The Institute of Geography of the ANSSR supports the candidacy of Petrosyan Grant Petrosovich on the day of his election as a corresponding member of the VASKhNIL in the specialty "agriculture and chemicalization of agriculture".

    G.P. Petrosyan is well known in the USSR and abroad as a major specialist in the field of soil reclamation.

    The scientific work of G.P. Petrosyan successfully combines a deep analysis of the theoretical problems of the genesis of saline soils (especially soils of soda salinization and saline solonetzes), the development of fundamental problems of the technology of chemical reclamation of solonetzes solonchaks and with the practical implementation of this technology in already reclaimed large massifs solonetz-saline semi-deserts and deserts of Armenia (Ararat valley).

    An important and outstanding feature of the scientific and organizational activities of G.P. Petrosyan, as a scientist and practice reclamator, is that he does not stop at the development of only the actual soil link of land reclamation as a specific set of technological operations and a specific system of machines for reclamation. The subject of his research is the actual exploitation and productivity of already reclaimed lands, the so-called. productive agriculture after melioration. He also did a lot in this direction: he developed methods to prevent the secondary salinization of reclaimed soils, developed specific agricultural techniques for these soils, selected irrigation methods and regimes, selected cultivated crops and varieties specifically for reclaimed solonetzes-solonchaks, studied the salt tolerance of crops, identified optimal level of soil desalinization for yield and crop quality.

    The most important feature of G.P. Petrosyan's work on soil reclamation is a holistic approach to the problem, which includes the following fundamental links: a) genetic and geochemical assessment of saline lands, b) experimental development of chemical reclamation methods, c) technological development of chemical reclamation, including a system of operations , the system of machines and the economic justification of the method, d) the practical implementation of land reclamation on large areas, e) the productive exploitation of reclaimed lands with the development of measures to increase the yield and improve its quality.

The last two links favorably distinguish the work of G.P. Petrosyan from many soil reclamation works, where everything ends with the stage of actual soil reclamation, the already converted soils are transferred to "foreign hands" and the reclamator ceases to be interested.

    The scientific work of G.P. Petrosyan is characterized by a completely clear and realistic interest in the further fate of soils after reclamation, for the smooth sake of which reclamation is done - and to obtain a valuable product from these lands and to constantly increase and improve this product. The already existing experience of chemical reclamation of solonetzes-salt marshes of Armenia, implemented under the leadership of G.P. Petrosyan on large areas, is a striking result of his research and practical work. This experience is widely used in production, marked by resolutions of directive bodies, and is well known in the USSR and abroad. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this experience is one of the most successful in the world practice of amelioration of such difficultly ameliorated soils as soda solonetzes.

    Theoretical and practical achievements of G.P. Petrosyan in the field of agriculture and chemical reclamation of agriculture make it possible to confidently recommend his candidacy for election as a corresponding member of the VASKhNIL.