BEYBIT NASIYEV* AND ASKHAT BEKKALIYEV
West Kazakhstan Agrarian-Technical University named after Zhangir Khan, Zhangir Khan Street, 51, Uralsk, 090000, Republic of Kazakhstan *(e-mail : beybitnasiyev@mail.ru; Telephone : 7 7112 50 13 74)
(Received : April 13, 2019; Accepted : June 18, 2019)
ABSTRACT
In the 20th century, the Eurasian arid ecosystems were subjected to intensive anthropogenic impact. Due to this, their productivity has decreased, valuable species of forage plants have disappeared from the grass stand, and vulnerable ecosystems are undergoing degradation. Today, there are 187 mln ha of pastures in the republic, of which about 81 mln ha are used, while out of the used pastures – 26 mln ha are degraded. This refers mostly to the pastures near the settlements. The pastures’ degradation process is a common phenomenon also for the semi-desert zone of the West Kazakhstan region. Pastures of the zone occupy more than 80% of the lands of economic use and are the main source of food. In this regard, the study of the current state of pastures is an urgent task. The article presents research data on the study of the state of plant and soil cover of pastures in the semi-desert zone of Western Kazakhstan. The aim of the research was to study the modern condition of pastures of semi-desert zone of the West Kazakhstan region. The studies have provided data on the current state of vegetation and soil cover of pastures in the semi-desert zone of the West Kazakhstan region.
Key words :Pastures, semi-desert zone, vegetation cover, light-chestnut soils, degradation, productivity, pasturing