Soil Fertility Recovery through Waterbody Restoration in Arid Agroecosystems: An Integrated Soil–Water–Biotechnology Framework for Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan faces a convergence of soil salinisation, declining organic matter, waterbody sedimentation, and industrial contamination that directly threatens agricultural sustainability. This study presents an integrated soil–water–biotechnology framework that links ecological restoration of waterbodies with soil fertility recovery through biologically activated sediments, microbial consortia, biosurfactants, mineral–organic carriers, and phytoremediation crops.
The framework builds upon AVELIFE comprehensive solutions for sustainable agriculture in Uzbekistan, which emphasize soil fertility restoration, stress-resistant crops, prolonged nutrient release, detoxification of soils, and active silicon as a structural and biological carrier.Experimental evidence from long-term bioremediation trials demonstrates that combined application of hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms, rhamnolipid biosurfactants, calcium peroxide, and plants reduced oil contamination from 9.5% to 1.3–1.6%, increased soil dehydrogenase activity up to 2.7-fold, and decreased soil phytotoxicity more than 3.5 times.
The proposed model establishes a circular soil–water regeneration loop suitable for Uzbekistan’s arid agroecosystems and provides a scalable pathway for climate-resilient agriculture, land reclamation, and desert greening.
1. Introduction
Uzbekistan’s agricultural sector operates under conditions of water scarcity, salinity stress, and long-term soil degradation. Large irrigation systems, intensive cotton and cereal production, and sediment accumulation in canals and reservoirs have created a coupled crisis of declining water quality and soil fertility.
Conventional reclamation practices focus primarily on chemical amendments and physical dredging. However, these approaches rarely address biological soil health, which is fundamental for long-term productivity.
Recent advances in environmental biotechnology demonstrate that soil biological activation—through microorganisms, biosurfactants, and plants—can restore degraded soils at significantly lower cost and environmental impact than physicochemical treatments.
2. Conceptual framework: coupling water restoration and soil regeneration
The proposed framework integrates two traditionally separate domains:
Ecological restoration of waterbodies and irrigation infrastructure.
Biological recovery of soils using activated sediments and AVELIFE biotechnologies.
Dredged bottom sediments, after ecological screening and biological activation, become carriers of organic matter, silicon, and nutrients, forming soil-improving substrates rather than waste.
AVELIFE technologies emphasize:
restoration and enhancement of soil fertility,
improvement of agro-physical, agro-chemical and biological soil properties,
environmental safety for people, animals, and pollinators.
Biosurfactants, particularly rhamnolipids, enhance desorption and solubilisation of hydrophobic contaminants and increase microbial access to pollutants.
Experimental studies confirmed that integrated application of microbial consortia (Rhodococcus sp., Gordonia sp.), rhamnolipid biosurfactants, and calcium peroxide achieved:
reduction of oil contamination from 9.5% to 1.3–1.6%,
increase of soil dehydrogenase activity up to 2.7 times,
strong decrease in soil phytotoxicity.
These results validate biosurfactants as key activators of soil biological recovery.
4. Active silicon as a structural and biological carrier
AVELIFE formulations emphasize the role of active silicon as:
a building material for beneficial microorganisms,
a soil-structuring agent improving aeration and water permeability,
a factor of plant mechanical strength and stress tolerance.
Plants absorb 70–700 kg/ha of silicon per season, making it a strategic element for arid agriculture
7. Institutional perspective and international scaling
The Institute of Nanotechnologies and Organic Products “AVELIFE” expresses its strategic interest in expanding its technologies beyond Ukraine to contribute to global environmental stabilization and correction of ecological imbalances.
Uzbekistan is considered a priority partner country for implementing AVELIFE soil–water regeneration platforms through joint pilot projects, scientific cooperation, and localization of production.
8. Conclusions
Integration of waterbody restoration with biologically activated sediment reuse, biosurfactants, microbial consortia, active silicon, and phytoremediation forms a robust soil–water regeneration system suitable for Uzbekistan’s arid agroecosystems.
This approach shifts land restoration from chemical compensation toward biological regeneration, enabling sustainable productivity and long-term environmental resilience.
Tymur Lyevda¹, Andriy Banya², Olena Karpenko³
¹ Institute of Nanotechnologies and Organic Products AVELIFE, Ukraine
² Institute of Physical-Organic Chemistry and Coal Chemistry, NAS of Ukraine
Introduction Among the promising and ecologically acceptable methods of environmental restoration, priority is given to biological approaches (bioremediation, phytoremediation), i.e., the purification of soils and…