The Leaders of the Subdivision

Krasekha Erophey Nikiforovitch – the Supervisor, ScD in Geography, the Professor

Scientific staff

Staff, post-graduate students and students of the Department of Geography of Ukraine, Soil Science and Land Cadaster take part in the implementation of investigations and research work:

• Bilanchin Yaroslav Mikhajlovich,  the Head of the Department of Geography of Ukraine, Soil Science and Lands Cadaster, PhD in Geography, the Associate Professor;
• Tortik Nikolay Iosipovich, PhD in Geography, the Associate Professor;
• Trigub Valentina Ivanivna, PhD in Geography, the Associate Professor;
• Bunovs’kiy Andriy Olexandrovich, PhD in Geography, the Associate Professor;
• Adabovs’ka Maria Volodimiryvna, the Lecture;
• Popel’nits’ka Natalya Olexandrivna, the  Heading Specialist;
• Goshurenko Lyudmila Mihajlovna, the First Categories Expert;
• Jaremenko Mikola Sergyiovich, the First Categories Specialist. 

The historical information: 

A research laboratory was established in 1971 in accordance with the Resolution of the State Committee for Science and Technology of the USSR No. 2 of 12.01.1971 and the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR No. 61 of February 5, 1971.

Gogolev Ivan Mikolaiovich was the establisher of laboratory and its scientific leader from 1971 to his death in 1996. He was a famous scientist, ScD in Agricultural sciences and the Professor. The head masters of the laboratory were E. Krasekha, Ya. Bilanchin, B. Turus, G. Sukhorukova. O. Tsurkan is a head master in present days.

The scientific school "Soil-Formative Processes in Chernozems of the Steppe Zone" has been formed during the years of laboratory existence and is operating now. 

Research is conducted in the following directions: 

• Soil mapping and land use ecology.
• Study of the influence of irrigation on chernozems, the regularity of development and processes’ and regimes’ directions in chernozems which are withdrawn from irrigated areas and from areas with a reduced level of intensity of irrigation under current conditions.
• Technologies of rational use of soils, their conservation and increase of fertility.
• Study of problems of assessing the condition of soils and lands, land cadaster, optimizing land use and protecting soils.

Materials of long standing soil-geographical studies are summarized in monographs:

Krasekha, V. Korsunov, Z. Vedrova (1988) “Soils covering of Siberian taiga landscapes”

Krasekha, V. Korsunov (1990) “Spatial setup of soils covering”

Krasekha, V. Korsunov, B. Paldyn (2002) “Methodology of soil ecological and geographical research and soil cartography”

Poznyak, E. Krasekha,  M. Kyt (2003) “Soils cartography”

Ya. Bilanchin,  P. Zhantalay, M. Tortik, A. Bunovs’kiy, I. Sviders’ka (2008) “Zmiyiniy island. Abiotic characteristics”

Poznyak, V. Trigub (2009) “The Professor Ivan Gogolev”

Korsunov,  E. Krasekha (2010) “Pedosphere of Earth”

Cherkez, Ya. Bilanchin, E. Krasekha et. (2010) “Science about Earth in Odessa (Novorosiys’kiy) University”

Krasekha, Ya. Bilanchin (2016) “Chernozems of irrigated areas in Odessa region”

Leonidova, Ya. Bilanchin (2017) “Geography-genetic features of soil formation on Zmiyiniy island”

In 1991-1995, the staff of the Department of Soil Science and Soil Geography and the Laboratory established the network of stationary sections of long-term (up to 100 years) soil-ecological monitoring on the irrigation areas of the Odessa region. The network of monitoring sections is currently operating in an experimental production mode, systematic monitoring of soil condition parameters of irrigation arrays and assessment of the trend of their changes under irrigation conditions and the subsequent post-irrigation evolution period are carried out.
Based on the results of soil-monitoring studies, an information database "Soil Fertility in the South of Ukraine" has been formed. Information about soil organic carbon (98 points) was transferred and used to building the first edition of the "National digital raster map of the content and concentration of soil organic carbon in the soils of Ukraine for a 0-30 cm layer using a 1 x 1 km grid map" as a component of  "GLOBAL MAP OF SOIL ORGANIC CARBON".

The network of stationary areas of the soil-ecological monitoring

Since 2003, the staff of the Department of Geography of Ukraine, Soil Science and Land Cadaster and the Laboratory have been carrying out study and mapping soils on the Zmiyiniy Island within the framework of a comprehensive study of the island's unique ecosystem.

In 2011-2012 the study of the influence of the drop irrigation method on chernozems and the landscape-ecological situation in the irrigation zone of the south of Ukraine has begun.

Main scientific developments:

1. Methodology of soil-ecological monitoring and indicating of the ameliorative state of irrigation soils in the South of Ukraine in conditions of watering with water of different irrigation quality.
2. Use of wastewater from cities of the Black Sea region for irrigation with the purpose of their utilization and protection of the environment.
3. Assessment of the current agro-ameliorative state of soils and lands of irrigation arrays.
4. The system of agro-ameliorative measures of optimizing the agro-ameliorative-resource state of soils and increase their fertility.
5. Soil map of Zmiyiniy Island at a scale of 1: 2,000.
6. Reduction of harmfulness of root rots of winter wheat and increase of its productivity.

Patents:

1. Method of protection against root rots and increase of productivity of winter wheat: Pat. 90473 Ukraine: IPC51 A01N63/00, A01B 79/02. No. 201400116; stated. Jan. 09, 14; has published May 26, 14, Bull. No. 10. 4 p.
2. Method of optimization of phosphate regime of ordinary chernozem in irrigated conditions: Pat. 111209 Ukraine: IPC51 А01С21/00, С05G 1/00. No. u201602884; stated. March 22, 16; has published November 10, 16, Bull. No. 21/2016. 4 p. 

The international cooperation 

The Laboratory took part in international projects Tacis "Danube Lakes, Ukraine ...", "Comprehensive Program for Further Development of Infrastructure and Implementation of Economic Activities on the Zmiyiniy Island and the Continental Shelf" and "Technical Assistance in planning the management of the basin of the Low Dniester". In the framework of the projects tasks complex soil-geochemical studies, expedition-field and analytical work on the study and mapping of soils and vegetation of the study areas were carried out. 

List of main publications

According to the results of the scientific researches which were carried out by the employees of the problem laboratory, more than 200 monographs and articles have been published, including for the last 4 years – 50 titles, most of which are available on the site of the repository of  Odessa I. Mechnikov’s University