ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Positive Effects of Perennial Wheat on Soil
Fertility, Carbon Stocks and Microbial Biomass
in South-Eastern Kazakhstan
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1
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
2
Scientific Research Institute of Biology and Biotechnology Problems, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University,
Almaty, Kazakhstan
3
Mukhtar Auezov South Kazakhstan University, Shymkent, Kazakhstan
Submission date: 2023-07-31
Final revision date: 2023-10-05
Acceptance date: 2023-10-11
Online publication date: 2023-12-19
Publication date: 2024-02-09
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2024;33(2):1791-1799
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ABSTRACT
Perennial wheat yields for several years after sowing, and develops a deep and dense root system,
thereby improving soil structure and preserving soil fertility. It is also drought resistant, which increases
its future potential under the ongoing climate change. Moreover, perennial wheat offers and effective
strategy for carbon sequestration through increasing soil carbon stocks. However, the effect of perennial
wheat on soil properties remains uncertain in the conditions of south-eastern Kazakhstan due to the
lack of data. To fill this gap, we conducted a study in which five varieties of perennial wheat were
grown in the Almaty region in soils of different fertility for two years. As a result, in the plot where
topsoil was removed to a depth of 25 cm, total carbon increased by nearly three times, from 0.54%
to 1.42%, and the number of microorganisms increased from 715.1x103±0.2x103 to 48.0x103±0.6x103
colony forming units per ml of soil. The photosynthetic performance of perennial wheat varieties in
the experimental plot was not negatively affected by the removal of top soil suggesting that perennial
wheat can successfully restore soil fertility and replenish soil with chemical elements involved in
photosynthesis. Our results confirm that in the conditions of the south-eastern Kazakhstan perennial
wheat makes a significant contribution to the soil carbon stock accumulation and development of soil
biota; in our study, these effects were particularly strong in the case of degraded soil.