EVOLUTION OF GRAY FOREST SOILS UNDER ARABLE USE IN THE CENTRAL PART OF REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

The paper aimed to present the evolution of gray forest soils used as arable land after forest deforestation in the Central part of Moldova named Codri area. Was used the comparison method between gray soil (grayzems) under the forest, gray arable soil used in agriculture around 100 years and gray arable soil that had a long period of development under steppe before was used in agriculture. As a result of use in agriculture first three horizons of forest soils (AEh t, AEh and BEhtw) was mixed in one. Framing in agricultural use also led to the decreasing humus content, decreasing of the iluvial-eluvial and cambic processes intensity, soil acidity reducing, soil compaction and worsening of soil structural condition. As a conclusion, arable gray soils need soil-improvement techniques targeted to increase soil organic matter content and improving their physical properties in plowed layer to make them more suitable for plant grow.