Agrochemical and Chemical Properties of Soils on the Dried Bottom of the Aral Sea

The article provides data on the chemical and agrochemical properties of soils on the dried bottom of the Aral Sea. The purpose of the study is to study the agrochemical and chemical properties, as well as the reclamation state of the soils of the dried bottom of the Aral Sea. The object of the study was the soils of the southern and eastern parts of the Aral Sea. The southern part of the dry bottom of the Aral Sea was close to the city of Muynak, the eastern part was in the Kuktash area. The agrochemical properties and reclamation state of the soils of the dried bottom of the Aral Sea were studied using generally accepted classical methods. The chemical elemental composition was studied using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) optical emission spectrometry. The data obtained show that in the soils of the dried bottom of the Aral Sea the content of nutrients and organic carbon is very low, and the content of elements that are involved in soil salinization is very high. The soils of the dried up bottom of the Aral Sea, in most cases, have been turned into saline marshes. Of the elements studied, the most abundant (as their quantity decreases) are calcium, aluminum, sodium, potassium, iron, magnesium, strontium, titanium, barium, manganese, and phosphorus. The content of other elements is significantly low. Thus, the agrochemical properties and reclamation state of the soils of the dried bottom of the Aral Sea in the southern and eastern directions are poor and require appropriate measures. In the gross elemental composition, the content of sodium, chlorine, and mineral carbon is high, the content of organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus is low, which negatively affects the reclamation state, humus and nutrient regimes of the soil.