Authors : Vladimir Astafyev, Pavel Ivanchenko and Vladimir Kirkilevskiy
Abstract: The main limiting factor for increasing yields in the conditions of the arid steppe of Northern Kazakhstan is moisture. The accumulation of moisture during Winter precipitation for plants in arid conditions in the initial stage of the growing season was a serious production problem. For 3 years of field experiments, we assessed various methods of accumulating moisture during Winter precipitation. Research methods included analysis, technical and economic calculations, experimental studies. Analysis of various methods of snow accumulation made it possible to establish that seeding coulisses on fallow, establishing herbicidal fallow, snow ridging requires a significant funds for implementation. Among analyzed methods, continuous combing or formation of stubble coulisses are more preferable. Studies of snow accumulation on stubble coulisses, continuous combingand ordinary stubble showed that the density of snow between the coulissesis 9-29% higher than the density in the coulisses and the density of snow between the coulissesis 25-63% higher than the density in the stubble or continuous combing. The explanation of this phenomenon was the hypothesis that the dispersal of snow blizzards occurred between the coulisses due to this, snow blocked this space with high density. Field experiments indicated an intensive decrease in the depth of snow with increasing distance between the coulisses. Experimental studies have established that the following parameters were rational for the stubble coulisses: distance between the coulisses 6-18 m, the width of coulisses 1.5-2 m. Field experiments showed that the water reserves in snow of the stubble coulisses with rational parameters of 25.8-32.2 mm are higher thanin the continuous combing and for 68.0-99.3 mm higher than the stubble. The results obtained were explained by the established regularities of changes in snow density and depth in the stubble coulisses and in other methods.
Vladimir Astafyev, Pavel Ivanchenko and Vladimir Kirkilevskiy, 2017. Effectiveness Assessment of Methods for Moisture Accumulation During Winter Precipitation in the Arid Steppe of Northern Kazakhstan. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 12: 6821-6828.