The Ameliorative Role of Forest Strips in Crop Yield Conservation

Protective forest plantings have an invaluable reclamation and conservation value. It is manifested in protecting the soil from erosion and crops from adverse natural factors and reducing moisture losses for evaporation, protecting the field from snowdrifts and deflation products. Performing protective functions, forest strips improve the microclimate and increase crop yields. The Stavropol Krai is geographically located in the arid zone of risky agriculture, where the most dangerous phenomena are periodic droughts and dust storms. About 50% of the territory is subject to water erosion, which leads to flushing and erosion of the soil, which further leads to the unsuitability of land and removal from the category of agricultural use. The only way to increase land productivity is through land amelioration and reclamation. That is why we conducted the research in the zone of unstable moisture on the influence of forest strips on crop productivity. The paper presents data proving the effectiveness of forest strips on soil moisture, phenology, and crop productivity.