Dynamics of the Species Composition of Phytocenoses of Floodplain Mountain Meadows of the Carpathians Subject to Superficial Improvement

The conducted research of various authors has developed a number of measures for surface improvement of meadowland in various soil and climatic conditions. However, studies on the influence of such surface improvement measures as the use of organic and mineral fertilizers and sowing of perennial grasses and legumes in the sod on the dynamics of the species composition of Floodplain Mountain meadows of the Carpathians have not yet been conducted, which confirms the relevance of this study. The article presents the results of three-year studies conducted during 2017-2019 in the peasant farm of V.F. Martyshchuk (the Verkhovinsky District of the Ivano-Frankivsk region) to study the features of transformation of the species composition of natural phytocenoses of floodplain Meadows of the Black Cheremosh river of the mountain and forest belt of the Carpathians under the influence of their surface improvement with the use of organic and mineral fertilizers and sowing of a cereal mixture for haymaking use and Tribolium repens L. for multipurpose use. It was found that floodplain Meadow phytocenoses were mainly cereals and mixed grasses with a share of wild cereals of 57-58% (up to 15 of them % Festuca rubra L. s. str. and 5-6% of low-value ones in feed terms Calamagrostis arundinaceae (L.) Roth and Deschampsia caespitosa (L.) Beauv.), mixed grasses – 35-38% and unseeded Fabaceae 5-7%. When applying a set of measures for surface improvement of cereals and mixed grasses, low productive (within 1.95-2.15 t/ha of dry weight) floodplain mountain meadowlands, their species composition improved. For making P30K60 the content of wild plants increased by 2-5% Fabaceae, and N60P30K60 – by 9-10% unseeded Poaceae. For haymaking use, Poaceae with Phleum pratense L. and Festuca pratensis Huds. against the background of making N60P30K60 for sowing a mixture in the sod in the spring, their share increased to 74%, and for multi-year use and sowing Trifolium repens L. against the background of making P30K60 the quantity of Fabaceae increased to 44% or by 32%. The highest floral saturation (43 species from 19 families and 93-98% from perennials) was observed in variants without fertilization and with the introduction of P30K60 for multi-year use, which is 4-14 species more compared to haymaking use, or with the introduction of N60P30K60 and or with sowing a mixture of cereals on the background of N60P30K60 for haymaking use, or sowing Trifolium repens L. against the background of P30K60 for multipurpose use

Allergenicity to worldwide invasive grass Cortaderia selloana as environmental risk to public health

Allergies to grass pollen affects about 20% of the population worldwide. In the last few decades, the South American grass Cortaderia selloana (CS, Pampas grass) has expanded worldwide in a variety of countries including the USA, Australia and Western Europe. In many of these locations, CS has strikingly spread and has now been classified an invasive species. Many pernicious consequences of CS have been reported for local biodiversity, landscape and structures. However, the effect on human health has not been studied. To investigate this issue, we have chosen a European region on the northern cost of Spain where CS spread is overwhelming, Cantabria. We obtained CS pollen extract and analysed the allergenic reaction of 98 patients that were allergic to pollen of local grasses. We determined the skin reaction and the presence of specific IgE antibodies (sIgE) to CS or to a typical autochthonous grass, Phleum pratense. We also compared the seasonal symptoms with reported grass pollen counts in the area. The results strongly suggest that CS can cause respiratory allergies at a similar extent to the local grasses. Given that CS pollinises later than the local grasses, this would extend the period of grass allergies in the region for about three months every year, as stated by most of the patients. This is the first study reported on the effects of the striking expansion of CS on human health. Considering the strong impact that respiratory allergies have on the population, our results suggest that CS can currently constitute a relevant environmental health issue.

Pollen Sensitization in Association with Allergic Rhinitis in preschool asthmatic Children

Background Grass pollens are significant elicitors of IgE-mediated allergic disease in the world and timothy grass (Phleum pratense) is an important pollen in allergy induction. Objective We sought to determine the rate of pollen sensitization in group of Egyptian asthmatic children with allergic rhinitis using timothy grass pollen as a potential triggering factor for allergic rhinitis. Patients and Methods This analytical cross sectional study was conducted on a group of preschool children following up at the Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Clinic, Children's Hospital, Ain Shams University during the period from December 2018 to April 2019. We enrolled 52 asthmatic children with concomitant allergic rhinitis sampled in a consecutive manner. They were subjected to skin prick testing for timothy grass pollen, positive histamine control and negative control. Results The study revealed high frequency of timothy grass pollen(TGP) sensitization occurring in 60.3% of patients with concomitant allergic rhinitis .wheal diameters pointed to sensitization only rather than actual allergy to TGP. TGP sensitization showed no significant correlation to disease duration. Children with rhinosinsuitis had comparable rates of TGP sensitization to those without rhinosinsuitis. Conclusion It is concluded from our results that sensitization to timothy grass pollen (TGP) is common in allergic rhinitis. The findings are limited by the sample size and consecutive manner of sampling. Wider scale studies are needed to accurately evaluate the frequency of timothy grass pollen (TGP) sensitization in our country.

The yield of legume-gramineous ecosystems with various varieties of red clover on the Non-Chernozem drained lands

Изучение урожайности трёхкомпонентных бобово-злаковых травосмесей с различными сортами клевера лугового проводилось в Тверской области на опытном поле ВНИИ мелиорированных земель в 2018–2020 годах. Опыт заложен в 2018 году на осушаемой дерново-подзолистой почве. Изучались следующие сорта многолетних трав: клевер луговой (Trifolium pratense L.) Кретуновский, Грин, Шанс, Фаленский 86; люцерна изменчивая (× Medicago varia Mart.) Вега 87; тимофеевка луговая (Phleum pratense L.) ВИК 9 и овсяница луговая (Festuca pratensis L.) Сахаровская. В 2020 году наиболее высокими темпами роста обладали травостои второго года пользования с ранними сортами клевера лугового Кретуновский и Грин в смеси с тимофеевкой луговой сорта ВИК 9 — 67–70 см при густоте стеблестоя 495–852 шт./м2. Наиболее продуктивными на осушаемых землях показали себя смешанные травостои люцерны изменчивой, клевера лугового и тимофеевки луговой. Трёхкомпонентные агрофитоценозы укосного типа на основе сортов клевера лугового Кретуновский, Грин, Шанс, Фаленский 86, люцерны изменчивой и тимофеевки луговой сформировали урожай кормовой массы 35–39,7 т/га. Травосмесь тимофеевки луговой с раннеспелым сортом клевера Шанс сформировала два укоса с выходом сухой массы 9,5 т/га, овсяницы луговой — 9,0 т/га. Отмечено хорошее качество полученной растительной массы: содержание переваримого протеина составило 18,9–19,5 г/кг при энергетической питательности 1,09–1,26. В растительной массе травосмесей с овсяницей луговой содержание переваримого протеина было выше, чем в смесях с тимофеевкой луговой, на 1,1 г/кг корма в первом и на 2,41 г/кг корма во втором укосе. По содержанию кормовых единиц в 1 кг корма питательность кормовой массы в зависимости от состава исследуемых смесей была равноценна — 0,23–0,24. The investigation took place in the Tver region on the trial field of the All-Russian Research Institute of Reclaimed Lands in 2018–2020. The research tested the yield of trinary legume-gramineous ecosystems with various varieties of red clover. The field trial was carried out on the drained sod-podzolic soil in 2018. The following perennial grasses were studied: red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) “Kretunovskiy”, “Grin”, “Shans”, “Falenskiy 86”; bastard alfalfa (× Medicago varia Mart.) “Vega 87”; common timothy (Phleum pratense L.) “VIK 9”; and meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis L.) “Sakharovskaya”. Growth rates were the highest in the mixtures with short-season red clover varieties “Kretunovskiy”, “Grin”, and common timothy. In 2020, these variants reached height of 67–70 cm and density of 495–852 plants per m2 in the second year. Trinary ecosystems to be cut with bastard alfalfa, red clover “Kretunovskiy”, “Grin”, “Shans”, “Falenskiy 86”, and common timothy provided the maximum yield on the drained lands — 35–39.7 t ha-1. The mixture of common timothy with short-season red clover “Shans” formed 9.5 t ha-1 of dry mass per two cuts, meadow fescue — 9.0 t ha-1. The feed mass showed high quality: digestible protein content was 18.9–19.5 g/kg, energy nutrition was 1.09–1.26. Mixtures with meadow fescue exceeded the ones with common timothy in digestible protein content by 1.1 g/kg in the first cut and by 2.41 g/kg — in the second one. Different variants showed almost no variation in feed units per 1 kg of forage — 0.23–0.24.

The influence of oil pollution on the growth and development of phleum pratense, festuca pratensis, phalaris canariensis

Purpose of the study: to study the effect of oil pollution on the morphological parameters of cereal grasses: canary grass, timothy grass and meadow fescue. Tasks: assessment of the impact of oil pollution of soils on seed germination, growth and development of the studied species by morphological parameters; analysis of the species variability of the studied indicators. Oil-contaminated high-moor peat was used as a substrate. Objects of research: seeds of cereal grasses: meadow timothy Phleum pratense L, 1753, meadow fescue Festuca pratensis Huds, canary grass Phalaris canariensis. Evaluation of the effect of oil-contaminated soil was carried out on the basis of changes in seed germination and morphological parameters: plant mass, leaf length, length and number of roots. The experimental results were processed by the method of variation statistics. As a result of studying the effect of oil-contaminated peat on seed germination, it was found that in the variants of the experiment with the minimum oil content, no differences were noted with the control values. The maximum concentration of oil (10,000 mg / kg) reduced seed germination by 924%. With an increase in the oil content in the soil, the morphometric parameters of all the studied species of cereal grasses also decreased. The greatest differences in the studied test functions, in comparison with the control variant, were noted in canary grass, the smallest in meadow fescue.

The Usefulness of Mixtures with Festulolium braunii for the Regeneration of Grassland under Progressive Climate Change

The climate warming and changes in weather patterns in Europe are negatively affecting the structure of grassland swards. The disappearance of valuable forage grasses can be observed. Therefore, in order to keep grassland productivity high, high-yielding grasses of good quality that are resistant to changes in the weather are being sought. At the moment there are few publications which present the long-term influence of changing weather conditions on meadow sward structure and its fodder value. This study aimed to assess the suitability of grass mixtures with Festulolium braunii for grassland renewal by full tillage on organic soil, taking into account atmospheric conditions. The experiments were carried out in the years 2009–2018 on a meadow complex located on organic soil in the Randow river valley, near Ramin (Germany). Grassland restoration was carried out by the method of full cultivation in three experiments with different proportions of Festulolium braunii and Lolium perenne (the existing grassland was eliminated and seeds of a new grass mix were sown). The meadow experiments were established using the method of random blocks in four repetitions Detailed studies included: floristic composition of meadow sward, fresh and dry mass yields, and content of: crude protein, soluble sugars, raw fiber, and net energy NEL (net energy lactation) concentration. Festulolium braunii, Poa pratensis, Dactylis glomerata, and Phleum pratense proved to be more resistant to low temperatures in winter and excess water in spring than Lolium perenne. The largest production potential of fresh and dry mass was found in mixtures with a high content of Festulolium braunii Festulolium braunii tolerates varied and unfavorable weather conditions (frosts during snowless winters, spring frosts and waterlogging, and droughts) very well and provides a stable good quality sward yield (favourably affected the carbohydrate and protein content of the sward). Lolium perenne, on the other hand, decreases its share in the sward under unfavorable weather conditions.

Isolation and Identification of Two Potent Phytotoxic Substances from Afzelia xylocarpa for Controlling Weeds

Phytotoxic substances released from plants are considered eco-friendly alternatives for controlling weeds in agricultural production. In this study, the leaves of Afzelia xylocarpa (Kurz) Craib. were investigated for biological activity, and their active substances were determined. Extracts of A. xylocarpa leaf exhibited concentration-dependent phytotoxic activity against the seedling length of Lepidium sativum L., Medicago sativa L., Phleum pratense L., and Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the A. xylocarpa leaf extracts led to isolating and identifying two compounds: vanillic acid and trans-ferulic acid. Both compounds were applied to four model plants using different concentrations. The results showed both compounds significantly inhibited the model plants’ seedling length in a species-dependent manner (p < 0.05). The phytotoxic effects of trans-ferulic acid (IC50 = 0.42 to 2.43 mM) on the model plants were much greater than that of vanillic acid (IC50 = 0.73 to 3.17 mM) and P. pratense was the most sensitive to both compounds. In addition, the application of an equimolar (0.3 mM) mixture of vanillic acid and trans-ferulic acid showed the synergistic effects of the phytotoxic activity against the root length of P. pratense and L. sativum. These results suggest that the leaves of A. xylocarpa and its phytotoxic compounds could be used as a natural source of herbicides.