The publication of this Handbook was supported by the Russian Federation

Physicochemical description and efficiency of technology. This technology was developed 
as a part of  a general tendency for the chemization of  agriculture in irrigated areas, in particular, 
on Soda-Solonchak-Solonetz in arid regions. Some ameliorative systems on Soda Solonetz already 
exist,  e.g.,  acidification  with  the  use  of   sulphuric  acid  followed  by  soil  leaching.  However,  the 
acidification treatment is chemically very harsh on soil and has disadvantages connected with the 
following: high rates of  mineral acid application, large volumes of  leaching water, handling toxic 
substances, metal corrosion problems and the loss of  soil organic matter through mineralization and 
inhibition of  microbiological activity. Another method widely used for Soda Solonetz improvement 
involves soil levelling, application of  gypsum or phosphogypsum, deep tillage with a chisel plough 
that does not invert the soil profile, profound leaching and subsequent crop cultivation with the 
presence of  drainage system.