Study of Biological Indicators of Gray-Brown Soils of Agrocenosis

In order to assess the biological activity of agricultural soils under conditions of prolonged use of mineral fertilizers, their microbiological parameters (the total number of microorganisms and the number of various physiological groups) were studied. Studies have shown that in irrigated soils, compared with virgin soils, there was a decrease in all studied microbiological parameters, with the exception of the number of actinomycetes. An increase in the number of actinomycetes indicates an increase in mineralization processes, as a result of which the content of organic matter in soils decreases. All this indicates the presence of anthropogenic impact and irrational use of soils, which negatively affects the biological activity of soils. Within the framework of the sustainable development of agrocenoses, scientifically based techniques and biotechnologies aimed at improving and preserving the soil cover of agroecosystems and agrobiocenoses, along with increasing crop yields, are extremely important. An increase in actinomycete numbers indicates increased mineralization processes, resulting in a decrease in organic matter content in the soils. In the studied soils, the humus content was 2.4% and 2.1% for the background and irrigated soils, respectively.