The analysis of the current state of agricultural land reclamation in Russia is carried out. It is noted that over the past 20 years, more than 85% of reclaimed lands are degraded; the intensity of degradation has increased almost 2 times compared to the previous 20 years. This was due to the lack of a systematic analysis of the cause-and-effect relationships of the concept of «LAND» as a natural object and natural resource, which includes a number of interacting and interdependent components, such as atmosphere, biota, soil, surface and groundwater. Ways to improve the efficiency of agricultural land reclamation are proposed and substantiated, based on the rational use of the natural resource potential of the territories and the elimination of contradictions between the agricultural use of the lands and the environment protection. The proposed approaches make it possible to remove the main contradictions between agriculture, land reclamation and environment protection.

The article presents the automated information and communication system (AICS) for the Non-Chernozem zone of the Russian Federation. The system allows you to quickly receive information about the external and internal parameters of the system and, with the help of the user, respond to changes occurring in the agroecosystem and assess its energy state and productivity. The purpose of automation is related to the necessity to intensify the use of agricultural lands in the Non-Chernozem Zone, including the involvement of unused lands in circulation, the development of innovative and adaptive technologies for increasing crop yields, soil fertility and improving the potential of agricultural production. While creating AICS QGIS was used as a user-friendly geographic information system (GIS) and Microsoft Excel tables, which provides the possibility of replenishment, storage and process initial data and assess the actual and potential productivity of farmland, make solutions on the selection of the appropriate reclamation and agro technical measures to increase crop yields and soil fertility and also the sustainability of agricultural land use. The system was tested on a specific agricultural facility located in «Vesely Agronom LLC», Moscow Region. The use of the automated system has shown that the soil of the object under consideration has agrochemical indicators above the average for the Moscow region and the actual productivity is 2.19 against 1.57 tons of grain units per hectare on average for the region, however, with accurate regulation of agrochemical parameters, it allows to increase the production potential up to 3.45 tons of grain units per hectare.

The problem of building a fertility management system for reclaimed lands is considered and it is stated that a possible cause of failures in increasing fertility is not only the incomplete formulation of the concept of fertility in the laws, but also the lack of effective tools for assessing organic matter in the soil. Possibilities and some experiments on the use of an X-ray microscope to assess soil organic matter are being considered. Methodological issues of preparing samples for research are discussed, and the possibility of determining the biomass of the soil biotic community based on the results of fluoroscopy of the soil sample is established. Analysis of X-ray images of peat soils showed the possibility of determining in the sample organic matter (48%), water (30%), air (20%), mineral particles less than 2%. It became possible to see and analyze the volume of the rhizosphere of the root of the plant, the space in which the main processes of preparing the nutrient «substrate» for the plant with soil biota take place. Given that the X-ray radiation of this microscope does not damage living tissues, presumably, it is possible to observe the dynamics of changes in the rhizosphere, thus visualizing the processes of change in actual fertility over time. The prospects for using this methodology for reclamation studies related to the management of the fertility of reclaimed lands within the framework of the concept of development of accurate reclamation regulation of environmental factors, the scope of which includes not only the plant, but also the soil biota, were discussed. It is assumed that the considered methodology can be used to manage (minimize) the «carbon footprint»” in land reclamation.

The article deals with the issues of watering of pastures by desalination of mineralized drainage-discharge and groundwater for drinking water supply purposes. The methods of improving technological schemes for the utilization of brines after desalination in order to reduce its volume and obtain commercial salts are presented. The specific capital costs for the reverse osmosis installation option is Ks = 1202 rubles/m³. Despite the higher specific indicators, the most acceptable option is the use of a mobile reverse osmosis plant for desalination of water and drinking water supply of summer pastures. In this case, the volume of drinking water for shepherd brigades is desalinated by alternately bypassing watering points and desalination on a mobile desalination plant. Tests of the reverse osmotic apparatus on natural groundwater of the sulfate-chloride-sodium and sulfate-carbonate-sodium type have shown a fairly reliable and stable desalination regime, with a change in pressure and the ratio of permeate and concentrate volumes at different concentrations of the source water. With an increase in the mineralization of the source water from 3.5 to 7 g/l and a corresponding increase in pressure, the mineralization of permeate is within acceptable limits (up to 1 g/l), and the volume of desalinated water decreases by 2-5% over time (the limit value is 15%). The application of the proposed technological scheme will make it possible to provide good-quality drinking water to shepherd brigades on summer pastures and dispose of the brines obtained during desalination without allowing environmental pollution. It can also be used in the organization of mass transportation of animals along cattle tracks to seasonal summer distant pastures, and in other arid zones of Kazakhstan.

Moisture conditions required by crops are created with the help of irrigationin the soil. However, there is a number of negative consequences of irrigation. One of them is soil formation conditions changing which can decrease soil fertility. It is necessary to consider soil heterogeneity and stochastic weather conditions, while irrigation substantiation. Therefore, a quantitative irrigationsubstantiation taking into account landscape: macro, meso and micro (precise land reclamation) is required. Irrigation substantiation is based on a comparison of plant requirements for soil moisture and environmental conditions (actual soil moisture). On the base of the above comparison a probability of irrigation necessityisdetermined. Irrigation necessity depends on soil heterogeneity. The purpose of the work is to determine the function, which makes it easier to calculate the probability irrigation necessity depending on the parameters of soil heterogeneity to provide zoning soil taking into account different sizes of agricultural land sites. The function makes it possible to determine the irrigation probabilities depending on the average annual moisture of soil. The function is a linear dependence in the range of wilting moisture of plants up to the full moisture capacity.

The purpose of study is to develop a method for determining the number of droppers required for drip irrigation of each tree in the garden and to evaluate their location patterns in the fruit crop feeding zone. The following criteria were adopted: the share of irrigated area from the feeding one should meet the needs of the cultivated crop, the number of droppers should be determined for each tree in the garden, the distance between the drip droppers and the tree trunk should be at least 0.2 m. As a result of the research, a multifactorial dependence was proposed to determine the required number of droppers, which takes into account the crop types, climatic conditions, crop planting pattern parameters, the required depth of soil moisture and the soil characteristics of the garden plot. Using the proposed method, the drip irrigation module parameters were calculated for three options of an apple garden planting 4.0 х 1.5 m, 4.0 х 2.0 m and 5.0 х 3.0 m on light, medium and heavy soils according to their mechanical composition. As a result of the calculation, it was found that in the considered combinations of soil conditions and crop planting patterns, from 2 to 12 droppers would be required for each tree. According to the results of the calculation, it can be stated that under the considered conditions, a single-line irrigation module cannot form a humidification zone, which horizontal projection area corresponds to the needs of apple gardens. In eight of the nine combinations considered, the use of a double-line irrigation module is preferable. It should also be noted that on light soils, with the maximum of the considered feeding area (planting pattern 5.0 х 3.0 m), a two-line irrigation module cannot form a moistening zone with the required area in the soil space. In this case, it is necessary to use irrigation modules that provide for the use of special irrigation devices or the droppers location on branches from the main pipeline.

The aim of the study is to characterize the degree of continentality of the climate and negative climatic phenomena, including droughts, dry winds, dust storms and frosts in the natural-agricultural mountainous regions of the Sana’a basin. The obtained data, along with the assessment of thermal and light resources, made it possible to determine the specialization of production, the productivity of agricultural crops, the general biological productivity of rainfed agriculture at a certain level of agricultural production, especially agro technical, water, chemical, anti-erosion reclamations, the volume and quality of agricultural products obtained, production costs.

The purpose of the research is to analyze the influence of the flow kinematic structure on the measuring accuracy of the water flow through the flat sluice gate in the open channel. For the simulation and analysis of the flow through the sluice gate, the DisCo4 software-computer complex developed by the author was used based on the numerical solution of the system of equations (RANS) and continuity by the finite volume method in the three-dimensional formulation. It was found that installation of the sluice gate on the thin transverse wall can significantly reduce the effect of the channel bottom roughness on the water flow through the gate. The analytical formula for discharge through the flat sluice gate of the considered structure is proposed. Regardless of the channel roughness, the scatter of calculated discharges in the range of ratios of the height of the hole to the depth relative to the lower edge of the hole H_g /Н < 0.3 is no more than 3%.

The results of laboratory studies of water intake structures of engineering-ecological type with devices that prevent fish from entering the water intake windows are presented. When they work in the water intake zone, optimal hydraulic conditions are created that contribute to the guaranteed fish diversion. Three versions of the protective device were studied: single heads of cylindrical and bull types, as well as a structure with a series of five bull-type heads installed obliquely in the direction of the flow. Studies of the influence of the hydraulic structure and hydrodynamic characteristics of the flow on the entry of fish into the water intake were carried out in a mirror tray with a change in the water intake in the range of 17.52 l/s. The experiments involved juveniles of different breeds with a size of 35.45 mm. The kinematics turned out to be partly expected: with an increase in water withdrawal, the degree of flow concentration increased. Experiments have shown that when installing a series of water intake heads, the possibility of fish getting into the zone of water intake windows increases compared with the installation of single heads. When placing single heads, the maximum negative velocities in the zone of the water intake window and the distance at which they are observed behind the bull head are significantly higher. As a result of the analysis of hydro biological studies, it was found that the capaability of fish to leave the zone of influence of water intake decreases sharply with an increase in the amount of water withdrawal (outcome III). With a single cylindrical head, the intensity of pressure pulsation is approximately by 18% greater than with a bull head. A series of water intake heads arranged obliquely in a checkered order has higher fish protection properties.

The calculation of concrete curing modes and the development of mathematical models are greatly influenced by the temperature field in the concrete of channel linings. The problem is reduced to solving a nonlinear heat equation that takes into account the exothermic heat release of concrete and the phase transformation of moisture, and time-varying boundary conditions that allow taking into account the impact on concrete of the external environment during laying and maintenance. Variable thermophysical coefficients make it possible to take into account the inhomogeneity of the medium (in the case of laying concrete on the ground) and the change in the aggregate state of the substance when the phase transformation temperature is reached. Since it is impossible to obtain an analytical solution in a general form, a numerical solution method is used, based on a combination of a finite-difference solution with a method for calculating heat release and concrete strength from the corresponding fields of isothermal curves obtained experimentally. When constructing a difference scheme, an integro-interpolation method (balance method) is used, based on the law of conservation of heat. For an extended body of sufficiently large dimensions, the process of heat transfer in it is assumed to be linear, and the coordinate system with the center is taken to be on the axis of the body. The presented mathematical model of thermal processes in the “concrete-soil” system makes it possible to predict the modes of holding monolithic concrete to achieve the necessary technological requirements, as well as to apply the most economical modes.

The issues of the expediency of further operation of the hydraulic structure, both as part of the irrigation and reclamation complex, and in case of loss of economic purpose, are considered. The situations in which the facility operation may be inappropriate are listed. It has been established that in a number of cases the loss of economic purpose and the unsatisfactory level of safety cannot serve as a basis for the liquidation of the structure. A pond or the reservoir located in the HTS upstream and, for various reasons, not being part of the reclamation complex, during operation become an element of the local ecological system, the violation of which may be undesirable. Such structures play the role of a fire-fighting reservoir, both in settlements and in a fire hazardous area, become an object of recreation, etc. In this case, we are talking about the reprofiling of an artificial water body. The final solution of the problem, as a rule, requires a preliminary analysis of justifying materials, including technical, economic and environmental studies, as well as taking into account the social requirements of the local population. Examples of decisions on conservation / liquidation or reasons for the further operation of hydraulic structures are given. The examples are taken from the works of the Department of hydraulic engineering and hydraulics and laboratory of the HTS safety of the irrigation complex of VNIIGiM named after A.N. Kostyakov, including on declaring the safety of hydraulic structures.

The problem of further development of a statistical model for determining the assessment of the UHI effect (urban heat island) in urban areas containing canyons of various configurations is formulated and solved. A generalized total spatial indicator of the UHI effect is proposed. The functional relationship between the indicators of the proposed generalized. Oki model is investigated. The optimal relationship between the indicators of this model is determined, at which the total spatial index of the thermal island reaches an extremum. Based on the results obtained, a recommendation was developed for the optimal choice of indicators of the Oki model, i.e. the height and width of configurations of urban zones in the form of canyons.

The purpose of this article is to assess the interannual variability of the elements of the water balance of the rivers of the Kaliningrad region for the period 1953-2020 using the example of the Angrapa River. The average annual air temperature and precipitation were determined by the weighted average method for 7 weather stations in the basin. The Ozersk weather station (from Russian points) with the highest correlation coefficient (r = 0,983) was taken as the base station. Data on average annual water consumption were taken from the Angrapa River hydropost in the village of Berestovo. The missing flow values have been restored by analogous rivers. According to the linear trend, there is a decrease in the average annual runoff, by 20 mm over 120 years. For the period under review (1953-2020.), the linear trend of annual precipitation showed an increase of 21 mm, the annual evaporation layer increased by 82 mm. The values of the annual runoff layer, the total evaporation layer and the moisture reserves in the basin synchronously follow the change in the precipitation layer, both in wet and dry periods. Calculations of the basin’s water balance over the past 10 years have shown a tendency to decrease average annual expenditures against the background of increased precipitation and total evaporation.

The purpose of the work is to identify the current state and long-term changes in the hydrochemistry of the Pavlovsky reservoir, which allow further development of programs for its environmental rehabilitation. An analysis of studies of the current state and long-term changes in hydrochemistry (the content of chemical elements in water) of the Pavlovsky reservoir for 10 chemical indicators in 7 sites is presented. The factors that form and change the hydrochemistry of the Pavlovsky reservoir are studied. It was revealed that throughout the reservoir, from its beginning to the upper stream, the content of Sr²⁺, Mn²⁺ and petroleum products in the water decreases; increase - Zn²⁺, Hg²⁺, phenols and organic substances; are evenly distributed -Fe_ttl (Fe²+ + Fe³+), P_ta (according to PO³), Cu²+. A long-term trend of reducing the content of chemical elements in water is noted for Fe, Mn²+, petroleum products, phenols, COD; upward trend - for R_ttP Cu²+, Zn²+, phenols. The relationship between the average annual content of chemical elements in water and the values of average annual imflows has been established. Based on the results obtained, priority ways to improve the hydrochemistry of the Pavlovsky reservoir have been identified.

The purpose of the research was to assess the current technical condition of the main canal of the Sarpinskywater supply-irrigation system, as well as to determine its hydraulic characteristics based on the data of field surveys. As a topographical basis for studying the route of the BP-1 of the main canal of the water supply-irrigation system, an interactive map of the study of the territory of the Russian Federation of the Federal State Budgetary Institution «Rosgeolfond», as well as data from satellite maps, was used. Materials for studying the parameters of irrigation canals and hydraulic structures of the system under consideration were the technical reports of the Sarpinsky branch of the Federal State Budgetary Institution«Kalmmeliovodkhoz» Administration», as well as the passports of the main and inter-farm canals of the BP-1 and «Bypass» system. The technical condition of the canal and hydraulic structures was assessed according to GOST 31937-2011. The hydraulic operating conditions of the main canals in the site of the hydrometric post are characterized by an increased value of the roughness coefficient, which exceeds the standard value for canals with a water flow of no more than 25 cubic meters/s by 1.16 times. The increase in the roughness coefficient is a consequence of siltation of the canal bottom and overgrowth of the canal along the banks, taking into account the long-term period of its operation. With an increase in the flow of water supplied to the canal to normal and maximum values, it is possible to reduce the flow capacity of the canal and increase the normal depth of water in the canal.

The article studies the taxonomic structure of the flora of vascular plants of the Nature Reserve «Kologrivsky les», which is the basis of the ecological framework of the Kostroma region. Fragments of southern taiga spruce forests not affected by forest activity have been preserved in it. Taxonomic analysis is an important stage of flora inventory. Its purpose is to identify the level of species richness of the flora, the diversity of taxa of different ranks and their correlation, that is, the systematic structuring of the flora. Materials on the formation of the floristic list of the Nature Reserve «Kologrivsky les» were obtained during the field research of the authors for the period from 2010 to 2021. Also, when compiling the list of vascular plant species, herbarium materials, preliminary flora inventory data obtained during the design of the reserve, unloading of vascular plants from the Global Biodiversity Information System (GBIF), and literature data were used. The flora of the Nature Reserve «Kologrivsky les»includes 523 species belonging to 265 genera and 79 families. The family spectrum is headed by typical dominants of the boreal floras of Eurasia - the families Poaceae (9.8%), Asteraceae (8.6%), Cyperaceae (8.0%), Rosaceae (4.6%) and Ranunculaceae (4.0%). They are also the most diverse families. The leading genera are Carex (6.7%), Salix (2.9%), Juncus (1.7%), Ranunculus (1.7%), Viola (1.7%). The floras of the Kologrivsky and Manturovsky areas of the reserve, which are remote from each other, have their own specifics, determined by the peculiarities of the soil-climatic, hydrological, and forest conditions.

At the present stage, in the Stavropol Botanical Garden in the collection of medicinal plants, work is underway to study and select an assortment of species suitable for improving the environment. Due to the deterioration of the environmental situation, this area of research is very relevant. From a wide range of medicinal plants, species of the Lamiaceae L. family are of great interest. The purpose of the research is to study the prospects of 18 species of this family when grown in the conditions of the Stavropol upland. The climate is temperate continental, semi-dry, belongs to the zone of unstable humidification of the Stavropol Territory, the altitude above sea level is 640 m. The average annual temperature is +9.7...+11.0°C, the average annual precipitation - 630 mm. The method of research of species includes: description of life forms, regular phenological observations, assessment of winter hardiness, frost resistance, drought resistance, degree of damage by diseases and pests according to the method of R.A. Karpisonova with some modifications. The studied species are represented by such life forms as wintergreen herbaceous perennial, herbaceous biennial, half-shrub, evergreen half-shrub, semifrutex. All plants are resistant to the climatic conditions of the Stavropol upland, including the frosty and dry periods (with the exception of giant-hyssops and horsemint). Most plants are resistant to pests and diseases. The assessment of the prospects of all the studied taxa is high, and is expressed in balls from 17 to 20, the maximum number of balls in species is in spicate lavender, creeping thyme, garden sage. The results of the conducted studies indicate the prospects of the studied species of the Lamiaceae family and allow them to recommend them for cultivation in the conditions of the Stavropol upland.