Description of buckwheat cultivars from Belarus and Ukraine in the environments of Leningrad Province

Background. Buckwheat is an extremely valuable groat crop in demand both in Russia and abroad. The buckwheat collection held by VIR is the largest in the world. Studying and systematizing knowledge about the conserved diversity of the genus Fagopyrum Mill. representatives cannot be efficient without switching to the use of the most detailed descriptors containing plant characters least dependent on differences in growing conditions.Materials and methods. Seventeen buckwheat cultivars from Ukraine and Belarus and two references from Russia were studied in Leningrad Province. The methodological basis of the study included the IPGRI buckwheat descriptors and personal recommendations of N. V. Fesenko. Statistical data processing was performed according to P. F. Rokitsky.Results. The cultivars formed their typical plant habitus and demonstrated good fruit setting − an average score was 3.3–4.9 out of five. The determinant stem growth was observed in 10 cultivars. The stem developed 2.7−6.7 generative nodes and 4–6 vegetative ones, while 1.9–4.7 generative and 0.8−2.3 vegetative nodes were formed on the two upper branches.Conclusion. The study confirmed that medium-ripening buckwheat can be grown in Leningrad Province. The modal value of the number of vegetative nodes for the studied cultivars was 4−5, which is an indicator of intermediate ripening. The results of studying the metamerism of the stem and the two upper branches, expressed by modal values, were recorded in the “agricultural fitness” passport for the tested cultivars as follows: determinant stem; branching zone 4+1+2; fruit-forming zone 3+3+3; average score of fruit formation 4.8. The presented data format most fully characterizes a cultivar in terms of the potential of its earliness and productivity. Depending on the task, indicators for the main stem or for the two upper branches can be used. Recording values in the form of a formula is convenient and does not imply any other meanings.

Cyclicity and individuality in the salt licking by moose, Alces alces (Linnaeus, 1758), in the North-West of the Russian Federation

Modern remote sensing methods contribute to the study of previously unexplored features of the vital activity of animals, including mineral nutrition of the largest terrestrial mammals in the North-West of the Russian Federation. In the article, seasonal observations of individual moose [Alces alces (Linnaeus, 1758)] on artificial salt licks were analyzed. The attendance of salt licks was monitored using automatic photo-video recorders (cam-era traps) from 2015 to 2020 on the territory of various hunting farms in 3 districts of the Leningrad Province. The annual, seasonal and daily cyclicity in the use of mineral feeding places by moose was revealed. For this research, from the total sample (n = 372) of registered individuals, 118 most reliably identified moose were specially selected, of which 72 (61%) showed cyclicity in salt licking with a certain frequency. In the remaining 46 individuals, the cyclicity was not observed for explainable objective reasons. Females, to a greater extent than males, are more settled in relation to places of mineral feeding, which is indirectly confirmed by the percentage in the selected groups. The time intervals between the periods of salt licking vary individually. Based on similar patterns of attendance inherent in most individuals, the nature of visiting artificial salt licks by moose during the active period of salt licking (April-November) is as follows: each “group of visits” consists of several (1–11 times per day) periods of salt licking for 1–5 days in a row, followed by a break of 10 to 20 days, followed by a repetition of the “group of visits”.

First record of the genus Colopterus (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) from Estonia and the designation of a neotype of C. truncatus

A sap beetle of the genus Colopterus, collected in the Estonian village of Vinni near the border between Estonia and the Leningrad Province, was identified as Colopterus sp. For fixation of the taxonomic interpretation established in the PhD thesis by L.E. Watrous without complying with the requirements of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, and in order to avoid probable further mistakes, a neotype for C. truncatus (Randall, 1838) is designated.

Laatokka: Suurjärven kiehtova rantahistoria

For the first time worldwide, this collection brings together analyses of the last two centuries of historical change around the shores and drainage basin of Lake Ladoga, Europe’s largest lake. The main focus of the narrative is the Northern Ladoga region, which was a Finnish administrative area between 1812 and 1944. After the Second World War, the entire shoreline of Lake Ladoga was incorporated into the northeast part of Russia’s border region, the Autonomous Republic of Karelia and the Leningrad Province. The main theme uniting this collection is how the relationship between humans and nature is shaped by industrialization and modernization in society. Other key issues include protecting nature and perspectives on particular places and times, which are reflected in the methodological and thematic choices made in this volume. The research framework set by the editor, Professor Maria Lähteenmäki, is the new lakefront history (Finn. uusi rantahistoria), focusing on approaches to environmental, economic and sensory history of lakes. To draw broad conclusions, on the one hand, the multilevel changes on the lakefront cannot be understood without knowledge of the history of the wider drainage basin, and awareness of the geopolitics of the region and the climate changes. On the other hand, the human relationship to natural waters has changed significantly in 200 years. Thinking in terms of economic benefit has gradually given way to principles of sustainable development. Lake Ladoga is also being redefined from a spatial perspective, as nationalist ownership of the region is coupled with global concern about the state of Europe’s largest lake.

Heteromericarpy of Heracleum sosnowskyi Manden. (Umbelliferae = Apiaceae)

Background. Heracleum sosnowskyi Manden. (family Umbelliferae = Apiaceae) is included in the lists of invasive species in many regions of Russia and European countries. Mericarps (fruits conventionally called seeds) of Heracleum L. spp. are characterized by an underdeveloped embryo and a complex morphophysiological type of dormancy; two-stage stratification is needed for their germination.Methods. In the period from 2014 to 2019, fruits of H. sosnowskyi were collected near settlements in Vyborg and Gatchina Districts, Leningrad Province; collecting was carried out from August through March. Seed size and 1000 seed weight were measured. Germination experiments were performed in the laboratory (22–24°C) monthly, from the time of collection in August until May. Seeds were germinated in Petri dishes on filter paper with three replications.Results. Large seeds on marginal umbellules of the central umbel were the largest in size. Their length was from 0.6 to 1.4 cm, width from 5 to 11 mm, and 1000 seed weight from 9 to 18 g. The length of smaller fruits was from 7 to 9 mm, width from 3 to 5 mm, and 1000 seed weight from 10.5 to 11.8 g. Germination of seeds collected in late summer was protracted. Under laboratory conditions, the emergence of the first seedlings was observed after 5–7 days. For the fruits stored in the laboratory, germination was reduced. Germination rate of stratified seeds varied from 55 to 99%.Conclusion. The biometric parameters of H. sosnowskyi mericarps were slightly affected by the place of growth and the year of maturation. Under laboratory conditions, H. sosnowskyi seeds collected in August showed germination rates from 3 to 15%. In years with a warm and long autumn, part of the fruit germinated in the year of maturation and managed to reach their juvenile state. Plump mericarps remained viable for at least three years. Sosnowsky’s hogweed fruits stored under laboratory conditions lost their germination ability within a year.

SPRING BREAD WHEAT : RESULTS OF FIELD STUDIES PERFORMED FOR MANY YEARS ON SPRING BREAD WHEAT ACCESSIONS IN LENINGRAD PROVINCE

This catalogue presents the results of a field study of VIR's spring bread wheat collection under the conditions of Leningrad Province, Russian Federation. All in all, 9,168 accessions were analyzed from 1945 through 2019. Variations were assessed for the selected set of main plant characters: duration of the growing season, plant height and resistance to lodging, field resistance to fungal diseases, yield and components of its structure. Sources of useful breeding traits studied for three or more years are shown in the tables. The identified sources of individual traits or their sets are recommended for wheat breeding programs in the Northwest and other regions of the Russian Federation. The catalogue is addressed to plant breeding experts.

Narrow-winged pyralids (Lepidoptera, Pyraloidea, Pyralidae, Phycitinae) of Leningrad Province and the city of St. Petersburg, Russia

An annotated list of 50 species of narrow-winged pyralids is provided, including the species, which were ever recorded in Leningrad Province and the city of St. Petersburg. Eleven species are new for the region, among them 6 species which are new for Northwest region of Russia; one species, Ephestia mistralella (Millière, 1874), is reported for Russia for the first time.