Comparative assessment of the actual and potential productivity of agricultural lands with poorly leached chernozems in the municipality of Kaynardja, Silistra region

Ivelina Radovanova

Abstract: On sites with weakly leached chernozems located in the agro-ecological conditions of the municipality of Kaynardzha, Silistra region, the soil fertility and the productivity of agricultural lands were assessed in two ways: 1. Through the routinely used in Bulgaria “Methodology for work on the cadaster of agricultural lands in NRB” (Petrov et al., 1988.) and 2. Through a newly developed methodology “Modern approaches for potential assessment (Land evaluation and categorization) of agricultural lands in Bulgaria” (Radovanova, 2020). The results showed the following: In the current evaluation, the average agronomic score of the lands subject to research under non-irrigated conditions is 69, and under irrigated conditions 86, i.e. this classifies land use suitability in the 4th and 2nd categories respectively. The obtained average agronomic scores at the potential assessment of 72 and 90 under non-irrigated and irrigated conditions, respectively, classify the suitability of these lands into the 3rd category (non-irrigated) and the 1st category (irrigated).
The critical comparison of the results leads to the conclusion that even for lands with some of the most fertile Bulgarian soils, the current assessment does not reveal their full production potential. For practice, both assessments should be performed simultaneously. This would most accurately orient manufacturers for the type of technological solutions and the size of the necessary investments.

Keywords: bonitation; current assessment; potential assessment of agricultural land; potential classification by suitability for land use

DOI: https://doi.org/10.61308/BXLA3227

Date published: 2023-09-28