Moisture Regime of Loamy Sandy Soils of Moscow Meshchera Region under the Impact of Different Surface Planning Operations

Abstract

Regularities of the moisture regime of soddy-podzolic soils in Moscow Meshchera region under the impact of different surface planning operations were studied in the recreational zone. Soil moisture was determined in the samples taken with an auger. Data on the dynamics of soil moisture in 2014–2016 under different surface conditions—natural and artificial covers (backfill, mulching materials, and paving elements)— were obtained. A reliable (at the level of significance α = 0.05) increase in the soil water content in the 1-m-deep layer was observed on average for all years of research in three experimental variants: a “dry creek” cover with a possible additional inflow of water, mulching of a flat soil surface with shell rock, and mulching with pine needles. The increase in the soil water reserves on these plots reached 31.4, 22.5, and 19.4% in comparison with the control, where the average soil water reserves did not exceed 112 mm of the water layer and were close to the water content at 0.7 of the field water capacity (108 mm of the water layer). In comparison with the control, the unsealed areas of the soil within the rockery and within the paved surface were characterized by the decrease in the water storage by 4.0 and 11.2–30.7% during relatively wet and dry years, respectively. In wet years, this difference was statistically insignificant; in dry years, it was significant. The analysis of chronoisopleths of soil moisture attested to differentiation of the studied variants according to the degree of moistening of the soil profiles.