Flora of the Cemeterial Territories of Volgograd and the Village of Arzgir of Stavropol Territory

For the first time, the article provides information about the features of the plant community of the cemeterial territories of Volgograd and the village of Arzgir of Stavropol Territory. The inventory of plants was carried out by the route method. Each route was about 10 km. For the first time, such cemetery territories were studied: the cemetery of the village of Gornaya Polyana and the Kirov cemetery in Volgograd, cemeteries No. 1 and No. 2. in the village of Arzgir of Stavropol Territory. The identification of samples was carried out by standard methods in the Laboratory of Experimental Biology of Volgograd State University (VolSU). The collected species are stored in the Botanical Herbarium of the University. The article presents an annotated list of cemeteria plants, including 44 species, indicating data on habitats and the date of collection. This annotated list will be the basis for conducting monitoring studies in the field of environmental protection, as well as optimizing the regional network of protected areas. A comparative analysis of the flora of the studied territories was carried out, according to which a slight difference was revealed. This difference is explained by the fact that the cemeterial territories of Volgograd is located inside the largest urbanized city, unlike the small village of Arzgir, and the species composition of plants in these two territories depends on the person because most of the species are cultivated. The data obtained as a result of the study will be used to develop questions of systematics, geography and ecology of plants. The revealed diversity of plants in the studied regions expands our knowledge about the ecology and distribution of species, allows us to systematize and generalize the available information, and also makes it possible to predict further botanical finds.

Regular Monitoring of the Condition of Soils and Green Plants As a Direction for Assessing the Quality of the Urban Environment

This paper examines the existing in the Russian Federation approaches to assessing the quality of the urban environment, the concept of the quality index of the urban environment; the analysis of indicators for calculating the quality index of the urban environment and the factors that form the ecological well-being of the urban environment for the local population has been carried out. The territory of the northern industrial hub of Volgograd was chosen as the object of research, in particular, the zone of influence of the ferrous metallurgy enterprise AO “VMK ‘Krasny Oktyabr’”, which has a historically specific location relative to the functional zones of the city. The analysis of the results of monitoring the content of mobile forms of heavy metals in the soil cover, carried out by the method of atomic absorption spectrometry, and the assessment of the general life state of tree green plantations in the territory of the sanitary protection zone of the enterprise based on the enumeration of trees is presented. The identified zone of influence of the enterprise, taking into account the presence of additional sources of pollution of the soil cover and MPC of metals, instead of their background concentrations, extends for 3.5–3.7 km from the border of the enterprise in the form of elongated areas of increased concentrations. Cartographic visualization reveals the presence of two clearly pronounced foci of pollution located to the west of the existing SOC of the enterprise. When assessing the general condition of trees, it is also possible to recognize the worst territory of the test plots located to the west of the operating TWCs in accordance with the directions of the prevailing winds. The data obtained confirm the feasibility of organizing regular monitoring of the soil cover and the state of green forests in the city as one of the directions for assessing the quality of the environment and taking these indicators into account when calculating the quality index of the urban environment.

Dandelion Taraxacum officinale L. As a Promising Tool for Bio-Diagnostics of the State of the Urban Environment

The need to expand the list of organisms used in environmental biodiagnostics arises from the variety of pollutants and types of man-made effects on the biosphere. The choice of available test organism should be based on easily detectable and differentiable sensitivity to factors, high reproducibility of seed material, alignment of the genetic line used by the gene pool and phenotype. The paper presents the results of the soil contamination of urban agglomeration study by the bioindication and biotesting method using a dandelion as a bioindicator plant and a test organism. Within the study, the generation of dandelion was obtained and investigated for applicability in biotesting. During the first stage of the study, soil samples were taken in the influence zone of VOAO Khimprom and near the 2nd Prodol’naya avenue of Volgograd. Germination of dandelion seeds showed noticeable differences in growth rates both in comparison with control and in comparison, of prototypes with each other. At the end of the first stage, numerous apomictic seed offspring were obtained to excrete the aligned genetic lineage of test organisms. The expansion of the list of contaminated locations by counting the territories adjacent to the VMK Krasnyi Oktyabr’ showed the detected differentiated physiological reaction of test organisms grown in experimental soil samples. The results of the study confirm the postulate on soil contamination of urban locations with physiologically active pollutants and also characterize the used plant as a sensitive and easily reproducible test organism under artificial conditions. During the two-year experiment the possibility of selecting the genetic lineage Taraxacum officinale with predictable and monotonous properties was proved due to the tendency of this species to apomixis.

Sorbents of Phenols As a Components of the Nutritional Medium in Microclonal Reproduction of Plants

In the process of microclonal reproduction, plants secrete various substances into the nutrient medium, for example, phenolic compounds, which act as inhibitors of growth processes and, accordingly, prevent the normal development of explants in vitro. Plant tissues are treated with stabilizing substances, and various sorbents are also used as components of the nutrient medium to neutralize the negative effects of phenols. This paper presents an overview of the approved methods for solving the problem of sorption of phenolic compounds during microclonal propagation of plants. Various studies are considering the addition of certain components to the nutrient medium that prevent the release of harmful growth-inhibiting substances. Most often, various carbon compounds, such as activated carbon, are used as an adsorbent. The authors, based on the analysis of domestic and foreign literature on this topic, conclude that the most effective and frequently used are carbon compounds and the polymer polyvinyl pyrrolidone, less common is the use of the following inhibitory substances: ascorbic and citric acids, silver nitrate and mercury chloride. According to the results of the conducted analytical studies, the prospects of using such substances as thermally expanded graphite (TEG) and colloidal silicon dioxide as sorbents in the composition of the drug “Polysorb” were revealed. Due to the inhomogeneous porous structure, including both micropores and meso- or macropores, TEG is able to adsorb pollutants both from the solution and from the water surface, which makes it a potential sorbent for phenolic compounds. The effect of silicon dioxide, in amorphous form, on plants in vitro has already been successfully tested by some researchers, which indicates the prospects of its study.

Rice Cultivation Technology at Low-Pressure Drop Irrigation in the Conditions of Kyzylorda Region

The article explores the method of drip irrigation of agricultural crops, which provides a high coefficient of irrigation water (80–95%) and land (95%) use. This method helps to significantly save irrigation water by reducing losses for evaporation and filtration outside the root system zone, which eliminates surface runoff, unevenness of irrigation and creates the ability to maximize the use of irrigated areas for agricultural crops. The use of drip irrigation in vegetable production in the south of Kazakhstan since 2000 has radically changed the approach to the “water – soil – plant” complex. The authors believe that a metered feeding regimen would form a new approach to irrigation of agricultural crops, such as rice. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) as a food culture serves as one of the products consumed in food. It is grown in 120 countries on the area of more than 165 million hectares. Rice, unlike other agricultural crops, has a high biological plasticity and adaptive ability, which in modern agriculture allows it to be cultivated in a wide range of climatic conditions and irrigation methods, such as flooding, periodic irrigation and dry conditions. In world practice a continuous flooding of checks was the most widespread method of watering. This technology consumes about 50% of the total volume of irrigation water or 30% of the world’s fresh water reserves. The irrigation rate of rice cultivated with the use of this technology is in the range of 20–25 thousand m3/ha, which significantly exceeds the biological water consumption of rice agrocenosis. A significant part of the irrigation water is lost for filtration, discharges and lateral outflows. Currently, the use of drip irrigation method in rice fields is poorly studied. The research is aimed at substantiating the technology of rice cultivation using a low-pressure drip irrigation method in the conditions of Kyzylorda region

Microbiological Indicators of Meadow-Brown Soils of Natural Cenoses

The article presents data on microbiological indicators of meadow-brown soils of semi-humid subtropics of the Lenkoran region. Meadow-brown soils are typical representatives of a number of hydromorphic soils of Azerbaijan. These soils are formed under sparse forests and shrub plantations with well-developed herbage. The soil-forming rocks are deluvial-proluvial deposits of clay composition. The influence of groundwater and surface runoff on soil formation is periodic. In the described soils, biological processes, including the activity of microorganisms, take place at moderate moisture level (10–25%) and temperature (18–23 °C). The paper presents a comparative analysis of the total number of microorganisms (in a layer of 0–50 cm) between typical meadow-brown, meadow-brown leached, meadow-gray-brown and gray-earth-meadow soils. We have shown changes in the total amount of microbiota for individual horizons of meadow-brown soils. Changes in the quantitative indicators of the microbiota of the studied soils also affect their overall biogenicity. A close relationship has been established between humus and the number of microorganisms. As the humus decreases in individual horizons, an adequate decrease in the number of microbiota is noted. If in 0–5 cm, 5–10 cm, 10–15 cm layers the amount of microbiota varied between 6,13–5,83–4,81 million per gram of soil, then in deeper layers of 15–20 cm, 20–25 cm, 30–40 cm, 35–50 cm, their number gradually decreases to 3,9–3,10–2,65–1,81–1,52 million per gram of soil.

Changes in the Territorial Organization of the “Volga-Akhtuba Floodplain” Natural Park with an Increase in Anthropogenic Load in the Period from the Beginning of the 2000s to 2020

The territory of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain within Volgograd region, included in the natural park Volga-Akhtuba floodplain, has been subjected to anthropogenic impact for many years. Initially, in order to regulate economic activities, the natural park space was divided into three functional zones: environmental, recreational, and agricultural. In subsequent years, within the natural park Volga-Akhtuba floodplain, due to the increased anthropogenic load on the landscapes, it became necessary to adjust the spatial organization of areas with different purposes. In the actual version of functional zoning, five functional zones (agrarian landscapes, environmental, recreational, extensive nature management and buffer) are presented. In order to determine the transformation of the natural park Volga-Akhtuba floodplain spatial organization, changes in the functional zoning of this specially protected natural area during the period from the beginning of the 2000s to 2020 were revealed with the use of geoinformation systems. Most of the lands have not changed their legal status. The agricultural zone underwent the main transformation, most of which were transferred to the recreational zone. The territory of environmental zone that includes the most valuable natural complexes and objects has been squeezed out to territories that are less profitable for nature users. The lands of the Sredneakhtubinsky district are most exposed to anthropogenic impact, since this municipality includes significant areas occupied by zones of extensive nature management and agrarian landscapes, within which the most destructive nature management for ecosystems is carried out, while the ratio of nature protection spaces to the area of the municipality is the smallest. In the Svetloyarsk district, the ecological situation is the most favorable, since almost the entire territory is occupied by an environmental functional zone.

Oxidative Stress of Plants: Chemistry, Physiology, Methods of Protection

Under conditions of biotic and abiotic stress, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are formed in plants, which causes oxidative stress. At the same time, ROS play additional signaling roles in plant adaptation to stress. The study of the mechanisms of this process makes it possible to develop new ways of protecting organisms, in particular, agricultural plants, from negative stress effects. This review describes the current understanding of oxidative stress – the process of inhibition of the vital activity of cells under the action of reactive oxygen species. The distinctive features of plant oxidative stress and two main pathways of metabolic protection – the jasmonate and salicylate pathways – are separately identified. Various ways of identifying oxidative stress are also given. Innovative methods of protecting agricultural plants from oxidative stress are considered: the use of biopesticides – rhizobacteria and microscopic fungi, elicitors – the youngest direction in creating effective methods of protection. It also describes a relatively outdated method of protection – the use of fungicides. These substances were included in the review due to the recent appearance of biodegradable preparations of this type. Special attention is paid to elicitors – substances that are not typical for plants, the appearance of which in the cell causes a chain of biochemical processes similar to the metabolism of plants under oxidative stress. The most studied substances with the properties of elicitors are described: salicylic acid, jasmonates, hytosan and hydrogen peroxide; their role in the chain of response reactions. As an alternative, isothiocyanates – the main components of the “mustard bomb” – the protective mechanism of plants of the cruciferous family are considered. Also, the latest studies of isothiocyanates in the metabolic processes of plants are described.

Legal Basis for Industrial Safety and Environmental Protection

Industrial enterprises and other business entities whose activities involve direct or indirect impact on environmental components must comply with legal requirements in the field of environmental protection. Over the past 5 years, there have been significant changes in environmental legislation. All objects that have a negative impact on the environment are subject to state registration. When registering an enterprise, it is subject to assignment to one of four categories of objects of negative impact, depending on the industry affiliation, production capacity, chemical composition of emissions, discharges, and other criteria. Currently, legislative innovations are aimed at business development and reducing the administrative burden on business entities, but this creates a threat to the safe operation of industrial facilities. There are more than 340 thousand objects of negative impact on the territory of Russia, of which one third is subject to Federal supervision. According to 2019 data, less than 4% of enterprises had their operational safety audits performed. The detection of violations of the requirements of legislation in the field of environmental protection, as well as failure to eliminate the identified violations, indicates the formation of potential threats to environmental safety. Taking into account the current economic crisis, in which solving environmental problems will not be a priority for business structures, the protection of the population and the natural environment is fully transferred to the state level.

Participation of Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 in Articular Cartilage Remodeling

Upon cartilage damage its natural recovery takes a long time. This is due to several reasons: the absence of blood vessels and low metabolic activity. In this regard, it is relevant to study the mechanism of operation of all components involved in the remodeling of cartilage tissue. For this purpose, protein insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) was taken as an object of research, since one of its main functions is regulation of cell proliferation, which is closely related to the process of cartilage tissue repair. It is known that in recent years, scientific studies have been conducted on the effect of IGF-1 on the remodeling of cartilage tissues, but in combination with other substances that stimulate more active cell regeneration. This review presents the features of the functional properties and protein structure and its main influence on chondrocyte proliferation for further development of accelerated and effective methods of IGF-1 action on cell growth and repair. The phylogenetic analysis of IGF-1 showed the most related organism for human IGF-1 and structural differences of its protein from human, which are inextricably linked with the functional characteristics of each of the organisms. The results of phylogenetic analysis in the future will identify the object for laboratory research in this question and the search for optimal ways to accelerate the process of remodeling of cartilage joints.