As the result of the investigaton of geochemically associated range of texture-differentiaded and organo-accumulative soils with the second humus horizon, we discovered that in microbiomorphic profile the specificities of the second humus horizon forming are reflected. These specificities are stipulated by the topographic location and the conditions of water regime of the soil in the past. The evolution of soils in the elluvial position of the catena was manifested in the change of meadow soil forming process (humus-quasigleic soils) on the podzol-forming process. In the transit positions the prototype of the soil with the second humus horizon was functioning in the wetter conditions and was characterized by the features of meadow-boggy soil forming process - humic gley soil. In the trans-accumulative position the meadow-boggy soil forming process (humic gley type of the soil) was changed on the forest type of the soil forming process (podzol formation) later than for the soils, which are located in higher topography positions.

In this work we summarized all of the available information about the soil cover of Mali at the level of the whole country. This information was updated according to the satellite data, and the analysis of optimality of the soil resources for the purposes of cotton cultivation was conducted. As the basis for the assessment served the Digital Soil Map of the World by FAO, which was preliminary corrected on the basis of visual analysis of Landsat images. We determined the soil properties, which potentially may constrain the possibilities of industrial crop cultivation by expertise. Also we discovered the threshold values of suitability classes. The analysis of suitability of Mali soils for cotton cultivation, conducted with using of GIS ILWIS, showed that only 6% of country’s soils on the territory of the republic are optimal for cotton cultivation. About 67% of soils are not suitable for cotton cultivation. Among them, 60% of soils have unfavorable characteristics. The rest of the soils are limitedly suitable. As the major limiting factors for cotton cultivation we considered light grain texture of the soils, low thickness and rockiness. The limitations of about 80% of unfavorable soils of Mali are precicely due to these properties. The resource potential of these soils is maximally used in regions of Kulicoro and Sicasso; in lower degree it is used in regions of Segu and Kayes, and in the other regions it is not used at all.

The organic matter composition of buried peat horizons from the west coast of White lake (Kara Sea) was investigated using the method of dency-metric fractionation. Considerable amount of peat in studied buried horizons, the amount of which increases with depth was revealed. According to radiocarbon dating of peat was formed in the early Holocene. Great ancientry of organic matter in studied buried horizons indicates a very slow humification process. This is due to the extreme environmental conditions: lower average temperatures and short duration period of positive temperatures. The presence of a larger number poorly decomposed plant residues in the composition of the light fractions in low part of the buried horizon indicates the difference between the conditions of the decomposition of organic matter in the period of 8950-8580 years ago, namely, the less favorable conditions for microbial activity in low horizon. This could be due to the change of the local hydrological conditions that influenced the change in the rate of humification of plant residues during this relatively short period of time.

The geochemical specificities of mountainous soils of Middle Ural on the example of Basegi Ridge were considered in this work. We calculated and analyzed geochemical coefficients of accumulation, subsurface weathering, eluviation and oxidation. It is shown that soil forming processes on Severniy Baseg Mountain don’t lead to the clear differentiation of the profile according to the content of one or another microelements. The level of concentrations of elements in landscapes was increased from elluvial to transaccumulative. This was determined by the increasing role of lateral distribution of concentration of chemical elements in mountainous ecosystems. This is confirmed by the calculated accumulation coeffecients and also by the results of cluster analysis. It shows that there are higher concentrations of Al, Fe, K, Ca, Mg, Mn in the soils of forest-mountainous belt, comparing to soils of goltsy altitudinal belt and subgoltsy altitudinal belt, and comparing to alpine belt. The analysis of the original data and literature sources confirmed that the climate change in the end of late Holocene affected dramatically on the climate change of mountainous part of western macroslope of Middle Ural.

A comparative analysis of anions (Cl^-, SO₄ ^2-) and cations (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺) detection in samples of saline soils by classical methods of titration (with use of atomic absorption analyzer Kvant-2AT for Na⁺ detection) and by method of capillary electrophoresis on Kapel-105 was performed. An analysis has shown limits of use of these methods as well as possibility of conversion of data obtained by method of capillary electrophoresis into data that could be obtained by methods of titration and atomic absorption. It was found that results of these methods correlate worse for anions especially for chlorides and better for cations. Largest divergence was noticed in areas of extremely low or extremely high rates of soils salinity. Functional relations (mostly linear or polynomial) between magnitudes obtained by different methods was found. The use of suggested equations of conversion gives an opportunity to compare results obtained by traditional methods (titration and atomic absorption) with those obtained by the method of capillary electrophoresis.

In this work we consider the processes of degradation and changes of properties of gray forest soils and migration-mycellar chernozems as a result of agrogenesis and erosion. We also consider progradation processes, which lead to forming of anthropogenic deeply transformed soils, and post-agrogenic processes, which are characterized by reclamation of the natural parameters of soils. The most dramatic changes occur in the composition of profiles, and also in morphological, physical and agrochemical properties. The results of investigations allowed us to determine four trends of the development: agrogenically-degradational and also agrogenically progradational, which is familiar for large areas of arable lands, and also postagrogenic nature-like, which is typical for laylands. The most of the soils, involved in agricultural activivities, are affected by degradation as a result of agrogenesis. This is manifested in the developments of processes of surface and linear erosion, in the decrease of humus content and the thickness of humus layer of the soil mass. There are also observed such processes as forming of compaction under the arable layer, the changes in structure and the decrease of water resistance of aggregates. In the agro-gray soils of agrogenically-degradational trend we observe the significant decrease of the thickness arable layer and humus content, and as contrary, the increase of silt and physical clay content, and also the increase of solidity values in comparison to the gray soils. In the same agrogray soils of agrogenically-erosional trend, we observed the increased density and solidity, the increase of non-agregated material content, the decrease of humus content, the decrease of melkozem content and the decrease of fine fraction content, which are valuable for plants. The results obtained are the additional information base for the convertion of Uniformed State Register of the soil resources of Russia on a regional and local level.

The classifications of soils, which correspond the actual level of informational technologies, are able to provide the necessary clarity and conclusiveness of their conceptions, the implementation of formal methods for qualitative assessements and criteria of quality of estimations. The world soil science is now characterized by the absence of fundamental investigations on theory of classification, which is replaced by methods of data analysis. This paper suggests a new approach to creation of comprehensive classification as an attempt to fill a gap in this area. This approach is based on the idea of allotment classification (by Yu. A. Voronon). The purpose of classification is determined by the fixed system of the selected soil indices (specificities), which are organized as a graph of allotment classification. The number of objects in classification is determined by the number of selected specificities and their value grades. The edges of the graph reflect the descriptions of meaningful modes (types) of classification taxons. The recognition of new soils is made on the basis of similarity to them. It is the first time when the classification obtained analytical expression. Its equation allows us to code the vector of description of soils by a number, and as contrary, to restore the description on the basis of a code. That looks like an original database. Other classification and information materials may be moved into the forming classification space. For the purposes of supporting and realization of discussed approaches we created the special internet page: www.infosoil.ru.

The area “Yamskaya Steppe” of “Belogorye” preserve is located in Belgorod Oblast near the concentration of mining factories: Lebedinskiy and Stoylenskiy mining and concentration complex (MCC), complexes of “KMA-ore” and Oskol metallurgical, TPP etc. Taking into account that the “Yamskaya Steppe” is a SPNR and along with that bears a significant technogenic burden, it is necessary to investigate the properties of dominating soils and to provide the assessment of its contamination by heavy metals (HM). The main purpose of the work was to assess the toxicity of contamination of the soils of “Yamskaya Steppe” by HM in correlation to the investigated respiration activity of microorganisms of native soils of monitoring areas (MA) and artificially created mixes of soils with the dust from shops of factories, containing high concentrations of HM. The investigation of the native soils did not show the correlation of the basal respiration and the type of the soil. However weak and single case showed the correlation of basal breath and the type land use. Only in two soils of the whole 21 soils from the investigated MA the signs of disturbance of functioning of microbial community were revealed. The measurement of the bulk forms of HM showed relative increase in concentrations of Сu, Zn, Zr, Sn, Pb, As on these MA. The experiments with artificial mixtures allowed us to conclude that the implementation of the dust with HM, taken from the shops of Lebedinskiy MCC, affect the microbial activity. That causes the intensification of СО₂ emission as incase of measuring of basal respiration rate and in case of substrata-induced respiration. However, that impact might be possible only in conditions of equal amount of the soil and dust in artificial mixtures, but this is impossible in natural conditions. It is necessary to find more senstive indicators of HM contamination for the investigated soils.

In this paper we consider civilizational, social and economic role and place of fundamental and applied aspects of the soil science on the basis of analysis of classic scientific heritage. The predeterminacy of such a dualism is stipulated. It is shown that the part of comprehensive scientific works of V. V. Dokuchaev in the area of applied science and principals of landscape and ecological rational management of natural resources was not so appreciated as internationally acclaimed theory of soil and its determination in status of natural and historical body. The role of scientists of Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute in the forming of the appearance of soil science in the World in the past century is fundamental. There is also shown the value of session of Academy of Agricultural Sciences “The Scientific Heritage of V. V. Dokuchaev and Modern Agriculture” (June, 1992) for the purposes of the development of works in the area of investigation and creation of ecologically balanced highly productive and sustainable agrolandscapes, and also for the projection and ecquisition of adaptive-landscape agriculture systems and actual agrotechnologies. Scientific schools and their leaders caused a significant impact on the development of soil science and agriculture in Russia and in the World. The fundamental basis of genetic soils science of V. V. Dokuchaev determined the creation of fundamentals of landscape agriculture; biospheric paradigm of Dokuchaev-Vernadskiy determined actual trends of World agricultural production; genesis and classification of soils by N. M. Sibirtsev determined the development of valuation of soils; theory of humus forming, chernozem forming and podzol forming by P. A. Kostychev determined the development of scientific agronomy; theory of SCC by K. K. Gedroyts determined the development of chemical melioration of lands; theory of soil forming by V. R. Williams determined the development of grassland farming and fodder production; the soil forming theory of N. M. Tulaikov determined the development of dry agriculture; the hydrology theory of G. N. Vysotskiy and A. A. Rode determined the development of forestry and forest melioration; biogeochemistry of V. I. Vernadskiy and B. B. Polynov determined the development of theory of rational management of natural resources; geochemistry and soil ecology by V. A. Kovds determined the developmeny of hydrotechnical melioration; theory of soil-climatic facies by I. P. Gerasimov, the fundamentals of soil investigations by L. I. Prasolov, theory of soil cover structures by V. M. Fridland determined soil-geographic and soil-ecologic zoning; the investigation of phosphate transformation in soils by A. V. Sokolov led to creation of powerful industry of phosphate fertilizers production and the development of technologies of their implementation. The critical analysis of actual state of soils science is given. There is also stipulated the extreme necessity of participation of business community in the financing of the science and forming of innovative framework. Along with that, there is shown the necessity of restoration of State Land Service in Russia.