Title: Agro-ecological characteristics of arable soils of the forest-steppe and steppe in Omsk region
Abstract: Abstract The study is based on the results of agro-ecological assessment of the main arable soils of the forest-steppe and steppe zones in Omsk region. Agro-ecological regions and categories of natural and economic score of lands are determined: from medium (50–75) to very high (more than 175) score, with focus on Irtysh as a region with a lowered score. The agro-ecological assessment of the main arable soils of the forest-steppe and steppe zones enabled ranking the soils in descending order by scores and by favorable natural conditions of the zone: leached chernozems – ordinary chernozems – carbonate chernozems – podzolized chernozems – brackish chernozems – meadow-black-chernozems and gray forest solodized – deep and medium saline soil. The main arable soils of the forest-steppe and steppe zones are ordinary chernozems, southern chernozems, and meadow chernozems. The agro-ecological score of ordinary chernozems varies from 69 to 196 depending on the natural economic zone, southern chernozems – from 62 to 146, and meadow chernozems – from 52 to 146.