Snow retention is a popular agricultural technique , aimed at the retention and accumulation of snow on arable land . It is carried out when the snow cover is melting (i.e., in early spring ) mainly in the fields of the steppe zone and forest-steppe . This technique is designed to protect soil and wintering plants from freezing, as well as to increase soil moisture reserves [1] . The latter is extremely necessary for the soils of the steppes and forest-steppes because of the arid climate inherent in these zones ( moisture coefficient <1, especially noticeably decreases just in the spring), which reduces the moisture supply of plants. Accordingly, snow retention makes it possible to temporarily avoid insufficient moisture and thereby significantly increase the yield of cultivated crops .
There are many different methods of snow retention. Currently, the most used are planting of forest belts , the formation of snow walls and the placement of artificial barriers. Forest belts, which are primarily an effective anti-erosion method, at the same time prevent the convergence of snow in relatively small areas.
Notes
- ↑ Kuznetsov M.S., Glazunov G.P. Erosion and soil protection. - Moscow: Publishing House of Moscow State University, 1996 .-- S. 225-227. - 335 p. - ISBN 5-211-03381-7 .
Links
- Snow retention - an article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia .
- Dobrovolsky G.V. et al. Soil degradation and protection. - Moscow: Publishing House of Moscow State University, 2002 .-- 654 p.