Comprehensive assessment and information database on saline and waterlogged soils in Kazakhstan: Insights from Remote Sensing Technology

Abstract

Soil salinity and waterlogging are significant challenges in agricultural regions worldwide, including Kazakhstan. Understanding the characteristics and distribution of saline and waterlogged soils is crucial for developing effective strategies to mitigate their negative impact on crop productivity and environmental sustainability. This study aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of saline and waterlogged soils in various zones of the Republic of Kazakhstan, including the desert, foothill semi-desert (vertical), semi-desert (latitudinal), and dry-steppe areas. By examining the genetic horizons, chemical composition, ionic composition, salt content, and granulometric composition of these soils, this research contributes to the knowledge base necessary for implementing targeted soil management practices and restoration techniques. Fieldwork was conducted at 66 designated base points, where detailed descriptions of the genetic horizons of these soils were made. The data collected from these surveys were utilized to create an extensive information database, encompassing various indicators such as nomenclature, profile structure morphology, chemical composition, ionic composition of water extracts, salt content, absorbed cations, and granulometric composition. The findings reveal that saline soils cover a significant area of 16.7% (35,817.4 thousand hectares) of the agricultural land, while waterlogged soils occupy 0.5% (1,083.4 thousand hectares). The study highlights the poor fertility of saline soils due to high concentrations of water-soluble salts, predominantly sodium chlorides and sulfates, throughout the soil profile. Conversely, waterlogged soils exhibit distinct features such as gleyed horizons and a greenish-grayish color, with variations in fertility. The information presented in this study contributes to the understanding of the characteristics and distribution of saline and waterlogged soils in Kazakhstan, facilitating the development of strategies to restore soil fertility and implement appropriate management practices.

Keywords

• Information base
• salinity
• waterlogging
• remote sensing
• solonchak soil
• peat-bog soil
• GIS technology

References

1. Dwivedi, R.S., 2001. Soil resources mapping: A remote sensing perspective. Remote Sensing Reviews 20(2): 89-122.
2. Dwivedi, R.S., Sreenivas, K., 1998a. Delineation of salt-affected soils and waterlogged areas in the Indo-Gangetic plains using IRS-1C LISS-III data. International Journal of Remote Sensing 19(14): 2739-2751.
3. Dwivedi, R.S., Sreenivas, K., 1998b. Image transforms as a tool for the study of soil salinity and alkalinity dynamics. International Journal of Remote Sensing 19(4): 605-619.
4. Funakawa, S., Suzuki, R., Karbozova, E., Kosaki, T., Ishida, N., 2000. Salt-affected soils under rice-based irrigation agriculture in Southern Kazakhstan. Geoderma 97(1-2): 61–85.
5. Issanova, G.T., Abuduwaili, J., Mamutov, Z.U. Kaldybaev, A.A., Saparov, G.A., Bazarbaeva, T.A., 2017. Saline soils and identification of salt accumulation provinces in Kazakhstan. Arid Ecosystems 7: 243–250.
6. Kussainova, M., Spaeth, K., Zhaparkulova, E., 2020. Efficiency of using the rangeland hydrology and erosion model for assessing the degradation of pastures and forage lands in Aydarly, Kazakhstan. Eurasian Journal of Soil Science 9(2): 186 - 193.
7. Laiskhanov, S.U., Otarov, A., Savin, I.Y., Tanirbergenov, S.I., Mamutov, Z.U., Duisekov, S.N., Zhogolev, A., 2016. Dynamics of soil salinity in irrigation areas in South Kazakhstan. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies 25(6): 2469–2476.
8. Liu, W., Ma, L., Smanov, Z., Samarkhanov, K., Abuduwaili, J., 2022. Clarifying soil texture and salinity using local spatial statistics (Getis-Ord Gi* and Moran’s I) in Kazakh–Uzbekistan Border Area, Central Asia. Agronomy 12: 332.

9. Ma, L., Abuduwaili, J., Smanov, Z., Ge, Y., Samarkhanov, K., Saparov, G., Issanova, G., 2019 Spatial and vertical variations and heavy metal enrichments in irrigated soils of the Syr Darya River watershed, Aral Sea Basin, Kazakhstan. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16(22):4398.
10. Mulders, M.A., Girard, M.C., 1993. Remote sensing of soils in warm arid and semi‐arid lands. Remote Sensing Reviews 7(3-4): 341-363.
11. Murphy, J., 1986. LANDSAT MSS sensor and data preprocessing, Remote Sensing Reviews 2(1): 27-60.
12. Otarov, A., 2014. Concentration of heavy metals in irrigated soils in Southern Kazakhstan. In: Novel measurement and assessment tools for monitoring and management of land and water resources in agricultural landscapes of Central Asia. Mueller, L., Saparov, A., Lischeid, G. (Eds.). Environmental Science and Engineering. Springer, Cham. pp 641–652.
13. Pachikin, K., Erokhina, O., Funakawa, S., 2014. Soils of Kazakhstan, their distribution and mapping. In: Novel measurement and assessment tools for monitoring and management of land and water resources in agricultural landscapes of Central Asia. Mueller, L., Saparov, A., Lischeid, G. (Eds.). Environmental Science and Engineering. Springer, Cham. pp 519–533.
14. Peel, M.C., Finlayson, B.L., McMahon, T.A., 2007. Updated world map of the Koppen-Geiger Climate classification. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 11(5): 1633–1644.
15. Pilifosova, O.V., Eserkepova, I.B., Dolgih, S.A., 1997. Regional climate change scenarios under global warming in Kazakhstan. Climatic Change 36: 23–40.
16. Salnikov, V., Turulina, G., Polyakova, S., Petrova, Y., Skakova, A., 2015 Climate change in Kazakhstan during the past 70 years. Quaternary International 358: 77–82.
17. Saparov, A., 2014. Soil resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan: Current status, problems and solutions. In: Novel measurement and assessment tools for monitoring and management of land and water resources in agricultural landscapes of Central Asia. Mueller, L., Saparov, A., Lischeid, G. (Eds.). Environmental Science and Engineering. Springer, Cham. pp 61–73.
18. Singh, A.N., Dwivedi, R.S., 1989. Delineation of salt-affected soils through digital analysis of Landsat MSS data. International Journal of Remote Sensing 10(1): 83-92.
19. Smanov, Z.M. Laiskhanov, S.U., Poshanov, M.N., Abikbayev, Y.R., Duisekov, S.N., Tulegenov, Y.A., 2023. Mapping of cornfield soil salinity in arid and semi-arid regions. Journal of Ecological Engineering 24(1): 146–158.
20. Suska-Malawska, M., Sulwiński, M., Wilk, M., Otarov, A., Metrak, M., 2019. Potential eolian dust contribution to accumulation of selected heavy metals and rare earth elements in the aboveground biomass of Tamarix spp. from saline soils in Kazakhstan. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 191: 57.
21. Suska-Malawska, M., Vyrakhamanova, A., Ibraeva, M., Poshanov, M., Sulwiński, M., Toderich, K., Metrak, M., 2022. Spatial and in-depth distribution of soil salinity and heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cd, Ni, Cu) in arable irrigated soils in Southern Kazakhstan. Agronomy 12: 1207.
22. USDA, 2012. Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils. Version 3.0. National Soil Survey Center, Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). 298p. Available at [Access date: 12.11.2022]: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/field-book.pdf
23. USDA, 2014. Soil Survey Field and Laboratory Methods Manual. Soil Survey Investigations Report No. 51, Version 2. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service, Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory. 457p. Available at [Access date: 12.11.2022]: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2023-01/SSIR51.pdf
24. USDA, 2015. Illustrated Guide to Soil Taxonomy. Version 2.0. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service. 680p. Available at [Access date: 12.11.2022]: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-06/Illustrated_Guide_to_Soil_Taxonomy.pdf
25. USDA, 2017. Soil Survey Manual. United States Department of Agriculture Handbook No. 18. 603p. Available at [Access date: 12.11.2022]: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/The-Soil-Survey-Manual.pdf
26. USDA, 2022. Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory Methods Manual. Soil Survey Investigations Report No. 42, Version 6.0. Part 1: Current Methods. Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory, National Soil Survey Center, Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). 796p. Available at [Access date: 12.11.2022]: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/SSIR42-v6-pt1.pdf
27. USDA, 2022. Keys to Soil Taxonomy. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service, USA. 402p. Available at [Access date: 12.11.2022]: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/Keys-to-Soil-Taxonomy.pdf
28. Yertayeva, Z. , Kızılkaya, R., Kaldybayev, S., Seitkali, N., Abdraimova, N., Zhamangarayeva, A., 2019. Changes in biological soil quality indicators under saline soil condition after amelioration with alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivation in meadow Solonchak. Eurasian Journal of Soil Science 8 (3): 189-195.
29. Zhang, W., Ma, L., Abuduwaili, J., Ge, Y., Issanova, G., Saparov, G., 2019. Hydrochemical characteristics and irrigation suitability of surface water in the Syr Darya River, Kazakhstan. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 191: 572.