Managing pasture resources of Western Kazakhstan is complicated due to the deterioration of the physicochemical parameters of soils, manifesting degradation, and alkalinization as a result of intensive grazing. The research has been aimed at studying the technology of cattle grazing for preserving the physicochemical parameters of soils and increasing the efficiency of pasture use. The assessment and statistical analysis of physicochemical indicators of soils were carried out with standard methods during 2018 – 2019, which allowed identifying the most optimal grazing technology. The results of the research showed that under the influence of intensive grazing, physicochemical parameters worsened, a decrease in the humus reserves by 10.88-12.35% was detected, soil degraded to the third degree, and became alkaline as a result of the increase in exchangeable sodium to 1.65 cmol (equiv.)/kg. The technology of moderate cattle grazing favorably affects the physicochemical parameters of the soils of pasture ecosystems. The chestnut soils of the pastures, where moderate grazing technology was applied, remained resistant to degradation and salinization. With this technology, the soil humus was reliably preserved at the level of 1.15-2.50%, mobile phosphorus was within the optimal range of 0.87-1.60 mg/100 g. It has been concluded that it is important to use the technology of moderate cattle grazing to improve the management of pasture resources, which is the scientific novelty of the research.

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<p>Degradation of pastures caused by anthropogenic and climatic factors leads to desertification, loss of soil fertility, reduces productivity of the pasture grass and it is a prerequisite for socio-economic problems. Pastures of Western Kazakhstan cover more than 70% of the lands under economic use and are the main fodder source for the farm animals. In the late years, degradation of pastures in Western Kazakhstan takes place due to intensive animal grazing. The aim of research is to study the impact of technology for grazing the farm animals on the pastures soil cover to prevent the processes of degradation and desertification, as well as the rational use of pasture ecosystems. Through these studies, experimental data were obtained on the current state of the pastures soil cover in Western Kazakhstan with different types of chestnut soils depending on the grazing technology. An excess intensive grazing of the farm animals has negative influence on physical and chemical factors of the chestnut soil types.</p>

We carried out the research in 2020–2021 in Western Kazakhstan on medium-loamy dark chestnut soils. The purpose of the research is to identify changes in physico-chemical, biological parameters of soil cover, productivity, and quality of safflower (Carthamus tincforius L.) under the influence of different technologies of agrarian landscape shaping, for rational management of organic agrocenoses. The field experiments showed that in the conditions of Western Kazakhstan, the use of the biologized technology of organic farming increases the yield of safflower in comparison with the traditional technology by 26.66–35.38%, with a high oil content of 30.0–39.95%. The phytoameliorative role of safflower in improving agrophysical, agrochemical, and biological parameters of dark chestnut soils is proved.

The process of pasture resources management in Western Kazakhstan is complicated by the deterioration of vegetation cover with the manifestation of degradation and desertification processes as a result of unsystematic grazing. The aim of the research is to study distant pasture grazing on the productivity of pastures for their rational use. Field experiments were carried out in 2018–2021 on the pastures of the semi-desert zone of the Western Kazakhstan region on the territories of the “Miras” peasant farm in the Bokeyurdinsky district. As experimental plots, 4 pastures were selected, used in different ways: unsystematic, seasonal and distant pastures. 3 pasture areas are located on the relief part of the semi-desert zone, and the distant-pasture area is located in the sandy part of Ryn-Peski. To study the influence of the methods of use on the productivity of pastures on the polygon areas, regular observations of the quantitative and qualitative parameters (projective cover, height, species composition, yield) of phytocenoses were carried out. The research allowed to prove the seasonal organization of pasture economy using the distant pasture. In the summer period, an increase in the number and occurrence of valuable pasture plants Kochia prostrata, Agropyron desertorum, Festuca valesiaca, Leymus ramosus, Koeleria cristata was noted on seasonal pastures. On the distant site of sandy pastures, 23 plant species of different economic and botanical groups have been determined, and due to the natural conditions of sands in the phytocenosis, the occurrence of valuable plants in the forage ratio was high. By the middle of summer, in the area of seasonal and distant pastures, despite the loss of forbs from the vegetation composition and drying of cereals, the yield of green phytomass was 8.09–10.25 c/ha, which is higher than in the area of unsystematic grazing by 4.28–6.44 c/ha. In this work, it was concluded that to improve the efficiency of pasture resource management, it is important to use seasonal pastures with the inclusion of a distant site in pasture rotation, which is the scientific novelty of the research.