Abstract
Crop production in the agricultural steppe regions of southwest Siberia and Northern Kazakhstan is mostly focused on cropping spring cultures. Extreme temperature amplitudes, few, unevenly appearing precipitation events and high annual evapotranspiration are the major natural limiting factors. These regions mainly feature crop rotation systems with a high amount of cereals. The low effort required to apply mineral granular fertilizer and high tilling intensity in the meaning of weed protection rather than soil-protecting chemical treatment, are the main reasons for low average yields and a high risk of soil damage due to nutrient losses and wind erosion. The major goal has to be to reduce process inputs while stabilising and raising average yields. To achieve this, the priority has to be placed on minimising labour costs. Crop rotation systems have to become more diverse. Oscillating market situations might be dealt with more easily. Wider crop rotations would lead to a better soil structure and nutrient supply. Additionally, plant protection can be achieved in an easier, faster and cheaper way. Using no-till systems, yield can be stabilized and soils can be protected from wind erosion in an effective way. Seeding machines with wide row spacings and narrow single depth adjusted hoe opener systems are able to carry out shallow tillage only in the seeding furrow. They are also able to place the seed exactly to the adjusted depth. The old stubble is conserved for reasons of minimizing over-ground wind speed and evaporation. The extensive tillage during seeding with a narrow hoe opener system cleans the furrow from organic material and creates fine textured, loose soil and optimal contact between the seed and soil. The faster warming of the furrow after seeding accelerates emergence in cool temperate steppe climates. The additional placement of granular mineral fertilizers into the furrow in dry continental regions is almost the only effective means of fertilization and gives the young crops better growing conditions. The no-till seeding machines Citan Z and Condor, produced by Amazone, are developed for and well tested under high continental steppe conditions. In many trials on a farm scale it has been shown that these machines used in no-till cropping systems are able to save more fuel, time and seeding material than conventional seeding machines with chisel-opener systems. Furthermore a stabilization of the yields was observed due to the better water and nutrient supply.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Andreeva IV, Kust GS (2003) Geographical zoning of desertification in the semi-arid and arid zones of Russia. In: Chibilyov AA (ed) Steppes of Northern Eurasia, pp 46–48
Baraev AI (1976) Nautschnoje osnowi poswozaschitnoi sistemu. In: Puti selsko chosjajstwa selinich rajonow. Vaschnil 76, pp 46–63
Boardman JA (1990) Soil erosion and agricultural land. Wiley, NY
Bulygina ON et al (2007) Climate variations and changes in extreme climate events in Russia. Environ Res Lett 2(4):7
Burlakova LM (1999) Potschveno-semelnie resurci. In: Vinokurov UI (ed) Costojanie okruschajuschei sredi v Altaiskom Kraie. OOO NEKSI, Barnaul
Frühauf M, Meinel T (2007) Vom “Neuland unterm Pflug” zum “Dust-Bowl-Syndrom”- der eurasiatische Steppengürtel im Fokus von Global Change – in Planet Erde “Asien”(B 19050-5), Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt, pp 77–89
Hudson NW (1987) Soil and water conservation in semi-arid areas. FAO Soils Bulletin 57, Rom
Kharlamova NF, Revyakin VS (2006) Regional climate and environmental change in central Asia. In: Environmental security and sustainable land use – with special reference to Central Asia NATO Security through Science Series, pp 19–26
McConkey BG, Liang BC, Campbell CA, Curtin D, Moulin A, Brandt SA, Lafond GP (2003) Crop rotation and tillage impact on carbon sequestration in Canadian prairie soils. Soil Tillage Res 74:81–90
Meinel T (2001) Die Anwendung von Trockenfeldbaumethoden in der Kulundasteppe aus ökologischer und ökonomischer Sicht. Sowremennije problemi geografii i prirodopolsowanija, vol 5–6, Barnaul
Meinel T (2002) Die geoökologischen Folgewirkungen der Steppenumbrüche in den 50er Jahren in Westsibirien. Ein Beitrag für zukünftige Nutzungskonzepte unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Winderosion. – Diss. Math.-Naturwiss. Fak. Univ. Halle-Wittenberg: p 129, Halle an der Saale
Meyer BC, Schreiner V, Smolentseva EN, Smolentsev BA (2008) Indicators of desertification in the Kulunda Steppe in the south of Western Siberia. Arch Agron Soil Sci 54(6):585–603
Rostankowski P (1979) Agrarraum und Getreideanbau in der Sowjetunion 1948–1985. Duncker and Humblot, Berlin
Smith P et al (2007) Changes in mineral soil organic carbon stocks in the cropland of European Russia and the Ukraine, 1990–2070; comparison of three models and implications for climate mitigations. Reg Environ Change 7(2):106–119
Spaar D, Schuhmann P [Hrsg.] (2000) Natürliche Grundlagen der Pflanzenproduktion in den Ländern der Gemeinschaft Unabhängiger Staaten und des Baltikums. AGRIMEDIA, Bergen an der Dumme
Zentner RP, McConkey BG, Stumborg MA, Campbell CA, Selles F (1998) Energy performance of conservation tillage management for spring wheat production in the Brown soil zone. Can J Plant Sci 78:553–563
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Meinel, T., Grunwald, LC., Akshalov, K. (2014). Modern Technologies for Soil Management and Conservation in Northern Kazakhstan. In: Mueller, L., Saparov, A., Lischeid, G. (eds) Novel Measurement and Assessment Tools for Monitoring and Management of Land and Water Resources in Agricultural Landscapes of Central Asia. Environmental Science and Engineering(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01017-5_27
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01017-5_27
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-01016-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-01017-5
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)