The publication of this Handbook was supported by the Russian Federation

Annex  C.4.
2.5.3.  Soil salinization monitoring inUzbekistan
R.K.KuzievandA.Ismonov(Uzbekistan)
A unified national system for the monitoring of  agricultural soils can ensure the supply of  accurate 
and complete information on the current condition of  the agricultural lands of  the republic. Such 
a system is needed for the provision of  informational support to the state administration that is 
responsible for the rational land use and for agricultural production for the profit of  farmers and 
the public. A unified system of  soil monitoring within agricultural areas allows the state of  soils 
to be controlled and the problems to be efficiently solved. At the highest hierarchical level of  the 
unified monitoring system (decision making stage), there is a possibility for targeted management 
of  the sources of  negative processes[18].
Soil and water monitoring is carried out by the State Committee of  the Republic of  Uzbekistan 
on Land Resources, Geodesy, Cartography and State Register (Goskomzemgeodezcadastr) and 
the Ministry of  Agriculture of  Uzbekistan with the assistance from the State Committee of  the 
Republic of  Uzbekistan for Architecture and Construction, the Centre of  Hydrometeorological 
Service at the Cabinet of  Ministers of  the Republic of  Uzbekistan, the State Committee of  
the Republic of  Uzbekistan for Geology and Mineral Resources and other interested parts of  
administration. Monitoring data are collected by regional ‘Hydrological- Melioration Expeditions’ 
by the Ministry of  Agriculture and Water Resources of  Uzbekistan and also by soil researchers 
from scientific organizations and institutes of  the Academy of  Sciences.
The organization and execution of  monitoring are based on the main principles of  coordinated 
and systematic observations within time periods matching the characteristic geomorphological 

---

27
Chapter 2.Methods of studying, mapping and monitoring saline and alkaline soils 
and hydrological situations and the use of  unified techniques of  parameter determination over the 
whole area of  the Republic of  Uzbekistan [14].
The Land Monitoring Methodology was developed in the Republic of  Uzbekistan in 2001. It is 
designed for monitoring the state of  the land resources with the aim of  timely identification and 
assessment of  changes followed by prevention and mitigation of  negative processes. It serves as 
a guidebook for conducting field, laboratory and desk studies to obtain knowledge and achieve 
generalization, systematization and automatization of  work. Soil monitoring tasks include the 
organization and execution of  systematic soil quality assessments, the timely detection of  changes 
and their impacts on soil fertility and the development of  measures for the prevention and mitigation 
of  negative consequences.
The monitoring system is designed for all lands of  the Republic of  Uzbekistan independently of  
their legal status, potential and actual use. The monitoring system is subdivided into subsystems 
corresponding to the land use categories.
The choice of  key sites for soil monitoring is based on the principle of  adequate representation 
of  all soil-climatic zones, subzones and provinces with typical natural and agricultural landscapes 
of  the republic. Key sites with certain dominant soils are chosen on the basis of  regional land use 
maps of  1:10000 and 1:25000 scales with corresponding legends.
The whole process of  organizing and conducting the monitoring of  agricultural soils is subdivided 
into three periods: preparation, field work and laboratory/computer work.
A  network  of   monitoring  sites  called  ‘permanent  ecological  plots'  (PEP)  allows  for  the  reliable 
assessment of  the quality of  irrigated soils and land resources in general together with the analysis 
of  existing trends of  changes and the forecast of  further changes. Monitoring is also aimed at 
the observation of  salinization regimes of  soils and groundwater, determination of  the character 
of  changes, assessments of  the ameliorative status and fertility of  soils and the prognosis of  their 
further development.
The Land Monitoring Methodology is based on soil salinity tests that are performed on permanent 
and semi-pemanent ecological plots (sites) followed by soil geographic, comparative geographic 
and laboratory analyses and the summarizing of  the results. The comparative geographic method 
is applied to the assessment of  the parameters of  the groundwater and soil salinization.

---

28
Soil salinity manаgement manual | Part I.Soil salinity management in the Eurasian Region