The publication of this Handbook was supported by the Russian Federation

Large-scale soil assessment data (1957-1961) and subsequent data up the mid-
1970s are not completely applicable to the current situation, as they fail to reflect human- 
induced changes in soil cover (such as those resulting from irrigation practices) and only 
characterize a limited number of  soil properties. However, these data are used as a basis 
for soil grouping, identification of  soil regions ('regionalization') and soil assessment as well 
as the implementation of  agricultural technologies. Clearly, these materials need to be 
updated to a higher level and supplemented by the use of  new methodologies to create a 
new integrated database.
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