The irrigated soil resistance to degradation is vital in its usability. The ordinary gray-brown, gray, and meadow-gray soils reached degradation to a different degree under irrigation conditions. The soils used as pasture are distinct due to erosion. In irrigated soils, the water-resistant aggregates considerably decreased and resistance to erosion reduced. Therefore, the degradation was intensive in gray-brown, meadow-gray, and gray soils. Generally, dividing the soils for resistance to erosion consisted of five groups: a) the lowest resistant — bottom washing rate (0.040 m/sec), b) low erosion resistant — bottom washing rate (0.040–0.050 m/sec), c) moderate bottom — washing rate (0.051– 0.075 m/sec), d) high resistant — bottom washing rate (0.075–0.095 m/sec), and e) the highest erosion — resistant bottom flow rate (0.095 m/sec). The division of soils also comprised five groups based on degradation resistance: a) very weakly resistant, irrigation-eroded, saline, and solon solonchak soils, b) soils with varying degrees of weak resistant erosion, fragmented, and poorly developed vegetation, c) moderately resistant, irrigated poorly salinized, and solonetzificated soils with an inclination of 0.050 and more, d) high-resistant soils with more than 2.5 humus, thick, highly erosion-resistant, and weakly salinized soils, and e) the highest-resistant soils, non-salinized soils with weak surface-inclination, density, irrigated, and highly resistant to erosion.

Keywords: Soil degradation, erosion-resistant, bottom-washing rate, degradation resistance, irrigated soils, grouping against erosion and degradation

Key findings: The research based on efficient land use is crucial. As a result, the study found that soil resistance to natural and anthropogenic influences is low. Based on soil resistance to external influences, the soils ranked from high to low, light gray-brown, meadow-gray, and gray.