ALTERATION OF SMALL RELIEF FORMS OF THE HYDROPHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF HEAVY LOAM SOILS IN THE SEMIDESERT ZONE BY GRAZING

Continuous heavy grazing causes a significant leveling of the microrel ief and smoothing out of minor surface nonuniformities (nanorelief), a long with the destruction and removal of a layer of soil up to 10 cm t hick; in addition, it causes a fivefold decrease in the water permeabi lity of the soils owing to the destruction of the cover layer of algae , lichens, and mosses. No compaction of the surface occurs. The deep l ayers of the root zone experience less drying out owing to the depress ion of plants and continuous grazing throughout the growing season.