Abstract
Abstract The methods of gypsum application in degraded soils to increase and restore saline and degraded soils, to grow vegetables and fruits in the arid zone are considered in the paper. The issues of soil alkalinity reduction to increase soil fertility with the use of a new biomeliorant at standard of ST RK 2208-2012 containing phosphogypsum, calcium, sulfur and cattle manure with the addition of crushed camel thorn were studied. According to calculations this meliorant application reduces the loss of nitrogen and organic matter by 40%,, which being a highly effective fertilizer that improves the physico-chemical and biological properties of the soil, which contributes to an increase in crop yields. Field studies have shown that the joint anaerobic fermentation of phosphogypsum and manure, camel thorn led to intensive aggregation and the creation of favorable conditions of the soil structure for the crops. The results showed that the biomeliorant application into the soil led to a noticeable improvement in its structure, increases alkalinity, soils become more fertile and crop yields increase.