Soil organic carbon stock retrieval from Sentinel-2A using a hybrid approach.

Digital soil maps find application in numerous fields, making their accuracy a crucial factor. Mapping soil properties in homogeneous landscapes where the soil surface is concealed, as in forests, presents a complex challenge. In this study, we evaluated the spatial distribution of soil organic carbon stocks (SOCstock) under forest vegetation using three methods: regression kriging (RK), random forest (RF), and RF combined with ordinary kriging of residuals (RFOK) in combination with Sentinel-2A satellite data. We also compared their accuracies and identified key influencing factors. We determined that SOCstock ranged from 0.6 to 10.9 kg/m2 with an average value of 4.9 kg/m2. Among the modelling approaches, we found that the RFOK exhibited the highest accuracy (RMSE = 1.58 kg/m2, NSE = 0.33), while the RK demonstrated a lack of spatial correlation of residuals, rendering this method inapplicable. An analysis of variable importance revealed that the SWIR B12 band of the Sentinel-2A satellite contributed the most to RFOK predictions. We concluded that the RFOK hybrid approach outperformed the others, potentially serving as a foundation for digital soil mapping under similar environmental conditions. Therefore, it is essential to consider spatial correlations when mapping soil properties in ecosystems that are inaccessible for capturing the spectral response of the soil surface.

Navigating Agricultural Expansion in Harsh Conditions in Russia: Balancing Development with Insect Protection in the Era of Pesticides.

As the world's population continues to increase, ensuring food security becomes a major problem. This often leads to the expansion of agricultural production, even in harsh conditions and becomes a key problem for many countries, including Russia. However, such expansion may entail certain costs, including the potential loss of insect populations, which are vital for ecological balance and agricultural productivity. The development of fallow lands in these regions is necessary to increase food production and increase food security; it is important to balance this with protection from harmful insects and sustainable farming methods. Research into the effects of insecticides on insects is an ongoing challenge, and new, sustainable farming methods are needed to ensure that protection from harmful insects and sustainable development can coexist. This article discusses the use of pesticides to protect the well-being of mankind, the problems of studying the effects of pesticides on insects and the vulnerability of insects to pesticides in regions with harsh conditions. It also discusses successful methods of sustainable agriculture and the importance of the legal framework governing the use of pesticides. The article emphasises the importance of balanced development with insect protection to ensure the sustainability of agricultural expansion in harsh conditions.

Influence of Mineralized Water Sources on the Properties of Calcisol and Yield of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

The use of conservation agriculture (SWC-soil and water conservation) technologies is now becoming more and more necessary. For the soils in arid ecosystems, the problem of irrigation deficiencies has always been relevant, and clean fresh water is always insufficient to irrigate these agricultural lands. This paper provides a brief historical overview of the use of mineralized water sources in agriculture and their impacts on soils and plants (Triticum aestivum L.). The experiment involving wheat cultivation in saline soils irrigated with mineralized water was set for 3 years. The main chemical and physical-chemical properties of the agro-transformed solonchaks and mineralized water sources were investigated. According to the contents of mobile forms of N, P, and K, the soils were poorly supplied; after a series of irrigation phases, they remained the same. There were signs of the growth of mobile phosphorus in the variants where mineralized water sources were applied. Our results showed that under conditions of irrigation with water sources with mineralization rates of up to 2.8-3.5 g/L, the wheat yield increased by 1.5 c/ha compared to the control. The use of mineralized water for irrigation purposes will reduce the use of clean river water.