RESOURCE-SAVING BASIS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE IN THE SARATOV REGION
The paper states that irrigation should be regarded as one of the conditions of agricultural development in the Saratov region that guarantees a consistently high crop yields. Development of irrigation on the basis of resource conservation implies conducting research on the extent of transformation of irrigated soils and developing activities for the timely elimination of possible negative consequences. The authors prove that it is necessary to develop rational differential irrigation regimes to reflect the changes of soil moisture and temperature indicators and conditions of the growing season, to determine the optimal percentage of cultivated perennial grasses, which can solve the problem of restoring the lost soil fertility.