Moldova - The Typical Crernozem Soils of the Balti Steppe

The property comprises five long-term field experiments on Typical Chernozem soil on the Balti Steppe of Moldova. The area is n hectares within the total area of n2 hectares of the Selectia Research Institute of field crops, which provides a buffer zone. The chernozem is the best arable soil in the world and, historically, the breadbasket of Europe and North America.. The chernozem of the Balti steppe is closely associated with the foundation of soil science by V.V. Dokuchaev in the late 19th century; he described the soil of this locality as "first class" and typical in its great thickness, structure and stock of humus. During the last century and a half, under increasingly industrial farming, chernozem soils have undergone profound but largely un-noticed changes that threaten the stability of the whole agro-ecosystem. Long-term field experiments monitor and evaluate the impact of different agricultural practices (crop rotations, monoculture, and different systems of tillage, fertilization, and irrigation) on crop yields and soil fertility. The accumulated data from the experiments at Baiti demonstrate the negative influence of human activities on the productivity and ecological functionality of chernozem and, also, ways in which this functionality and fertility may be restored.