The paper presents results of research on the meadows of the Bug River Valley, in the Skryhiczyn-Dubienka section. The study mainly concerned the geochemical variability of soils and meadow vegetation. In 1999, 14 soil pits were made in hay-growing fragments of the meadows, with 42 samples collected for laboratory tests. At the same points, samples (14) of the vegetation (hay, 1st swath) were collected. In the collected material (soil, hay), the total content of P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Pb was assayed with the method developed by Sapek & Sapek (1997). Moreover, in the soil samples, pH in H2O and KCl was assayed electrometrically and the Corganic content was determined with the Tiurin method, CaCO3 – using the Scheibler apparatus. The examined meadow soils of the Bug River Valley make at present a differentiated typological mosaic of valley soils (humus muds, black earths, bog soils) at various stages of development (degradation) and geochemical variability. The above scheme has been proved to a significant extent by the laboratory test results. This applies in particular to the differentiated humus content (2–5% of C-organ.), variability or a total absence of CaCO3 (0–6%) and progressing soil acidification (pH 5.4–7.4). Wherever there are volumes of organic substance, exchangeable alkalis are sufficient and pH is high, P, Ca, Mg, Fe and some microelements (Cu, Zn, Pb) are more intensively absorbed in the soil. Under conditions of scarcity of alkaline components (Ca) and progressing acidification, most components are activated and washed deep into the profile. This applies in particular to alkaline components and iron.
Monovalent elements (K, Na), as well as some other, more mobile ones, are poorly absorbed, especially in humus soil, but easily collected by plants or transported by water deep into the profile.