SPACE MONITORING OF HYDROLOGICAL CHANGES IN ARALCASPIAN REGION

For the test sites of the Aralo-Caspian region subjected to degradation and desertification, the seasonal dynamics of the brightness temperatures of the underlying surface, measured from the SMOS satellite (Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity), was studied. On the example of a polygon in the northern part of the Caspian Sea, the influence of changes in the phrenological phases of the ice cover on the microwave radiation of the underlying surface is noted. The regularities of microwave radiation of inland water bodies and the sandy-saline desert Aralkum, formed on the site of the dried bottom of the Aral Sea, have been studied.

Rhizobium desertarenae sp. nov., isolated from the Saline Desert Soil from the Rann of Kachchh, India

A novel bacterial strain designated ADMK78T was isolated from the saline desert soil. The cells were rod-shaped, Gram-negative, and non-motile. The strain ADMK78T grows best at 28°C and pH 7.0 and can tolerate up to 2% (w/v) NaCl. Based on 16S rRNA gene phylogeny, the strain ADMK78T belongs to the genus Rhizobium, with the highest similarity to Rhizobium wuzhouense W44T (98.7%) and Rhizobium ipomoeae shin9-1T (97.9%). Core-genes based phylogenetic analysis revealed that the strain ADMK78T forms a distinct branch in between Rhizobium ipomoeae shin9-1T and Rhizobium selenitireducens BAA-1503T. The average nucleotide identity of ADMK78T was less than 82%, to members of the family Rhizobiaceae. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain ADMK78T is 58.6 mol%. The major fatty acids of strain ADMK78T were C18:0 and C18:1 ω7c. The strain ADMK78T showed differences in physiological, phenotypic, and protein profiles estimated by MALDI-TOF MS to its closest relatives. Based on the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic properties, and phylogenetic analyses, the strain ADMK78T could be distinguished from the recognized species of the genus Rhizobium. It is suggested to represent a novel species of this genus, for which the name Rhizobium desertarenae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ADMK78T (=MCC 3400T; KACC 21383T; JCM 33657T).