A. K. Mukangaliyeva

The article presents an overview of modern studies of pasture ecosystems in the arid zone of Southern Kazakhstan using the example of the Otyrar district of the Turkestan region. The article examines the region's natural and climatic features, and the influence of aridization and climate change on the structure of pasture phytocenoses, their productivity, and biodiversity. The main factors of sustainability of pasture ecosystems were analyzed, including water regime, soil salinity, organic carbon content, the state of the soil microbiome, and anthropogenic load. The purpose of this review article is to analyze and summarize recent scientific research on the state, functioning, assessment methods, and prospects for the restoration of pasture ecosystems in the arid zone of Southern Kazakhstan, using the example of the Otyrar district of the Turkestan region. Particular attention is paid to modern methods of geobotanical assessment of vegetation, determination of projective cover, productivity, and biodiversity indicators, as well as to the use of geographic information systems, remote sensing, and satellite monitoring to assess the condition of pastures. The data on the prospects for the restoration of degraded pastures through the use of organomineral fertilizers based on natural aluminosilicates, humic substances, protein hydrolysate, and microalgae Chlorella vulgaris are summarized. It has been shown that an integrated approach combining geobotanical, soil-ecological, and digital research methods contributes to increasing the sustainability of pasture ecosystems, preserving biodiversity, and rational use of natural forage resources in arid territories.

Maize production in semi–arid irrigated systems depends on soil fertility and an active rhizosphere. We hypothesized that vermiculite enriched with humic substances (HS) or Chlorella vulgaris (CV) would outperform vermiculite alone by improving soil fertility, maize nutrition, and rhizosphere-associated microbial indicators. A field experiment was conducted in southern Kazakhstan under medium–loam sierozem using a randomized block design with three replicates and seven treatments: control, vermiculite at 1 and 2 t ha⁻¹, vermiculite + HS at 1 and 2 t ha⁻¹, and vermiculite + CV at 1 and 2 t ha⁻¹. Amendments were incorporated before sowing, and soil, plant, and microbial measurements were taken before sowing, at V6–V8, and after harvest. Compared with the control, all amendments improved early maize growth, leaf area development, biomass accumulation, and nutrient status, and increased grain yield. The strongest response was obtained with vermiculite + HS at 2 t ha⁻¹, which increased grain yield from 6.48 to 10.24 t ha⁻¹ (+58%). Microbial indicators differed between bulk soil and the rhizosphere, while Pearson correlation and PCA revealed coordinated soil–plant–microbe responses and productivity–linked variables across treatments. Taken together, these results indicate that enriched vermiculite, especially HS–enriched vermiculite at 2 t ha⁻¹, is a promising amendment for improving maize productivity and rhizosphere functioning in semi–arid irrigated systems.