Changes in the physical properties of typical chernozems of Kursk oblast under the conditions of a long-term stationary experiment

The light clayey typical chernozems were studied on the fields of a long-term experiment on continuous fallowing performed by the Kursk Research Institute of Agroindustrial Production. The experiment was initiated in 1964. It includes the following variants: bare fallow, fallow with NPK application, fallow with manure application, idle land, and cropland under traditional cereal rotation. The fundamental physical properties of the chernozems, such as the particle-size distribution, the aggregate-size distribution, the water stability of the aggregates, the specific surface (as determined by the methods of the equilibrium desorption of water vapor and nitrogen), the mechanical stability of the air-dried aggregates, and the penetration resistance have not changed significantly under the impact of fertilizers and manure application. At the same time, reliable changes have taken place in the physicomechanical properties of the chernozem, including, in particular, the strength of the aggregates and the dependence of the penetration resistance on the water content. This attests to changes in the structural bonds between the soil particles under the impact of the fertilizers. An exponential equation describing the dependence of the penetration resistance on the soil’s water content in the range from the liquid limit to the plastic limit has been suggested. The analysis of the approximation parameters of this equation shows that the application of manure increases the dilatant characteristics of the chernozem and lowers its penetration resistance at the given water content. Reliably higher values of the penetration resistance have been found in the soil of the cropland, which may be related to the somewhat coarser soil texture in this experimental variant.