Russia Develops Three-Tier Method for Detecting Soil Degradation
The method can identify problems at their earliest stages.
Scientists at the Federal Scientific Center for Agroecology, Integrated Land Reclamation, and Protective Afforestation of the Russian Academy of Sciences have developed a three-tier method for diagnosing soil degradation. It combines Earth observation data, an information and analytical system, and analysis of information collected in the field and in laboratories. This approach makes it possible to detect degradation processes at their earliest stages, much faster than conventional research methods.
The new model has already been tested at a farm in Russia’s Volgograd Region. The assessment identified at-risk areas and enabled the researchers to give landowners specific recommendations on where action was needed and what measures to take, including applying fertilizer or leaving fields fallow to allow the soil to recover.
