Location
Novy Study site (latitude 51.82051 °N and longitude 47.03462 °E) administratively belongs to the territory of Marksovsky District, which is belonging to the Saratov Region (Oblast) of the Russian Federation (Fig. 1). This region is situated in the southeast of the Eastern European plain named "Great Russian Plain" in the Lower reaches of Volga River, called Nighnee Povolzhie (downstream surroundings of the Volga River). The total surface area of the Marsovsky District is about 29.000·103 km².
Fig. 1: Administrative maps of a) Saratov Region; b) Marks District, both Russian Federation.
The natural division of the Saratov Region is the Volga River (Fig. 2). The Saratov Region is a very diverse territory. It is important to take into account on which bank of the Volga River the area is situated. The right bank of the river represents a strip of Eurasian steppe with a variety of different grasses, but the left bank is a western province of middle Asian zone of deserts of moderate climatic zone.
The Saratov Region is considered as a zone of risky agriculture where cultivation is impossible without irrigation. The predominant original and current land use type is cropland, specifically annual and perennial (non-woody) cropping.
Fig. 2: Satellite images of a) an area of Marksovsky District (study area) with administrative borders shown, b) experimental site "Novy".
