Influence of pesticides on the biological activity of light chestnut soils in South-East Kazakhstan

The paper discusses the impact of pesticides on the biological activity of soils, as well as an environmental assessment of the state of light chestnut soils by the Kazakh Research Institute of Agriculture and Crop Production with the aim to establish diagnostic indicators that reduce biological activity. The study covers physical, chemical and biological properties of soils under crops of winter wheat in the light chestnut soil in the South-East of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The content of pesticides in soil samples was determined using the gas chromatography mass-spectrometric method. The paper shows results of the chromatographic analysis of soil samples regarding the content of pesticides. The study of changes of light chestnut soil biological activity was conducted to determine their relative resistance to pesticide contamination. Data obtained revealed the degree of light chestnut soil resistance to pesticide contamination. The study also identified species of soil invertebrates, as well as soil enzymes that should be used as bioindicators for the monitoring of the contamination with pesticides. Results obtained expand knowledge about changes in the biological activity of light chestnut soils due to pesticide contamination in the ecosystems of South-East Kazakhstan. In contrast to abundance indicators, the results suggest that the species composition of soil organisms can be used as a criterion for a qualitative assessment of the soil exposure to pesticides

The influence of fertilisation on the water-salt regime in the conditions of the Mugan-Salyan massif, Azerbaijan

The article presents research data on the amount of salts in the irrigated soils of the Mughan-Salyan massif, their composition, water-salt regime, and their forecast. It was found that the soils on the territory of the massif were saline to varying degrees. In general, the area of non-saline soils in the massif is 125,650 ha, mildly - 272,070 ha, moderately - 210,560 ha, highly - 125,850 ha, very highly - 109,450 ha and saline soils - 27,520 ha. The absorbed bases in the soils of the massif were studied, and it was determined that they change depending on the amount of salts as follows: in mildly saline soils, Ca - 57.82-68.31%, Mg - 25.26-36.28%, Na - 5.49-6.43%; in moderately saline soils - 56.77-65.76%, 27.03-35.58%, 7.12-7.94%, respectively; in highly saline areas - 54.05–64.75%, 24.94-43.67% and 9.19-14.42%. As you can see, the soils are mildly and moderately saline. The soils in the surveyed areas are saline to varying degrees (i.e., the average value of salts in the 0-100 cm layer of the soil varies between 0.25 and 1.00%). The biological product used in these soils contains a wide range of macro and microelements, humic acids, fulvic acids, amino acids, vitamins and enzymes that do not contain BioEcoGum mineral fertilisers. This biological product was used for the first time and one of the main goals was to study the improvement of water-physical properties of soils after its use. Therefore, the water-salt regime of the soils of the study area was studied on three experimental sites selected for the area, the number of irrigations for different plants, and their norms were determined taking into account the depth of groundwater in the soils and shown in tabular form. They are widely used in farms and these regions, taking into account the proposed irrigation norms and their quantity

The Reactions of Photosynthetic Capacity and Plant Metabolites of Sedum hybridum L. in Response to Mild and Moderate Abiotic Stresses

In this article, for the first time, an experimental study of the effect of mild and moderate osmotic stress, NaCl content and the effect of low positive temperature on photosynthetic activity and composition of metabolites of immature plants Sedum hybridum L. is reported. In this representative of the genus Sedum adapted to arid conditions and having the properties of a succulent, a change in photosynthetic activity and an increase in the level of protective metabolites in the shoots were revealed when exposed to mild and moderate stress factors. The results of this study can be used in work on the adaptation of succulent plants to arid conditions, environmental monitoring and work on the directed induction of valuable secondary metabolites in succulents to obtain new herbal medicines