Chemical and Biological Properties of the Eroded Soil in Calcic Chernozem

Analyses of chemical and biological properties of the eroded soil and the soil from the middle part of the slope were performed for four years. On average for the period of study, lower pH values (by 0.24 units), increased electrical conductivity (by 95.35 µS/cm), as well as higher amount of total organic carbon (by 0.13%), with reduced amount of total nitrogen were observed in the eroded soil. Eroded soil contained higher concentrations of available forms of phosphorus and potassium and mineral nitrogen and higher amount of microbial biomass carbon (by 149.38 mg/kg) and permanganate-oxidizable carbon (by 0.06 mg/g on average), as well as lower activity of polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase than the soil from the middle part of the slope. The lower amounts of extractable in sodium pyrophosphate and sodium hydroxide solutions organic carbon and higher amount of insoluble organic fractions (by 0.17%) are measured in the eroded soil in the base of the slope, compared to the soil on the slope. The results point to two simultaneous processes in the eroded soil, accumulated at the lower parts of the field between the hills, such as increased fractions of labile carbon, which is associated with more intensive decomposition of organic matter and greenhouse gases emissions, as well as higher amount of insoluble organic matter, translocated with the surface runoff, which is difficult to degrade and accumulates.