In Kazakhstan, scientific, methodological and practical approaches to the management and monitoring of salt pasture lands based on digital technologies are at the stage of formation and require further development. The authors have developed and used data from ground-based studies of saline lands on pastures to compile an information database and digitalize agricultural lands in Kazakhstan. The current state of saline lands on pastures has been studied through field work along routes covering the territory of 12 administrative regions of the republic. A database of salt pastures in desert, foothill semi-desert (vertical), semi-desert (latitudinal) and dry-steppe zones has been compiled, including the following indicators: soil type and subtype, profile morphology, humus and nutrient content, water-soluble salts, granulometric composition, absorbed bases and cation exchange capacity.

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of manure, straw, and mineral fertilizers on the humus content and fractional composition of humus in light chestnut soil under a rainfed grain crop rotation in southeastern Kazakhstan. It was found that organic fertilizers had a more pronounced positive effect on the humus status of the soil than the mineral fertilizer system. The most distinct effect was observed after manure application under winter wheat, where humus content increased from 1.67–1.70% to 1.74%. Straw incorporation had a more moderate and not always statistically significant effect on humus content, increasing it from 1.68% to 1.70%. The application of mineral fertilizers did not cause significant changes in this indicator compared with the control. The effect of fertilizers on the fractional composition of humus was less pronounced than their effect on total humus content. The most noticeable changes were recorded under manure application, where the Cha/Cfa ratio decreased to 0.72 compared with 0.74 in the control. It was shown that under rainfed farming conditions, manure is the most effective factor for maintaining the humus status of the soil, while the changes identified at the initial stage of fertilizer application may be regarded as indicators of the direction of subsequent organic matter transformation under the long-term application of organic materials.

Technogenic soil pollution with heavy metals is one of the key factors of environmental risk in the industrial regions of the East Kazakhstan region. The paper presents a comprehensive assessment of the agro-ecological condition of soils in the zones of influence of mining and metallurgical enterprises with the analysis of gross and mobile forms of potentially toxic elements. The survey covered 28,121 hectares near large industrial facilities. The agrochemical and physicochemical properties of soils, as well as the content of Pb, Zn, Cu and Cd, have been determined. Integral indicators of pollution and environmental risk have been calculated, spatial zoning has been performed. It has been established that the maximum accumulation of metals is timed to the upper soil horizons and the zones of influence of industrial emissions. The most dangerous element is Cd. The results obtained form the basis for environmental zoning and the development of monitoring and remediation systems.

Agricultural lands in East Kazakhstan region cover a significant area, with large portions of pasture and cropland situated in close proximity to operating industrial facilities. Despite this, no comprehensive integrated assessment combining remote sensing, ground-based soil monitoring, and flora survey had previously been conducted for the zone of influence of the Nikolaevskaya enrichment plant. This study aimed to fill that gap by a 40-year land cover analysis (1985-2024) using publicly available satellite data processed in Google Earth Engine with soil sampling and vegetation surveys across 17 sites. Soil analyses revealed not only elevated heavy metal concentrations but also a sharp pH decrease, conditions under which heavy metals become significantly more mobile and available for plant uptake. Technosol formation was observed at multiple sampling points, indicating a permanent transformation of the natural soil profile. The flora survey recorded 72 species from 62 genera, with ruderal and synanthropic species domina-ting disturbed habitats and native species persisting only at control points more distant from the facility. Taken together, these findings point to ongoing ecosystem degradation and raise concrete concerns for the regional food chain given the pastureland and cropland adjacent to the plant.

Light sierozem of the south-east of Kazakhstan are characterized by a low humus content, weak structure and limited moisture capacity, which causes their relatively low level of natural fertility and limits the productivity of agricultural crops. In the context of agricultural intensification, an urgent task is to find environmentally safe and cost-effective ways to increase corn yields for grain. The present study evaluates the effect of organic humic fertilizer Atmas on the growth, development and productivity of corn. It has been established that the use of humic fertilizer stimulates plant development and increases the mobility of nutrients in the rhizosphere. This ensures a more intensive formation of the root system, improves the absorption of macro and microelements and helps to increase the resistance of plants to stress factors of the arid climate. As a result, grain yield increased to 13.2-15.9 t/ha, providing an increase from 4.7 to 26.1% compared with the control. Thus, Atmas organic humic fertilizer is an effective means of increasing corn productivity for grain in light sierozem, ensuring sustainable crop formation, improving the agrochemical properties of the soil and increasing the economic efficiency of crop cultivation.

This article presents the scientific results on the effect of the biological fertilizer “Yng-e Gyuntuk” on soil fertility parameters in melon crops, phytosanitary condition, plant growth and development processes, crop productivity, and fruit quality. The study investigated and established the influence of the biological preparation on the phenological stages of development, biometric characteristics of melon plants, yield, and quality indicators of fruits. The results demonstrated that the application of the complex biopreparation enhances biomass accumulation in melon plants, improves growth processes and biochemical composition, and increases the content of macro- and micronutrients in the soil. The effect of the biological product on the phytosanitary condition of melon crops was also determined, and data on its biological and economic efficiency against a particularly harmful pest - the melon fly are presented. When plants were treated with the biological complex, the biological efficiency against the melon fly reached 87.42%, while soil application resulted in 88.13% efficiency. The biological fertilizer Yng-e Gyuntuk increased melon yield by 28.0-32.6% compared to the control.

This study evaluated the effects of mineral fertilizers and biological products on the agrochemical properties of light chestnut soil and the productivity of spring barley under rainfed conditions in the Zhetysu Region, Kazakhstan. The objective was to assess the effects of different fertilization systems on soil agrochemical properties, plant growth, and grain yield of spring barley. The field experiment was conducted with three replicates using a mineral fertilizer background of N₆₀P₉₀K₈₀ and four biological products - BioEcoGum, BIOGRANO forte, BioAzoPhashit, and BioPhos - applied either alone or in combination with mineral fertilizers. Soil total humus, nitrate nitrogen, easily hydrolysable nitrogen, available phosphorus, exchangeable potassium, carbonates, and soil reaction were determined, along with plant growth parameters and grain yield. Fertilizer application had no substantial effect on total humus content or soil reaction but was associated with changes in the concentrations of available nutrients. The highest nitrate nitrogen (24.0 mg/kg) and available phosphorus (26.5 mg/kg) contents were recorded with N₆₀P₉₀K₈₀ + BioAzoPhashit. The greatest plant height (51.3±1.1 cm) was observed with N₆₀P₉₀K₈₀ + BioEcoGum. The highest grain yield (1.13 t/ha) and a statistically significant yield increase over the untreated control (0.33 t/ha, or 41.2%) were obtained with N₆₀P₉₀K₈₀ + BIOGRANO forte. When applied alone, the biological products produced grain yields ranging from 0.887 to 0.956 t/ha, with yield increases over the control not exceeding the least significant d      ifference. Statistical analysis confirmed a significant effect of mineral fertilization on spring barley grain yield, whereas no significant additional effect of the biological products applied in combination with mineral fertilizers was detected.

A three-year comparative study was conducted on the effectiveness of applying mineral nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers in the cultivation of oilseed flax, variety 'Kustanai Amber', on calcareous southern chernozem in the conditions of Shortandy District, Akmola Region. The study was carried out under two soil preparation technologies – traditional and zero tillage – in a fourfield crop rotation. It was established that traditional tillage in the first two years ensured more intensive consumption of nitrate nitrogen and an advantage in the accumulation of dry biomass, especially in control variants and during early plant development phases. Under zero tillage, a trend towards greater retention of nitrates in the soil at harvest and higher variability of growth indicators was observed. By the third year, differences in biomass accumulation and yield between the technologies in variants with optimized mineral nutrition were statistically leveled out. In the zero technology, with local row application of phosphorus (P20) combined with nitrogen (including based on leaf diagnostics), the yield reached 15.8-16.2 c/ha, which is compa-rable to the indicators of the traditional technology (16.5-17.9 c/ha).

The article presents an overview of modern studies of pasture ecosystems in the arid zone of Southern Kazakhstan using the example of the Otyrar district of the Turkestan region. The article examines the region's natural and climatic features, and the influence of aridization and climate change on the structure of pasture phytocenoses, their productivity, and biodiversity. The main factors of sustainability of pasture ecosystems were analyzed, including water regime, soil salinity, organic carbon content, the state of the soil microbiome, and anthropogenic load. The purpose of this review article is to analyze and summarize recent scientific research on the state, functioning, assessment methods, and prospects for the restoration of pasture ecosystems in the arid zone of Southern Kazakhstan, using the example of the Otyrar district of the Turkestan region. Particular attention is paid to modern methods of geobotanical assessment of vegetation, determination of projective cover, productivity, and biodiversity indicators, as well as to the use of geographic information systems, remote sensing, and satellite monitoring to assess the condition of pastures. The data on the prospects for the restoration of degraded pastures through the use of organomineral fertilizers based on natural aluminosilicates, humic substances, protein hydrolysate, and microalgae Chlorella vulgaris are summarized. It has been shown that an integrated approach combining geobotanical, soil-ecological, and digital research methods contributes to increasing the sustainability of pasture ecosystems, preserving biodiversity, and rational use of natural forage resources in arid territories.