Hydrophysical aspects of soil assessment in melioration

Efficient planning of the improvement of soil hydrophysical properties in reclamation requires a prior assessment of soil quality to determine weak points and the vector of complex impacts on soil. The water retention curve and the function of moisture conductivity have a decisive impact on moisture movement in the soil. However, neither WRC nor the function of hydraulic conductivity alone gives a full picture showing moisture supply of plants. Therefore, the function, which is their product, is of particular interest for reclamation purposes. The analytical study of this function allows determining the moisture values related to the transitions from one state to another (the plant wilting moisture, the moisture of the "ripeness" of the soil, etc.) on the bases of laws of Physics. Such types of land clearance operations as sanding, claying as well as breaking up and puddling of soil can be assessed quantitatively applying the above function. The analytical foundation of the fact that less puddled soil reaches a certain level of water holding at higher moisture than more puddled soil has been given. Puddled soil either does not reach such a level or reaches it at lower moisture. The considered function allows estimating the results of increasing the specific surface of soils due to the application of ameliorants. The results of tripolite application in black soil and gray forest soil were received.