The area of impact zones of industrial contamination, oil and oil products spills, motor vehicle emissions, radioactive substances, as well as pesticides and mineral fertilizers application on agricultural lands of the Russian Federation is calculated. The share of the territory under consideration in the total area of agricultural lands of the country does not exceed 3%. Soils in the zone of contamination influence are considered to be potentially polluted and should be included in the monitoring program of agricultural land. Soils outside the zone of influence of pollutant dissemination are uncontaminated. Regular monitoring of contamination of these soils should not be carried out, which will reduce the costs of monitoring. More than 97% of the Russian agricultural land is represented by uncontaminated soils and is suitable for the production of bio products. Regular monitoring of contamination of these soils should not be conducted, which will reduce the cost of the survey, including sample collection, preparation and analysis. In view of the lack of soil contamination, the transition to the cultivation of bio products should be based on declarative approach. In this case, bio production should meet the requirements of special cultivation technologies and the product quality standards.

: One of the latest updates on the soil cover of the mountain regions of Uzbekistan is contained in the “Atlas of the Soil Cover of the Republic of Uzbekistan”, published in 2010. It contains soil maps of the regions of the country at the scales of 1 : 350 000 to 1 : 2 500 000 and provides brief charateristics of the soils. The Atlas was compiled on the basis of traditional methods of soil mapping. As a result, its contour part is typical of maps of the mentioned scales and rather schematic. The aim of the research was to update the contour part of the soil maps of mountain territories of Uzbekistan, contained in this Atlas, by means of the analysis of Landsat 8 satellite data. The contour part of the map was updated for the territory with absolute terrain altitude exceeding 900 m. Updating of the map contours was based on the methods of interactive indirect interpretation, when the boundaries of the contours were specified in the GIS using as a substrate the color composites of satellite data obtained at the optimal time of survey. Map correction, mountainous area delineation, and area counting were performed using the GIS ILWIS v.3.3 software package. About 18% of all soil mapping units were divided into several subunits. For 37% of the soil mapping units the boundaries changed significantly (the area of the units changed – by more than 30% with an average change in the length of the boundary of 15–38%). For 45% of soil mapping units the boundaries had changed less significantly (the area of the units had changed by no more than 30% and the boundary length had changed by no more than 20%). No cases of merging of soil mapping units were recorded. As a result, the contour part of the corrected map, compared to the original one, became much more detailed with more indented boundaries. The updated map shows the natural soil cover, excluding the anthropogenically changed soils. But the approach used for updating the original soil map may be also applied to expand the information on anthropogenical load as well. Moreover, this information can be obtained by interpretation of the same satellite data that were used for the map updating.

Podzolic-brown forest soils on the Soil Map of Russian Federation, scale 1 : 2.5 M, are widespread on the plains and plateaus of the Far East, referred to the Eastern brown-forest-soil area in the scheme of soil-geographical zoning. There, in Primorye and Priamurye regions, they are confined to various parent rocks and to different climatic and biota conditions. In the Classification of Soils of Russia (2004, 2008), there are no direct analogues of podzolic-brown soils in the map legend. To name these soils in the Russian classification system, regional publications (N.A. Kreida, G.I. Ivanov, V.I. Roslikova et al., N.M. Kostenkov, E.A. Zharikova) were reviewed: morphological and physicochemical properties of podzolic-brown soils were assessed in terms of their compliance with the diagnostic criteria of their possible analogues in the Russian system. The comparison has shown that in Primorye, on stony-loamy-clayey derivates of hard rocks, podzolic-brown soils correspond to soddy-pale-eluvial-metamorphic soils with textural differentiation, on loamy-clayey lacustrine-alluvial and colluvial deposits – as dark-humus podbels. In the north, in Priamurye region, podzolic-brown gley soils have properties of both texture-differentiated soils with the BT diagnostic horizon and of soils with a specific cryogenic structure in the middle cryometamorphic horizon. In the ideology and nomenclature of the Russian classification system, the former are defined as mucky-podzolic gleyic soils, the latter soils, as depending on the intensity of surface gley and structure development, can be defined as cryometamorphic podzolized gleyzems, eluvial-metamorphic cryometamorphic gleyic soils, or gleyic svetlozems.

The summarized data on the content of organic carbon (C_org) in the subtypes of gray forest soils occurring on the territory of Russia was presented. It was shown that the humus horizons of virgin light-gray, typical-gray, and dark-gray forest soils contain, on average, 2.16 ± 0.67, 2.42 ± 0.61, and 3.58 ± 0.95% С_org, respectively, while the plowing layers of arable soils contain 1.36 ± 0.40, 1.71 ± 0.40, and 2.84 ± 0.86%, respectively. Structural (particulate organic matter 0.05–2 mm in size, C_POM, and mineral-associated organic matter <0.05 mm in size, C_MAOM) and process (potentially mineralizable organic matter, C₀, and microbial biomass, C_mic) pools were isolated in the organic matter of samples from different horizons of gray forest soils (Luvic Retic Greyzemic Phaeozems (Loamic)) under small-leaved forest and barley crop. The C_POM/C_MAOM ratio in the upper soil horizons under forest and arable land was 0.60 and 0.26, respectively, and this ratio decreased with depth to 0.05 under both land uses. The sizes of the C_MAOM, C_POM, C₀, and C_mic pools correlated with each other and depended on the depth of the soil horizon, while the effect of land use on the pool ratios was found only for the surface horizons. The contribution of C_POM and C_MAOM to the potentially mineralizable pool of organic matter in gray forest soil was 20–41 and 71–87%, respectively. According to the obtained data, the size of the C₀ pool was almost equal to the annual amount of the heterotrophic CO₂ emission from the soil. It was emphasized that determining of the sizes and ratios of structural and process soil organic matter pools should be important in the programs of carbon monitoring and recarbonization of agroecosystems.

There are various methods for experimental determination of the thermal conductivity dependence on soil moisture and substrates. The influence of the sample structure (monolith, bulk sample), sample temperature, the method of installing the probe into the sample on the obtained readings of the TEMPOS device was studied and methodological recommendations were proposed. The dependence of thermal conductivity of soils bulk samples and substrates on moisture is shown. The spread of thermal conductivity values in the moisture range from hygroscopic to full moisture capacity for soddy-podzolic soil is 0.229–1.430 W/(m*K), for peat – 0.250–0.521 W/(m*K), for sand – 0.280–2.605 W/(m*K), for a mixture – 0.234–1.568 W/(m*K). ). The influence of properties such as density, particle size distribution, specific surface area, organic matter content, salinity affected thermal properties to a lesser extent. The established patterns can be used to calculate the temperature regime of soils in solving a number of applied problems related to the construction of special soil objects, for example, when creating urban soil structures. For this, it is necessary either to determine the thermal conductivity experimentally, or to calculate it, using the physical parameters of soils and substrates. The first method is labor-consuming, the second is less accurate. As an example, the equations available for work in the HYDRUS-1D (Chang–Horton and Campbell) model are used. These equations either overestimate the thermal conductivity in the area of high substrate humidity, or underestimate the thermal conductivity in the area of low substrate humidity (sand, loam, peat and a mixture based on them).

The sorption characteristics of sand, peat, the arable layer of Moscow urbanozem and a mixture of these substrates were studied in conjunction with the surface topography of their solid phase, studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The arable layer has the greatest ability to absorb nitrogen, and the peat substrate showed very low values of the sorbed gas. A different picture of the mutual arrangement of substrate sorption isotherms is observed when water vapour is used as a sorbing gas. Peat is distinguished by high values of sorbed moisture in the entire studied range of relative humidity. This leads to differences in the ranking of substrates by specific surface area in descending order of its values. So, the specific surface area by water sorption in the series: peat / arable layer / mixture / sand was: 420 / 72 / 45 / 4 m²/g, respectively. The given surface was ranked according to nitrogen sorption in a different sequence: 8.31 / 2.41 / 1.45 / 0.55 for the series: arable layer, mixture, peat and sand, respectively. The analysis of microstructural characteristics by the SEM method at various magnifications revealed the most developed, rough surface in the arable layer. It turned out to be geometrically the most diverse, even at magnification of ×20 000. The variety and heterogeneity of the relief of the interface of the phases leads to the appearance of hysteresis of the sorption/desorption curves. Its severity in the range of nitrogen vapor concentration in which hysteresis is detected, and in the maximum width of the hysteresis loop, also turned out to be the most significant in the arable layer. The very low nitrogen specific surface of peat, which is close to a sandy substrate, is associated with the presence of organic films draping and leveling the surface of peat particles, which was revealed by analyzing images obtained by scanning electron microscopy. The sorption of water showed their high hydrophilicity, which led to high values of substrate humidity in the entire studied range of relative humidity. 

Floodplain forage lands of the Pechora basin (Usinsky district of the Komi Republic) are experiencing a complex anthropogenic impact associated with both agricultural activity and pollution with petroleum products coming with flood waters. An ecological and agricultural assessment of the soil-vegetation cover of the Kolva floodplain used as hayfield (right-bank part) and pasture (left-bank part) was carried out. Soil combinations of the main part of the surveyed floodplain include alluvial sod, sod-meadow and meadow soils. Morphological signs of gley formation in meadow soils are observed in the lower part of the soil profile and are expressed moderately. Soils are characterized generally by favorable agrochemical and morphological properties, with the exception of areas subjected to pasture digression. The vegetation cover of the central and near-river part of the floodplain massif of the right bank is mainly represented by legume-cereal-grass communities formed both in inter-ridge depressions and on flat ridges. On the high floodplain of the left bank, legume-cereal-grass meadows, grass-clover and tufted hairgrass meadows are common, horsetail–butterbur, clover-cereal and cereal communities are common in the near-river part of the left bank. Despite the relatively high productivity and the presence of valuable forage species of cereals and legumes, the qualitative characteristics of hay deviate from optimal ones due to the participation of low-nutritious, unattractive, weedy and poisonous species in the herbage. On the pasture, as a result of pasture digression, there is a decrease in species diversity with the dominance of tufted hairgrass and low-value species of various grasses. In the most disturbed areas, the total projective vegetation coverage is reduced to 50%. The soil cover of the studied territory of the Kolva floodplain is currently not contaminated with hydrocarbons, with the exception of a few spots of petroleum products with a total area of 6 m². The effect of oil pollution on the vegetation cover of the Kolva floodplain is not manifested. Background values of the content of petroleum products in soils are slightly higher in the left-bank part compared to the right-bank part.

The influence of catastrophic forest fires in 2021 on the vegetation cover and soils of the middle taiga on the territory of distribution of light soil-forming rocks of Central Yakutia has been studied. Obtained results showed the cardinal dynamics of species diversity and productivity of the larch and pine forests surface vegetation in their natural state and in burnt areas. The stock of grass-shrub cover aboveground phytomass on the control larch and pine forests is higher for 5 and 10 times than that in the burnt areas, respectively. The work carried out revealed the effect of forest fires on the morphological structure (formation of pyrogenic layer, manifestation of pyro- and cryoturbations), the depth of thawing, the water regime of permafrost soils under larch and pine forests on control and burnt sites in the first year after strong fires. The soils in the study area are predominantly permafrost illuvial-ferruginous podzols. The study revealed an increase in the permafrost table depth of these soils, an increase in the level of ground water, and a decrease in acidity in the upper part of the profile. Intense ash formation was found due to the burning of litter. The characteristic of the current state of vegetation and soil cover is given. 

Sustainable development of agricultural production is a key factor in ensuring food security and growth of the country's export potential. One of the main reserves for the development of the agro-industrial complex is the involvement of fallow lands in agricultural industry, which is associated with the problem of technical and technological support for these works. The purpose of the work is to intensify the process of involving fallow lands in agriculture by developing a program of technical and technological support for this type of works, aimed at creating and accelerated implementation of a system of specialized machines. The authors systematized technologies and complexes of technical means, used in the involvement of fallow lands in crop production, depending on the stages of wild species overgrowth. For active involvement of fallow lands in agriculture, it is proposed to create a network of regional machine-technological stations equipped with modern domestic specialized equipment, providing services in removal of woody and shrubby vegetation and in initial tillage to agricultural producers in regions. The program assumes the development and organization of mass production of modern equipment for the involvement of fallow lands in agriculture, as well as implementation of a set of support measures aimed at accelerated technical equipment of machine-technological stations. Such an approach should make it possible for small and medium-sized agricultural producers to use financially affordable machinery services to involve fallow lands in agriculture, eliminating the need for its acquisition and maintenance, hiring and training of additional stuff. The implementation of the proposed program should allow agricultural producers to involve fallow lands in agricultural production with minimal costs, at the same time ensuring high growth rates of acreage and agricultural production volumes.

For the first time, the phosphate state of permafrost forest post-pyrogenic polycyclic soils of Central and Southern Yakutia, formed respectively in arid and humid climates, was studied and evaluated. These soils with a polycyclic profile, formed in the transaccumulative facies of this regions of the permafrost zone, contain, in addition to the modern one, 2–3 buried humus horizons with abundant inclusion of black charcoal. These pyrogenic humus horizons are characterized by an increased content of humus, total nitrogen and phosphorus soluble in iron oxalates, exchange bases, as well as fractions of physical clay and silt compared to neighboring mineral horizons of the soil profile. At the same time, the brown soil of Southern Yakutia, formed under less severe and humid climatic conditions, compared with those of the pale soil developed under cryoarid conditions of Central Yakutia, was more biogenic, and the total content of phosphorus here was 98.0–427.2, whereas in the second soil – only 11.0–257.1 mg P₂O₅/100 g of soil. Organophosphates predominated in the composition of the total phosphorus of burozem, amounting to 51.8–81.3%, and in pale soil – mineral forms of phosphorus, which accounted for 52.2–78.8%. The fractional composition of mineral phosphates of both types of permafrost soils was mainly dominated by phosphates of one and a half oxides (Al-P and Fe-P), totaling 43.3–94.3%, and among the latter – Fe-P, which accounted for 34.8–87.4% of the total amount of all fractions of mineral phosphates. It is assumed that the high content of iron phosphates, and in some cases occluded aluminum-iron phosphates in the studied permafrost soils, is due to the manifestation of both cryogenic and biogenic pyrogenic ferruginization in their genesis.