Ecological and meliorative condition of soils in the Karakalpakstan, Kegeyli District

Soil samples were collected from newly irrigated meadow-alluvial soils in the Kegeyli district of northern Karakalpakstan to investigate their physical and mechanical properties, with particular focus on macro- and microaggregate composition. Comparative analysis of samples taken from two depth intervals (0–30 cm and 30–60 cm) revealed distinct soil characteristics. Porosity measurements showed values of 49.4% in the upper layer (0–30 cm) compared to 47.2% in the deeper layer (30–60 cm). Aggregate size distribution analysis demonstrated significant differences between depth layers. In the 0–30 cm samples, particles <0.25 mm and aggregates larger than 28.6 mm were classified as macroaggregates, while the 30–60 cm samples contained smaller quantities of both <0.25 mm particles and aggregates up to 10.0 mm, indicating variations in structural composition with depth. Further examination of soil layers at 0–25 cm and 25–33 cm depths revealed textural differences. The upper layer (0–25 cm) contained 24.9% physical clay and 36.0% physical sand, while the lower layer (25–33 cm) showed slightly reduced values of 23.0% physical clay and 32.0% physical sand. These findings provide valuable insights into the vertical heterogeneity of soil properties in newly irrigated meadow-alluvial soils of the study region.