of Soils Pages 90-97 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312010139 Authors V. V. Medvedev, Sokolovskii Institute of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, ul. Chaikovskogo 4, Kharkiv, 61024 Ukraine T. N. Laktionova, Sokolovskii Institute of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, ul. Chaikovskogo 4, Kharkiv, 61024 Ukraine Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 1

Description:    The results of mapping of soil degradation processes in the water protection zone of the Ivan’kovskoe water reservoir are discussed. This work was based on the materials of the multispectral aerial survey of the territory and field studies. Soil areas subjected to degradation processes, such as bogging, wind and water erosion, mechanical destruction, and technogenic disturbances were identified, and the degree of their degradation was determined. This information made it possible to suggest a system of rehabilitation measures aimed at improving the ecological situation. These measures include the creation of shelterbelts on slopes and along the ravines and the construction of earth walls, bush dams, and silt catchers to clean the surface water and soils from biogenic pollutants. Content Type Journal Article Category Degradation, Rehabilitation, and Conservation of Soils Pages 80-89 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312010061 Authors I. N. Gorokhova, Scientific Geoinformation Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Novyi Arbat 11, Moscow, 119019 Russia E. I. Kupriyanova, Scientific Geoinformation Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Novyi Arbat 11, Moscow, 119019 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 1

Description:    Organic-accumulative horizons above the permafrost table have been described in the profiles of cryozems developing on interfluve surfaces in the tundra zone of northern Yakutia. The organic matter content in these suprapermafrost horizons is comparable with or even exceeds the organic matter content in the surface horizons. The dynamics of seasonal thawing specify the annual involvement of the material of these horizons into the zone of active pedogenesis or its exclusion from it in the case of their frozen state. The analysis of the morphology of cryozems of the Kolyma Lowland along a 1000-km-long sublatitudinal transect shows that the accumulation and migration of raw organic materials (predominantly, differently decomposed peat) above the permafrost table take place upon the particular combinations of local factors (the soil moistening, ice content, freezing-thawing conditions, nanotopography of the permafrost table, etc.) at the lower boundary of the active layer. The well-pronounced accumulation of the raw organic material in the suprapermafrost horizons can be reflected in the substantive characteristics of these horizons and should be taken into account in classification decisions. Content Type Journal Article Category Genesis and Geography of Soils Pages 45-55 DOI 10.1134/S1064229312010115 Authors A. V. Lupachev, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Institutskaya 2, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290 Russia S. V. Gubin, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Institutskaya 2, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290 Russia Journal Eurasian Soil Science Online ISSN 1556-195X Print ISSN 1064-2293 Journal Volume Volume 45 Journal Issue Volume 45, Number 1