PROSPECTS FOR PHYTOREMEDIATION OF MILITARILY DEGRADED SOILS OF UKRAINE USING SAND SAINFOIN (ONOBRYCHIS ARENARIA KIT.)

In today's conditions of increasing anthropogenic pressure, climate change and military-induced land use violations in Ukraine, a significant deterioration in soil quality indicators is observed, which is manifested in the intensification of degradation processes, in particular, humus loss, erosion development, changes in acidity and accumulation of toxic elements.In this context, the search for environmentally safe and biologically sound approaches to soil cover restoration is becoming more urgent, among which the use of perennial legumes as a phyto-ameliorative factor occupies an important place.This study is devoted to determining the impact of agrocenoses of sand sainfoin (Onobrychis arenaria Kit.) of different duration of use (two and four years) on indicators of agroecological condition, agrochemical and agrophysical properties of gray forest soils, as well as on the level of their contamination with mobile forms of heavy metals.Experimental studies were carried out during 2021-2025 in the characteristic hydrothermal conditions of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine, which made it possible to comprehensively assess the influence of the studied factors on the formation of crop productivity.During the research, the main agrochemical and physicochemical indicators of the soil were determined, in particular the content of humus and hydrolyzed nitrogen, the amount of available forms of phosphorus and potassium, the parameters of the acid-base regime and hydrolytic acidity, the features of the structural and aggregate composition, the water resistance of soil aggregates, bulk density, as well as the level of accumulation of mobile forms of lead, cadmium, copper and zinc.The results obtained indicate that the cultivation of sand sainfoin has a positive effect on the formation of soil fertility, contributes to the improvement of its physical properties and stabilization of chemical indicators.During four years of using the crop, positive changes in the agrochemical state of the soil were noted, in particular, an increase in the content of organic matter and basic elements of mineral nutrition, a decrease in the level of acidity and an improvement in its structural indicators.An important result of the research is the revealed tendency to a decrease in the content of mobile forms of heavy metals, primarily lead and cadmium, which indicates the ability of sainfoin to perform a phyto-ameliorative and detoxification role.The results obtained confirm the feasibility of using sainfoin as an effective biological tool for the restoration of degraded and technogenically polluted soils, as well as increasing the ecological sustainability of agricultural landscapes of Ukraine.