Scientists from Altai State University are working on a project to develop and implement innovative technologies for steppe land use in Altai Krai
Botanists of Altai State University continue to work within the framework of the project "Development and implementation of innovative technologies of steppe land use for the conservation, restoration and effective use of the landscape and biological diversity of steppe farmlands," included in Priority 2030 program of the strategic project "Agromodels, unique biodiversity, natural and ecological frame of Altai Krai.
Together with colleagues from the Institute of Steppe of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Orenburg), an assessment is being made of the biopotential possibility and technology of cultivation of the used varieties and crops in the steppe and forest-steppe zones of Altai Krai using the example of model farms. In June, a joint expedition took place with Professor Yu.A. Gulyanov. They monitored agrocenoses of farms-partners of the project OOO "Zolotaya Osen" and SPK "Znamya Rodiny" and selected reference crops for further work.
One of the key objectives of the project is to identify the algorithm and technology of differentiated sowing and fertilization in the region. In the spring of 2023, task maps were prepared for differentiated fertilization and sowing on experimental fields on two farms in Altai Krai using different tillage systems (classic moldboard plowing and No-till system). This large-scale task is being solved jointly with the Department of Agricultural Engineering and Technology of the Altai State Agricultural University under the guidance of Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Vladimir Belyaev:
“As the results of our field experiments last year show, the use of this technology can significantly increase the efficiency of using the agro-climatic potential of field areas with different levels of natural fertility in the cultivation of crops.”
“Productivity and water content maps built according to vegetation indices, created on the basis of the decision tree classification for precision farming tasks - local fertilization, crop rotation planning and agrotechnical measures - is a new direction in the development of agribusiness in the region. This year, we continue to test the developed algorithm for differentiating both individual fields and within the farm of all agrocenoses. Conducting a multispectral survey of agrocenoses and assessing the quality of crop seedlings using RGB images will reinforce our efforts in this direction. Flights of unmanned aerial vehicles have already been completed, aerial photography of agricultural fields with a high resolution of up to 0.5 cm has been carried out, and we have begun processing, deciphering the data obtained and preparing thematic layers in volume,” says Natalia Ovcharova, an associate professor of the Department of Botany of Altai State University, head of scientific work.
Students of the Department of Botany of the Institute of Biology and Biotechnology participated in the work. During the summer field practice, they took phytomass from reference plots for verification with satellite images and determined the weediness of the fields and the composition of the soil seed bank. Students and staff of the ASAU measured moisture reserves in the soil, determined the quality of seedlings and their development, the content of nutrients in the fields, and will assess the structure of the crop and the effectiveness of the use of differentiated sowing and fertilization.
“All the work performed by us and our colleagues within the framework of the project works for one goal - the development and implementation of innovative technologies for steppe land use, ensuring the productivity of farmland corresponding to biopotential with the conservation and restoration of the landscape and biological diversity of Altai Krai,” summed up the project manager, head of the Department of Botany of Altai State University, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor Marina Silantyeva.