AGROECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF AGRICULTURAL LAND USE AND MEASURES FOR ITS PROTECTION
The article presents a comprehensive agroecological study of the state of dry-steppe landscapes of the Derbent region. It is shown that in the dry zone of the Derbent region, the agroecological state of land depends on geological and geomorphological features and bioclimatic potential. The complex of measures for the protection of agricultural land is complicated by the dependence on the agroecological state of natural and anthropogenic factors that affect the stability of agricultural landscapes and the level of agricultural production. Based on the agroecological assessment of chestnut soils in the agricultural landscapes of the Derbent district, the following sets of measures have been developed to preserve geosystems. The first complex optimizes agricultural landscapes; the main activity of this complex is the creation of a system of protective forest plantations. In addition, on flat alluvial sandy loam plains and slopes of loess plateaus, other phytomeliorative techniques can be used: leaving straw residues (mulch); occupied and sideral pairs; tilling; soil-protective crop rotations with band placement of field crops, annual (legumes) and perennial grasses. The second complex is a system of using a specific agroecological type of land, confined to the microlandscape of a certain range of heights, with the same type of modern landscape genesis (flat watershed territories, watershed slopes, slopes of the hydrographic network). The organization of the use of different types of land differentiated in this way takes into account their natural features and includes agrotechnical, forest-reclamation, organizational and economic measures for improving and protecting land.