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It is well known that soil microorganisms play essential roles in the biogeochemical cycling of biogenic elements and soil-forming processes. However, little is known about the effect of the vegetation type on the bacterial community structures in soils from cold regions. For these reasons, we have analysed the bacterial communities of eight biotopes covered with different plants and two biotopes without vegetation in the Son-Kull Valley as the coldest corner in Kyrgyzstan. Using the culture-depended and culture-independent (16S rRNA gene sequencing) methods, we found 4 phylum (Actinobacteria- 55.0%, Proteobacteria- 30%, Firmicutes- 13%, and Bacteroides- 2%) and 5 classes of the bacterial community, with dominant classes of Actinomycetia (60.03%), Gammaproteobacteria (25.0%), Bacilli (10.0%), Bacteroidia (3.0%) and Alphaproteobacteria (2.0%). The dominant generalist genera were Arthrobacter, Pseudomonas, Actinobacter, Dermacoccus, Brevibacterium, and Micrococcus. The results have confirmed that bacterial community structures were significantly affected by the vegetation type and environment factor, such as temperature. The diversity of the bacterial community was higher in the rhizosphere of succulent vegetation with a short lifespan, that is, in ephemerals, and with a high content of organic matter, like manure, in soil. The soil under the snow harboured the highest proportion of uncultured bacteria, representing Actinobacteria phylum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In this study, wild-type fungal isolates, producing highly effective cellulolytic enzymes were selected for bioconversion of residues and waste from agriculture and rational utilization of energy resources for food production. Methods: We screened wild-type fungal isolates of Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Trichoderma with an enhanced ability to produce extracellular cellulase. We carried out solid-state fermentation on a medium of agricultural waste products, including wheat bran, beet peels, and cotton oil cake, as well as additional sources of nitrogen and mineral elements. Enzyme production by the fungal isolates was detected within 14 days of cultivation. Results: Of 17 strains of Trichoderma, Aspergillus, and Penicillium tested, we identified Penicillium strain K-2-25 and Trichoderma lignorium strain T-22 to have high cellulolytic activity. K-2-25 demonstrated the highest activity after 48 hours of cultivation. T-22 also showed significant cellulolytic activity. Penicillium strain K-2-25 showed cellulolytic activity for 98-270 hours during cultivation, and the amount of reduced glucose was 945 mg. T. lignorium T-22 was the second most active strain, with glucose reduction of 835 mg. Conclusion: The strains K-2-25 and T-22 will are be recommended for biotechnological applications, especially for bioconversion of poor hardly decomposable vegetable waste products, such as like straw, into useful biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat grain and its products are widely consumed as fodder and basic daily food stuffs in Kyrgyzstan. Mycobiota is known to produce hazardous effects to a consumer since it produces mycotoxins. Henceforth, mycobiota starting from the field stage to flour, grain and flour samples were selected for mycological analysis from eight sites of flour manufacture: grain stored in storehouses before milling, mechanically cleaned grain, washed grain, grain dried and prepared for mill, roughly-milled flour, first grade flour and high grade flour. The samples were analyzed using classical mycological and immunoassay methods in order to detect mycotoxins producing fungi species. We isolated overall 27 species belonging to 7 genera. Mycotoxins producing species like Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus ochraceus and Penicillium cyclopium were detected in the stored grains and in mechanically-cleaned grains. The species of Penicillium, Alternaria and Fusarium genera dominated in roughly-milled flour samples, so this site of flour manufacture still has a risk and danger of contamination with mycotoxins producing fungus. Only the final product i.e. the high grade flour lacked any fungal contamination. We recommend to scrutinize flour samples at the last stages of processing, particularly in the mills like ?1, ?1 and ?4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During this work we detected 5 species of pathogenic fungi that damage seedlings and saplings of the Tiang—Shang spruce fir, which cause a perceptible damage to the coniferous nurseries of Northern Kyrgyzstan and require activities to protect the woods. The biological activity of Streptomyces metabolites for raising the resistance of seedlings to phytopathogenic fungi was tested in laboratory and field conditions during three seasons. In order to evaluate the biological activity of Streptomyces preparations as biological agents, we have soaked the seeds in the suspension of Streptomyces metabolites with the concentrations of 50, 100, 500 mg per liter. In other variant, the seeds were at first processed in the culture of pathogenic fungi as infectious drowning of sprouts (Fusarium, Alternaria), crown rot of sprouts (Sclerotinia graminearum Elen.) and grey dew of needles (Hypodermella sulsigena Tub.), then they were treated in the suspension of Streptomyces. Also we have used a spraying treatment with the suspension of Streptomyces metabolites of the one-year-old seedlings of Tiang—Shang spruce fi r already staggered and dying from infectious drowning. The best results against the Alternaria culture were demonstrated by the use of preparation S. griseogromogenes 2ч-8 at the concentration of 500 mgs per liter, which provided the safety of sprouts to 80.2%. Preparations of S. rubrogriseus ??2-5, S. wistariopsis ?Π3-13 and S. griseogromogenes 2ч-8 were effective in protection of sprouts from Fusarium sp. cultures. They provided safety of sprouts to 80% on average. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review describes the latest achievements in the development of encapsulated controlled-release fertilizers, which encompasses sustainability issues in agriculture. The research community's interest in this particular area of science has doubled over the last couple of years due to the yearly increasing complexity of the food and supply situation, as well as maintaining the development of modern society in the era of population outbreak. This review covers demand in timely systematization and comprehensive analysis of emerging research in so-called "smart fertilizers" that release mineral components in accordance with the needs for nutrients classified into controlled- and slow-release fertilizers (CRFs and SRFs). Along with the thoroughly selected fundamental studies published in this area, the review specially focuses on the materials-based classification, emphasizing the importance of the host matrix in the time-controlled release of dopant. This substantially differentiates our review and renders scientific novelty and relevancy to it. The review is divided into sections, dealing with the types of slow- and controlled-release fertilizers each, and supplemented with the critical view on their usage. All data regarding encapsulated fertilizers in this review are systematized for the convenience of the readership when becoming familiarized with the latest achievements in this area. Perspectives and potential pathways are also described to recommend and guide researchers working on the related academic fields., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Aleksander Butlerov reports equipment, drugs, or supplies, statistical analysis, travel, and writing assistance were provided by Institute of Chemistry, Kazan (Volga region) Federal University. Rustem R. Zairov has patent pending to patent will be filed later. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Heavy metals (HMs) are widely used in various industries. High concentrations of HMs can be severely toxic to plants, animals and humans. Microorganism-based bioremediation has shown significant potential in degrading and detoxifying specific HM contaminants. In this study, we cultivated a range of bacterial strains in liquid and solid nutrient medium containing different concentrations of different HMs to select and analyze bacteria capable of transforming HMs. The bacterial strains most resistant to selected HMs and exhibiting the ability to remove HMs from contaminated soils were identified. Then, the bacterial species capable of utilizing HMs in soil model experiments were selected, and their ability to transform HMs was evaluated. This study has also generated preliminary findings on the use of plants for further removal of HMs from soil after microbial bioremediation. Alcaligenes faecalis, Delftia tsuruhatensis and Stenotrophomonas sp. were selected for their ability to grow in and utilize HM ions at the maximum permissible concentration (MPC) and two times the MPC. Lysinibacillus fusiformis (local microflora) can be used as a universal biotransformation tool for many HM ions. Brevibacillus parabrevis has potential for the removal of lead ions, and Brevibacillus reuszeri and Bacillus safensis have potential for the removal of arsenic ions from the environment. The bacterial species have been selected for bioremediation to remove heavy metal ions from the environment.

(1) Background: The entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae sensu lato forms a species complex, comprising a tight cluster made up of four species, namely M. anisopliae sensu stricto , M. pinghaense , M. robertsii and M. brunneum . Unambiguous species delineation within this "PARB clade" that enables both the taxonomic assignment of new isolates and the identification of potentially new species is highly solicited. (2) Methods: Species-discriminating primer pairs targeting the ribosomal intergenic spacer (rIGS) sequence were designed and a diagnostic PCR protocol established. A partial rIGS sequence, referred to as rIGS-ID800, was introduced as a molecular taxonomic marker for PARB species delineation. (3) Results: PARB species from a validation strain set not implied in primer design were clearly discriminated using the diagnostic PCR protocol developed. Using rIGS-ID800 as a single sequence taxonomic marker gave rise to a higher resolution and statistically better supported delineation of PARB clade species. (4) Conclusions: Reliable species discrimination within the Metarhizium PARB clade is possible through both sequencing-independent diagnostic PCR and sequencing-dependent single marker comparison, both based on the rIGS marker.

Purpose: Predatory fungi have been the subject of fundamental studies and their potential as biological control agents against parasitic plant nematodes has been assessed. The aim of the present study was to isolate and identify predatory fungi, performing in vitro and in vivo screening to select highly active strains to control parasitic nematodes., Methods: Different nutrient media were used to isolate predatory fungi and determine their morphological and cultural properties. Identification was performed by classical and molecular biology methods. In vitro and in vivo screening was conducted to select highly active strains., Results: Twelve isolates of Arthrobotrys oligospora (Orbiliomycetes) found in nature were investigated for their predaceous efficacy against garlic stem nematodes (Ditylenchus dipsaci). The effect of temperature and pH on the growth rate and trap formation of representative isolates was determined and isolates were characterized by light microscopy and molecular markers. BLAST was used to sequence the rDNA internal transcribed spacer of A. oligospora isolate KTMU-7. The optimum growth of A. oligospora strains was achieved at 20-25 °C on 1-2% corn meal agar (CMA) within the pH range of 5.6-8.6. The factors responsible for the trap formation of these fungal strains were identified. In vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to evaluate the nematicidal activity of local predatory fungal isolates against soil nematodes., Conclusions: Preliminary studies proved A. oligospora to be a potentially effective biological control agent, immobilizing 85.7 ± 2.19% of garlic stem nematodes in soil from the rhizosphere of potato plants., (© 2021. Witold Stefański Institute of Parasitology, Polish Academy of Sciences.)

We report on the enzootic foci of the insect pathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana, found in high meadows in the middle mountain steppes of Kyrgyzstan, at elevations from 1000 m to 2200 m. The growth characteristics of various B. bassiana isolates on different media and as a function of temperature were studied. In addition, the ability of the fungal isolates to produce enzymes with amylase, protease and lipase activities was investigated. Dense biomass production on inexpensive solid media (oatmeal and bean oil meal) produced conidia used for insect bioassays targeting white grub larvae (Phyllophaga fullo, Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) and nymphal and adult populations of whiteflies (Trialeurodes vaporariorum, Hemiptera, Aleyrodidae). The efficacies of the tested B. bassiana strains for third instar white grub larvae varied, with only two strains showing high entomopathogenic activity. At 25 °C, mortality reached 73% for Bav.5-Gal and 74% for Bav.1-Lep at 55 d post-infection, but was lower, 27% and 29%, respectively, at 12 °C. These two strains produced significantly higher mortality in adult and whitefly nymphs, with 65-75% mortality 6 d post-infection. Based on morphological characters, including production of ellipsoidal conidia, and molecular characters (ITS, partial 18S (SSU rDNA) and EF1-α sequences), the isolates were identified as Beauveria bassiana belonging to Clade E from Asia. Our results add to data on the diversity of ecosystems inhabited by B. bassiana and provide a local resource for pest control efforts., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

In Kyrgyzstan, many former storehouses and dump sites for obsolete pesticides exist. In 2009/2010, an inventory and assessment of these sites including risks of environmental hazard has been conducted by FAO and the World Bank. Monitoring revealed high concentration of pesticides listed as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The purpose of this research was to study the microbial structural complexes of the pesticide-contaminated soils in these dumping zones, and to search for and select microorganism's destructors with cytochrome P450 genes for pesticide degradation. Culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches were used to determine the taxonomic composition of these bacterial communities. The universal primer set for the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene and the specific primer set P450R were used to amplify the cytochrome P450 hydroxylase gene. In soils from Suzak A and B and soils from Balykchy dumping sites, the bacteria from the Actinobacteria phylum (Micrococcus genus) were dominant. These bacteria made up 32-47% of the indigenous local microflora; bacteria species from the Pseudomonas genus (Gammaproteobacteria phylum) made up 23% in Suzak, 12% in Balykchy soils. Bacillus species from the Firmicutes phylum were found only in Suzak soils. The 16S rRNA analyses and the specific primer set P450R have revealed bacteria with cytochrome genes which are directly involved in the degradation process of organic carbon compounds. Experiments were carried out to help select active degraders from the bacterial populations isolated and used to degrade Aldrin in laboratory. Active bacterial strains from the Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus polymyxa population were selected which demonstrated high rates of degradation activity on Aldrin.