THE SYSTEM OF AGROCHEMICAL INDICES IN THE REGIONAL SOIL CLASSIFICATION OF THE ALTAI REGION
An approach to the substantiation of “central images” of soils of the 21st soil district of the Altai Region based on the agrochemical indices is proposed. Using information-logical, the taxonomic weight of the characters and specific states of agrochemical characters for soil zonal standards have been determined. Based on the information transfer coefficients, it has been proved that the taxonomic weight of the characters depends on the classification principles. The following characters are of the greatest taxonomic weight at the level of type and subtype in the profile-genetic classification of soils of the USSR: total exchangeable bases, humus content, and total nitrogen content, i.e. the characters that reflect the main sod-forming process. In the substantive-genetic soil classification of the Russian Federation, at the level of agrogenic soil type, the taxonomic weight of the characters that reflect the sod-forming process (total absorbed bases, total nitrogen content, and humus content) decreases, while the role of the factor “humus layer thickness” reflecting the degree of erosive degradation increases. Based on the specific states, we have developed the quantitative descriptions of the taxonomic characters of the soils of the 21st soil district of dark-gray forest soils and fertile podzolized chernozems of the Cis-Salair plain according to the following classifications: profile-genetic classification (leached chernozems, podzolized chernozems, gray and dark-gray forest soils) and substantive-genetic classification (agro-dark gray, agro-chernozems clayey-illuvial; agrozems clayey-illuvial and texture-differentiated). The obtained research findings may be used both for diagnosis of soils and monitoring of their current state.