Study of thickness of humus profiles of gray forest and chernozem soils of different terms of agricultural use in landscape shrubs of the central forest-steppe

The article presents the results of a field study of the thickness of the humus profiles of gray forest soils and podzolized chernozems of dif-ferent terms of agricultural use of soil catens of broad-leaved-forest (background) and meadow-steppe areas of the Belgorod region. The work was carried out in the spring and summer period 2018-2019. The objects of the study were different-aged arable plots with the age of agricultural development of 100 and 160 years, respectively. The steepness of the surface on the plots did not exceed 5-60. It is established that the thickness of humus profile under the influence of agricultural cultivation during 60 years has decreased by 49 cm, at that on the slopes of northern exposition this index is more expressed (33 cm) than on the slopes of southern exposition (16 cm). It is possible, to note, that with increase of age of agricultural use on slopes of northern and southern expositions the greatest thickness of humus horizon is observed on anomalous soils (72 and 65 sm accordingly). Within the background catens the soil cover is homogeneous, the second humus horizon was observed in each of the studied transects