Assessment of ways to use pastures in semi-desert zone of West Kazakhstan

The authors presented research materials on the study of ways to use pastures in semi-desert zone of West Kazakhstan. Purpose. Study of ways of grazing farm animals to increase productivity and rational use of pastures. The research object is the pasture lands of “Miras” farm in West Kazakhstan region. The research tasks were to select the most effective way of grazing, ensuring preservation and improvement of quantitative and qualitative indicators of semi-desert zone pastures. The research scientific novelty is in the fact that the determined grazing methods allow rational use of pasture resources and increase feed capacity of pasture lands. The studies were carried out in a semi-desert zone of West Kazakhstan on a relief and sandy area of pastures. Results. Unsystematic use of pastures reduces quantitative and qualitative indicators. In summer studies, the highest content of weeds and poisonous plants (9 %) was found on a pasture of unsystematic grazing. When using this method, the proportion of cereals in the phytocenosis was at least 9 %. In the composition of the phytocenosis used in an unsystematic way, an increase in the proportion of wormwood was noted up to 15 %. Here, in comparison with the 2nd seasonal pastures, the share of herbs (poorly eaten) is also high – 21 %. On the pastures used in a unsystematic way in the spring, the yield of herbage reached only 3.81 c/ha, which is less than the seasonal pastures by 2.50–4.28 c/ha or 65.6–112.3 %. In a semi-desert zone, to provide agricultural animals with high-grade and high-quality fodder, as well as to create a stock and reduce the shortage of fodder, it is advantageous to use seasonal pastures with the inclusion of a distant pasture area in the pasture rotation. The use of distant areas for seasonal use of pastures, increasing the duration of the pasture period by 120 days, allows the farm to additionally create the volume of actual feed storage at the level of 5 499.5 centners, reducing the level of feed deficit by 2 119.7 centners or 81.03 %.

METHOD FOR RESTORING DEGRADED PASTURES IN THE SEMI-DESERT ZONE OF ASTRAKHAN REGION

Since ancient times, steppe pastures have been a source of balanced and cheapest animal feed, as well as insurance in bad weather, all year round. Thus, it is an ecological and economic potential that should be used effectively supporting and strengthening with the aim of moderate use of biological resources for the future generation.

Agroecology of Goychay District’s Soils of Azerbaijan

Goychay region has very suitable and unique lands for strategic agroecological monitoring. A dry steppe and semi-desert zone, which is characterized by a pronounced arid climate, is located at an altitude of 200–400 m above sea level, where the dominant soils in the territory are various subgroups of gray-brown soils and serozem types. The fact that soil studies in the Goychay region of the Azerbaijan Republic are less studied than in other regions, and there is no literature, is an innovative and urgent problem for soil scientists. The article presents some of the results of seasonal surveys, ecological expertise and biological diagnostics carried out in recent years. Biological diagnostics, environmental monitoring and assessment of these soils by modern methods are of great innovative importance for the development of agriculture in Azerbaijan. As a result of many years of agroecology research, the involvement of natural cenoses in agriculture has created conditions for obtaining high productivity from these soils

Grain Size Characteristics of Sediments Found in Typical Landscapes in the Playa of Ebinur Lake, Arid Central Asia

A playa usually refers to a salt desert landscape mainly composed of loose and fine lacustrine sediments. Severe wind erosion on a playa causes the playa to become a source of dust and salt dust and poses a threat to vast areas downwind. Currently, little is known about the impact of wind erosion on the particle size distribution of sediments in different landscapes in the playa. In the present study, six dominant different landscapes in a natural state with the same sedimentary environment in the playa of Ebinur Lake were selected to provide insights into the different characteristics of particle size distribution under the effect of long-term wind erosion. The results reveal that the grain-size composition clearly differed among different landscapes. All samples had a common dominant size group consisting of very fine sand and sand. The very fine sand and sand content of Haloxylon ammodendron desert zone (LS5) was the lowest, while the clay and silt content was the highest at both depths among the six landscapes. The lowest clay and silt fraction and highest sand fraction appeared in the herbal desert zone (LS3) at both depths. Almost all of the sediment samples were of a bimodal distribution mode, with significant differences. The cumulative curve showed a similar S-shape, while the probability cumulative curve showed an inverted S-shape with three subpopulations of granularity characteristics. The smallest mean particle diameter appeared in LS5. The majority of the sediments were moderately to poorly sorted. The mean particle size of the sediments from the six landscapes was significantly different (p < 0.05), while no significant difference was observed among the other three parameters. Generally, it can be inferred that LS5 can reduce wind speed effectively, probably due to the smaller leaves and dense branches of Haloxylon ammodendron, which results in a high level of coverage. The results of the present study will have some implications for the grain size characteristics for changes in intensity in regional wind erosion environment and will also have some basis for wind erosion prevention and control in the playa of Ebinur Lake.

A new species Lappula botschantzevii (Boraginaceae) from the Northern Africa

A new species, Lappula botschantzevii, is described from the desert zone of North-Western Africa. The new species belongs to the section Lappula and is close to the species L. patula, from which it differs in a smaller corolla, a scorpioid inflorescence (bilateral flowers) with loosely spaced flowers, a heteromorphic coenobium with two types of eremocarps: A) winged with glochids and a large number of spines along the edges of the disc of eremocarps and B) with a second short row of spines. The species is described based on samples from collections housed in three herbaria: Herbarium of the Komarov Botanical Institute RAS, Sankt-Peterburg (LE, Russia) and Muséum National d ‘Histoire Naturelle, Paris (P, France), Université de Montpellier (MPU). It is named after the Russian botanist Viktor Petrovich Botschantzev, who spent many years studying the flora of Africa and who collected samples of the new species. The absence of holotypes required the typification of the names of the studied species Lappula patula, L. capensis and L. eckloniana.

HYDROCHEMICAL STATE OF RIVERS IN THE SEMI-DESERT ZONE OF THE EAST EUROPEAN PLAIN (THE ERUSLAN RIVER BASIN, THE LOWER VOLGA)

The results of the assessment of the hydrochemical state of the plain rivers of the Yeruslan basin flowing in the semi-desert region of the Russian Plain are presented. The priority pollutants that most often exceed the MPC for fisheries-related water bodies are: organic matter, total phosphorus, copper, and nitrite nitrogen. In some areas of small rivers, there is a very high level of contamination with trace elements such as copper (up to 80 MPC) and manganese (up to 38 MPC). The conducted studies, taking into account the literature data, allow us to assert that the pollution of rivers is chronic and is largely due to the peculiarities of the hydrogeological conditions of the territory.

ECOLOGY OF NEMATODES OF THE FAMILY TRICHOSTRONGYLIDAE LEIPER, 1908

The purpose of these studies is to study the change in seasonal dynamics in nematodes of the family Trichostrongylidae Leiper, 1908 found in ruminants of Uzbekistan. The material was collected from small cattle in slaughterhouses in the Tashkent, Syrdarya, Andijan, Fergana, Kashkadarya, Surkhandarya, Navoi, Bukhara and Samarkand regions. Our studies showed that nematodes of the family Trichostrongylidae varied significantly in frequency of occurrence in small cattle in different regions and seasons of the year. The highest trichostrongyle infection in animals was observed in the Bukhara region (39.7%) and the lowest in the Andijan region (13.7%). The most favorable time for the development and reproduction of trichostrongyles is in spring and autumn when the trichostrongyle infection rate in ruminants averaged 8.3–55.3%, and the intensity of infection was 1–121 specimens. In the desert zone, the average annual prevalence in domestic ruminants is 43.5%, the intensity of infection is 1–279, in the adyr belts the average annual prevalence is 34.6% and the intensity of infection is 3–131 specimens, in the foothills the average annual prevalence is 34% and the intensity of infection is 2–193 specimens, in mountainous areas the average annual prevalence is 31.4% and the intensity of infection is 1–279 specimens.

Chemical and Biogeochemical Features of Desert Soils of the Central Fergana

The Fergana valley is a region critically important for food safety in Central Asia. The human-altered soils in Fergana are considered a key component of the transboundary region between sub-boreal and sub-tropic climatic zones. As the results of the investigation of irrigated chloride-sulfate saline soils near the surface showed the deep petrocalcic and petrosalic horizons at various depths with extremely low water and air permeability. The chemical, pedogeochemical, and biogeochemical properties of soils, the content of macroelements, trace elements, lanthanides and radionuclides, and the general geochemical characteristics of desert zone soils were investigated and determined. The background contents of the mentioned elements were recognized. The irragic, salic, gleyic, and gypsic horizons in soils were identified by WRB 2015. They can be used as reference horizons for biogeochemical studies and soil management activities. The irragic, gleyic, carbonate-gypsum horizons, evaporation, oxygenic, and other geochemical barriers were studied and revealed. The processes of accumulation, migration, and differentiation of chemical elements in solum as well as in parent materials occur with the joint effects of exogenous, endopedogenic, and artificial factors. These fluxes of elements, in turn, are affected by the nature of soils and parent materials. In this process, unexplored elements form only scattering fluxes. During the vegetation season, as well as the leaching period, considering the various horizons features will help to save significant amounts of irrigation water.