INFLUENCE OF SPRINKLING IRRIGATION ON THE PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF SOILS IN THE VOLGA REGION

Abstract

Long-term irrigation worsens the condition of the soil over time. The purpose of the research is to study changes in the physical and chemical properties of soils under the influence of long-term sprinkling irrigation and to develop design and technological solutions aimed at minimizing the potential negative consequences of irrigation. An analysis of studies of the effect of perennial irrigation on soil characteristics is presented. In order to minimize the negative impact of irrigation on the soil, a technology has been developed that allows you to adjust the irrigation rate by sector, based on actual water consumption. Experimental studies were carried out when watering corn. The soil is chestnut medium loamy. The comparison was made based on the results of irrigation in three areas: traditional irrigation at a constant rate, irrigation in accordance with the presented calculation method and improved sprinklers. Comparative experimental studies have demonstrated the possibility of reducing runoff during irrigation. Comparative experimental studies have demonstrated the possibility of reducing runoff during irrigation. As studies have shown, traditional sprinkling shows significant water losses due to surface runoff, which is about 10% of the irrigation rate. This is significantly inferior to more efficient methods: sector technology reduces runoff by 2.5 times, and the combination of sector technology with improved sprinkler designs by almost 3.2 times. The results of the removal of nutrients from the soil and humus are given. For the period 2020-2024, with irrigation according to the developed technology, the removal of nutrients with runoff was reduced by an average of 2.3 times; when watering according to the developed technology and equipping sprinklers with improved sprinkler designs – 3 times. During the three-year experimental period, humus loss was 790 kg/ha with traditional irrigation. The introduction of the new irrigation technology made it possible to reduce these losses to 336 kg/ha. The best results were achieved by combining the developed technology with the developed sprinklers, which led to the minimization of humus losses to 202 kg/ha.