Studies to assess the aggregate state of degraded farmland soils in the northern part of the Shakhtersk district of the Donetsk People’s Republic were carried out. In the vast majority of cases, the predominance of the fraction with a particle size of less than 0.5 mm was revealed: from 30.9 % (horizon B of area N 1) to 70.2 % (horizon A of area N 8). The exception is horizon B of area N 8: were predominant is the fraction of particles with a size of 5 mm – 2 mm – 34.0 %. By the content of agronomically valuable aggregates, the soils of the arable horizon of most of the studied areas are characterized by unsatisfactory condition, while for the sub-arable horizon, according to the gradation used, good (areas N 1–4) and excellent condition (areas N 6–8) were noted.

Yu.A. Shtirts, D.V. Syshchykov