AGRO-ECOLOGICAL ZONING BASED ON SOIL EVALUATION
The research purpose was the identification of soil and climatic factors and definition of their role in crop yields formation as the foundation of agro-ecological zoning the plain area of the Altai Region. The methodology included field research methods, laboratory agrochemical and mathematical validation methods. The archive data of variety testing over the recent fifty years and climate data from open sources of the government agencies were used. Considering the current agricultural production requirements, the need for cadastral valuation of land and justification of land-use taxation, it is most rational to divide the Region into agro-ecological zones taking into account the soil and environmental conditions of yield formation of the most important crops. The foundation of such division is the materials of a quality evaluation of soil fertility related to spring wheat, hay of natural grasslands and maize for silage. Agro-ecological zones of the Region are identified by grouping of existing administrative districts based on soil and climatic evaluation scores of soil properties, the average long-term hydrothermal indices of growing season and crop yields. The proposed zoning of the agricultural area of the Russian Altai is designed for accounting and management of land and climate resources. It may be used to determine the effectiveness of the natural environment for the purpose of objective and science-based location of variety trial network, meteorological observation sites, and calculation of land cadastral value and land taxation. The updated zoning scheme is recommended for use in agricultural production and at land cadastre agencies.