Arctic soils fertility will be restored with the new technology

Employees of the Krasnoyarsk Science Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (KSC SB RAS) have developed a new technology for the restoration of soil fertility in the Arctic. It will help to return disturbed soils to agriculture and improve the quality and quantity of the harvest.

The developed technology includes several sequential soil restoration measures. Surface mechanical soil cultivation to a depth of 12-15 cm, the use of complex mineral fertilizers, and the sowing of perennial grassland grasses. These crops provide a quick vegetation cover on the restored land that prevents soil erosion. These plots need to be cared for the next three years. Such an approach makes it possible to produce agricultural products of a given quantity and quality in the Arctic. The technology increases the productivity of meadow crops by two-three times.

The technology is based on the scientifically grounded principles of conservation and reproduction of soil fertility of tundra lands and soil cultivation systems. Scientists have studied the factors of crop yield formation in tundra conditions and the causes of soil degradation.

The advantages of the new soil cultivation technology are that it’s adapted to the local conditions and takes into account possible weather changes during the growing season. The prediction of the possible circumstances affecting the crops allows setting a certain volume and quality of yields using controllable factors of technology, mechanization, land reclamation, fertilization, and plant protection.