ASU Scientists Develop Methods for Combating Pasture Desertification

Students of Astrakhan State University and the staff of the Innovative Natural Institute, the Department of Soil Science, Land Management & Cadasters and Nachalo Educational Experimental Facility are working together to prevent soil degradation.

The pilot project is part of the regional programme to combat desertification in Astrakhan Region. ASU scientists will study the influence of protective agriculture on improving the quality of soils and protecting them from degradation processes within the framework of their project “Physics of Saline soils”.

An experimental testing ground for the development and testing of technologies aimed at preventing desertification was organized on several hectares of land of the Nachalo Educational Experimental Facility of ASU.

The purpose of the experiment is to improve the soil through sowing and growing salt-tolerant and drought-tolerant plants, the seeds of which have been pretreated with grown cultures of bacteria and algae isolated from the Astrakhan soils, and to evaluate the plant growth. This will help researchers select crops and planting technologies for different soil types, and help farmers apply feed growing methods suitable for their farmland.

The first stage of testing has been completed. Now students and scientists of Astrakhan State University have a lot of work to do — they are to monitor the state of the soil cover and plant growth and look for farmers who are ready to provide their agricultural plots for planting experimental crops.