crop production - Zhizn Zemli [Life of the Earth] — An Interdisciplinary Scientific and Practical Journal

Biosphere, noösphere, and agriculture (to the 160th anniversary of the birth of V.I. Vernadsky)

fidukoffZEMLYA — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 07:40:49 +0000

The paper is devoted to the outstanding Russian scientist Vladimir I. Vernadsky, who is one of the founders of ecology. As a student of V.V. Dokuchaev, he developed his teacher’s ideas of a systematic dynamic approach to the study of nature and introduced a deep scientific ecological content into the concepts of the biosphere and the noösphere. V.I. Vernadsky is the founder of a complex of modern Earth sciences (geochemistry, biogeochemistry, radiology, and hydrogeology) and the creator of many scientific schools. In his scientific work, he covered many research areas, from geology to the study of the role of living matter in geochemical cycles, from soil science to the biosphere, the increasing influence of scientific thought, human activity in the biosphere and its transformation into the noösphere. The importance of agriculture in the biosphere and the noösphere is considered. The biosphere is an area of active life on Earth (troposphere, hydrosphere and part of the lithosphere), the composition, structure and energy of which are mainly due to the activity of living organisms. The noösphere is its thinking shell. Agriculture, whose most important part are grassland ecosystems, is an important component of the biosphere, being a reproducible, autotrophic sustainable resource (energetical, environmental, food and feed). In light of the pressing environmental problems facing the world, environmental education and environmental thinking are a priority for the development of the biosphere, the noösphere and agriculture.

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Model for calculating the carbon footprint of field crops and CO2 flows in crop rotation on gray forest soils of the southern Moscow region

fidukoffZEMLYA — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 13:42:51 +0000

A new multi-level model for calculating the carbon footprint of agroecosystem products is proposed. The concept of “final carbon footprint” is introduced, which includes both direct CO₂ emissions from the operation of tractors, combines, oxidation of soil humus, CO₂-eq. during the transformation of nitrogen fertilizers in the soil, and indirect CO₂ emissions – carbon dioxide release into the atmosphere during the production of tractors, combines, tillage equipment, mineral fertilizers etc.
Based on the results of field experiments on gray forest soils in the Southern Moscow region, it is shown that when applying average doses of mineral fertilizers to field crops, the indirect CO₂ emissions are comparable to the CO₂ input from organic fuel oxidation when machinery is operating in the field. At higher doses of fertilizers, the indirect emissions are significantly greater than the CO₂ emissions from machinery operation. In order of increasing CO₂ emissions per 1 ha of sowing, crops on gray forest soils are arranged as follows: corn for silage > barley > winter wheat > clover.
Clover is a carbon-negative crop (−1.7 t/ha CO₂), i.e., CO₂ sequestration in the soil exceeds all CO₂ emissions from hay crop production. The final carbon footprint for grain crops, calculated using the standard method, was as follows: for winter wheat (with a fertilizer dose of N40P40K40) – 116 kg CO₂ per 1 centner of grain, for barley (with a dose of N60P40K40) – 104 kg CO₂ per 1 centner of grain. The final carbon footprint, taking into account the aftereffects of predecessors, was: for winter wheat (predecessor: two-year clover) – 48 kg CO₂ per 1 centner of grain; for barley (predecessor: silage corn) – 113 kg CO₂ per 1 centner of grain.

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New scientific and practical resultsof studying the land and fodder resources of Russia

fidukoffZEMLYA — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 08:29:35 +0000

Of fundamental and priority applied importance are new scientific and practical results obtained at the V.R. Williams Federal Research Center of Forage Production & Agroecology for the study of natural food resources in Russia, based on modern knowledge, materials and technologies. For all 11 natural and economic regions of Russia (Northern, Northwestern, Volga-Vyatka, Central, Central Chernozem, Volga, North Caucasian, Ural, West Siberian, East Siberian, and Far Eastern), agro-landscape and ecological zoning of land and forage ecosystems has been developed. The following materials were obtained for each area: a map M 1:2,500,000, a legend, a database on land, a database on forage lands, a database on negative processes, a classification of forage lands, a classification of deer pastures (where available), recommendations for forage production and environmental management in agriculture. The research used the Map of the Soil and Ecological Zoning of Russia from the Faculty of Soil Science of Lomonosov Moscow State University, as well as other numerous sources. When creating and developing new highly productive and resistant plant varieties and nature-like technologies based on zoning, science and industry will be able to use local natural and climatic resources with the greatest efficiency and minimize the development of negative processes.

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Identification of sewerage basins as a tool for calculating biogenic element flows within a river basin (using the example of the Moscow river)

fidukoffZEMLYA — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 12:14:57 +0000

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) serve as hubs for the redistribution of biogenic element flows, since they generate three output streams (liquid, solid and gaseous), where the proportional content of biogenic elements depends on the wastewater treatment technology. The circular economy principles require accounting for these flows to develop a strategy for utilizing biogenic elements to meet the needs of the growing urban population. Identifying sewerage basins within a river basin serves as a tool for calculating these flows. The maximum possible amount of biogenic elements (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus) redirected by treatment plants to local water bodies, to the atmosphere, and to sewage sludge is estimated for each sewerage basin. Such calculations enable an assessment of the maximum biogenic load downstream of the treatment plant discharge point (in the event of a plant shutdown) and the design of potential technological chains for utilizing sewage sludge. The author proposes to use a GIS-based method to identify sewerage basins within a river basin. This approach allows for the calculation of maximum biogenic element flows based on the population within each sewerage basin, providing insights into the environmental load on each individual basin and the entire river basin as a whole. Additionally, this method identifies zones with the highest load on watercourses within the river basin and assesses the risks of watercourse pollution due to urban development and the emergence of new residential areas. The article presents a methodology for identifying sewerage basins within the Moscow River basin, calculating the population within their boundaries, and estimating the daily load of two indicators, namely: total nitrogen and phosphate phosphorus. Using geoinformation tools, a map of sewerage basins was plotted, identifying areas within the Moscow River basin with the highest and lowest coverage of wastewater treatment plants.

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GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AS A MEASURE OF ENERGYEFFICIENCY IN ASSESSING THE LIFE CYCLE OF FERTILIZERS

fidukoffZEMLYA — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 15:59:26 +0000

The article examines the problem of energy efficiency in the chain from the production of fertilizers to their logistics, application, and waste production and disposal based on the huge amount of data accumulated in recent years on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (primarily CO₂ and methane). Carbon dioxide emissions are shown to occur primarily from fuel combustion, as well as from the use of methane and CO₂ as precursors for nitrogen fertilizers. GHG emissions can be considered as a measure of energy efficiency when assessing the life cycle of mineral fertilizers. Relevant examples are given.

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