Characterization of demonstration site including soil, climate conditions and crop yield

Abstract

Characterization of demonstration site including soil, climate conditions

Soil The soils are sirozem, gray-brown, brown desert, takyr-like, and in the irrigated area -meadow-marshy, mostly saline with salt amount of 33 to 325 t ha-1 in 2 m layer and humus content of 0.609 to 1.156 % in the cultivated layer. The soil of experimental site is rather dense with the bulk density fluctuating between 1.4 and 1.6 g cm3. The highest bulk density was noted in the depth of 20-40 cm. All soil parameters were analysed by the method developed in Uzbek Research Institute of Cotton (UzRIC, 1973). Over the past 12 years, more than 50% of fields in the whole Qorao’zak district have been ranked as low to very low in P2O5, K2O and humus content.

Climate Qorao’zak's climate is classified as severe continental with hot summers and cool winters. Summer temperatures are often surpass 45°C; winter temperature in January on average is about -8°C, with absolute minimum as low as -40°C. According to the data of the Karakalpak Research Institute of Crop and Land Management (KRICLM) located in Qorao’zak, the annual long-term precipitation is 110 mm, distributed as 18mm in fall (September- November), 60 mm in winter (December-March), 24 mm in spring (April-May) and 8 mm in summer (June-August).