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Studying the soils in the periodical flood zone of three reservoirs is of promising importance for their subsequent return to economic activities. Research on the bacterial and archaeal communities of soils that are periodically or continuously flooded by reservoirs is still insufficient. To evaluate the chemical status of soils and their microbiota, the study was conducted in the Yumaguzino, Nugush, and Slak reservoir sites in the South Ural area (Russian Federation). The bacterial and archaeal communities of periodically flooded and non-flooded soils were investigated after a comparative investigation of chemical, hydrological, and climatic factors. It was discovered that flooded soils had anoxic conditions during the whole of the year, with brief drying intervals of limited length and low levels of effective temperatures. In terms of chemistry, flooded soils are distinguished by increased acidity, a fall in organic matter, and an increase in alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen. Compared to their counterparts in non-flooded soils, bacterial and archaeal communities in flooded soils are significantly different. Generally speaking, the biodiversity of flooded soils rises with the duration and depth of floods. Significant variations at the phylum level are mostly caused by a decline in the relative presence of Thaumarchaeota and an increase in Proteobacteria and Chloroflexi representation. It was discovered that the Euryarchaeota phylum was either absent or had a significantly decreased relative prevalence at the sites of intermittently flooding soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports a study of the concentration of fine particles in the atmospheric air with a diameter of < 2.5 microns (PM2.5) and solid particles with a diameter of < 10 microns (PM10) of urbanised territories. An environmental monitoring device (DT-9881 M) determined the concentration of dust particles, and the amount of adsorbed dust on the leaves of woody plants was determined by the flushing method. The research established that the concentration of solid particles in the atmospheric air PM2.5/PM10 depended on the intensity of motor traffic. A decrease in the content of PM2.5/PM10 was revealed in plantings where the influence of forest air on human beings was recorded. Measurements on the content of formaldehyde and carbon monoxide at all measurement points gave negative indicators. Green spaces are important to human well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides an assessment of soil fertility indicators of agricultural lands in the northern foreststeppe of the Republic of Bashkortostan within the Iglinsky region (Russian Federation). The content of humus, mobile phosphorus, exchangeable potassium, the thickness of the humus horizon, granulometric composition, morphological properties and soil washout were studied. It was revealed that the soil-forming process occurs on rocks of different ages and genesis, such as diluvial carbonate and carbonate-free clays and heavy loams, limestone eluvium, sandstone eluvium and alluvial deposits, which determine the diversity of the soil cover. In the study area, water erosion processes are developing, influenced by anthropogenic and natural factors such as planar and linear washout on slopes with a steepness of more than 2-3° and high ploughing of agricultural land. In terms of humus content, low-humus and medium-humus soils are widespread, accounting for 45.5 and 40%, respectively. The soil map was corrected and digitised to identify the main types and subtypes of soils, indicating the varieties at a scale of 1: 25,000. Digitised maps, taking into account the current state of soil fertility, are used to develop projects for inter-farm and intra-farm land management of organisations of the agro-industrial complex, state cadastral valuation of agricultural land, determination of land tax and development of measures to improve soil fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thallium (Tl) was introduced into Haplic Chernozem in the amounts of 3, 30, and 300 mg/kg, and biological indicators were observed at 10, 30, and 90 days after incubation in the laboratory experiment. An increase in biological activities; i.e., the total number of bacteria, Azotobacter spp. abundance, enzymes (catalase, dehydrogenases), and phytotoxic indicators (germination rate of radish) after 30 days of Tl exposure were noted. The total number of bacteria and Azotobacter spp. abundance, enzyme activity, and phytotoxicity were more sensitive (16-76%) and informative (12-65%) indicators compared to the control, respectively. Integral biological indicators of soil state (IIBS) noted at 10, 30, and 90 days decreased at a dose of 30 and 300 mg/kg by 13-43% in relation to the control. An increase in Tl concentration and duration of exposure (up to 90 days) inhibited biological properties and caused ecotoxicological effects, respectively. We concluded that the use of individual indicators served as an indicator of the state of the soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the results of complex research (research was conducted in 2019) of the Botanical natural monument territory "Pine forest near Venetsiya village" (Russia). In 2007, part of the nature monument territory was destroyed by a hurricane, resulting in massive windfall. The purpose of the research was to study the processes of evolution of natural complexes (vegetation and soil cover) in the areas affected by the hurricane. Classification of vegetation was done according to the Braun-Blanquet and Kopečký and Hejný approaches. NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) was used to estimate the amount of photosynthetically active biomass. Changes in morphological, physical and chemical properties were studied in the soil cover. The conducted research showed that the vegetation of the natural monument is represented by relict pine and broad-leaved pine forests. Under the pine canopy linden and birch are dominated. In the herb layer grow in various combinations of nemoral and boreal species. Soil cover is represented by Gray-humus (Umbric Luvisol). There is a strong transformation of vegetation in the areas damaged by the hurricane in 12 years (2007-2019). There is an active formation of highly productive herbaceous vegetation and renewal of deciduous stands, which leads to an increase in biomass (confirmed by changes in NDVI). The terminal stage of the restoration succession will be the formation of secondary deciduous and mixed nemoral forests. The active development of grass vegetation leads to the formation of a sod horizon on the surface of the soil with a thickness of about 14 cm. There is also an increase in the content of organic carbon, alkaline-hydrolyzable nitrogen and mobile phosphorus, the value of electrical resistivity increases and acidification of the soil solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the world, potatoes, as a food crop, are very important. One of the main reasons for the poor quality of planting material, yield and potatoes themselves are viral infections. The use of virus-free seed material is one of the high-potential ways to increase the yield and efficiency of potato production. Aeroponics is a promising direction in obtaining a virus-protected crop. This study aimed to assess the potential and improve the technology for growing healthy mini-tubers of potatoes using the aeroponic method, which is a safe and economical method. Compared to the usual method of growing crops, aeroponics assumes lower water and energy costs per unit of production, as well as excludes soil diseases of the plant and does not allow damage to the tuber caused by pests. For growing different varieties of crops in different regions, artificial conditions such as additional lighting in greenhouses can be easily provided. In this study, economic calculations have shown that, from a practical point of view, Aeroponics technology may be appropriate for large-scale production of seed potatoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses reserves of secondary raw materials, local organic fertilizers, and ameliorants (peat, sapropel, phosphogypsum, phosphorites, lignite coals, zeolites, gypsum, limestone) in the Republic of Bashkortostan. The effect of phosphogypsum and poultry manure on soil fertility and potato yields is studied. The use of gypsum to improve soil has been studied and used in agriculture and environmental restoration for many years. Most of the published literature is devoted to the influence of the use of gypsum on soil properties and not on yield. The paper presents the results of a field experiment on the use of phosphogypsum together with poultry waste, with detailed documentation of changes in the microelement composition of soils, the mode of precipitation, and the total yield after fertilizing. The results of the given work will be useful in determining gypsum application norms; there are also recommendations for future research on the use of gypsum for soil improvement. The yield improvement may be the result of an additive or synergistic effect; therefore, a metaanalysis of gypsum experiments is strongly recommended to improve recommendations for the use of gypsum in various environments. The optimal application rates of secondary raw materials are found. The soil humus сontent improves, and potato yield increases from 13.9 to 75.7 С/ha when phosphogypsum is applied separately and in combination with poultry litter. There is the nutritional value of the poultry manure, with the main elements as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Phosphogypsum is characterized with high content of strontium (14691 mg/kg) and rare earth elements (cerium - 1358 mg/kg, praseodymium - 123.9 mg/kg, neodymium - 418.5 mg/kg, samarium - 77.5 mg/kg, europium - 19.9 mg/kg, gadolinium - 58.9 mg/kg, terbium - 6.91 mg/kg and dysprosium - 25 mg/kg). The content of total element forms in phosphogypsum was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (IPC-MS) using a VG Plasma Quad and Elan-6100 mass spectrometer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern technologies make it possible to obtain a lot of diverse information about the soil properties using satellite images, but field studies are also required to create or refine digital soil maps. To create a digital soil map scaled 1:25 000 in 2016, a classical field study was conducted with the laying of soil sections in places with the same coordinates as in the mapping of 1982. It allowed to carry out retrospective monitoring of transformation of morphogenetic and agrochemical properties of soils of the southern forest-steppe of the Republic of Bashkortostan (Russia) for the 34-year period of farm use. Thus, the correction and digitization of the soil map allowed to establish that arable land occupies 69.792 ha (67.9%) in the structure of agricultural land (102 811 ha). The monitoring showed deterioration of the main characteristics of arable soil fertility: the diminishing of humus-accumulative horizons, significant decrease of humus content (p ≤ 0.05), a small but reliable acidification of the medium reaction and reducing labile phosphorus. Losses of organic matter occurred mainly in the most fertile soils; their proportion decreased from 55.9% of the total area of agricultural land to 12.4%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil monitoring plays an important role in the soil fertility control. It includes systematic observation over agrochemical, agrophysical and other soil changes. As things stand at the moment, farming industry is impossible without continuous land monitoring. The objects of the research are the soils of the Bugulma-Belebey Upland of the Belebey region of the Republic of Bashkortostan. According to the soil zoning, the Belebey region belongs to the Pre-Urals steppe zone. Geomorphologically it is situated in the south-easternmost tip of the Bugulma-Belebey Upland which is mostly a plateau-like plain. Thanks to the research results, agricultural manufactures got the possibility to use land resources effectively and to develop scientifically based arable farming systems. During the research soil maps of 1985 were corrected. A new actual digitized map of the Belebey region of the Republic of Bashkortostan was created. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]