Ecosystem-bedrock interaction changes nutrient compartmentalization during early oxidative weathering

Ecosystem-bedrock interactions power the biogeochemical cycles of Earth's shallow crust, supporting life, stimulating substrate transformation, and spurring evolutionary innovation. While oxidative processes have dominated half of terrestrial history, the relative contribution of the biosphere and its chemical fingerprints on Earth's developing regolith are still poorly constrained. Here, we report results from a two-year incipient weathering experiment. We found that the mass release and compartmentalization of major elements during weathering of granite, rhyolite, schist and basalt was rock-specific and regulated by ecosystem components. A tight interplay between physiological needs of different biota, mineral dissolution rates, and substrate nutrient availability resulted in intricate elemental distribution patterns. Biota accelerated CO2 mineralization over abiotic controls as ecosystem complexity increased, and significantly modified stoichiometry of mobilized elements. Microbial and fungal components inhibited element leaching (23.4% and 7%), while plants increased leaching and biomass retention by 63.4%. All biota left comparable biosignatures in the dissolved weathering products. Nevertheless, the magnitude and allocation of weathered fractions under abiotic and biotic treatments provide quantitative evidence for the role of major biosphere components in the evolution of upper continental crust, presenting critical information for large-scale biogeochemical models and for the search for stable in situ biosignatures beyond Earth.Comment: 41 pages (MS, SI and Data), 16 figures (MS and SI), 6 tables (SI and Data). Journal article manuscrip

Specific features of telomerase RNA from Hansenula polymorpha.

Telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein, is responsible for the maintenance of eukaryotic genome integrity by replicating the ends of chromosomes. The core enzyme comprises the conserved protein TERT and an RNA subunit (TER) that, in contrast, displays large variations in size and structure. Here, we report the identification of the telomerase RNA from thermotolerant yeast Hansenula polymorpha (HpTER) and describe its structural features. We show further that the H. polymorpha telomerase reverse transcribes the template beyond the predicted boundary and adds a nontelomeric dT in vitro. Sequencing of the chromosomal ends revealed that this nucleotide is specifically present as a terminal nucleotide at the 3' end of telomeres. Mutational analysis of HpTER confirmed that the incorporation of dT functions to limit telomere length in this species

Sedimentary Ways

This paper is a thought experiment to attune to the geo-physical and geo-political materialities of sediment, a terra-aqueous substance produced when the earth's continental surfaces intra-act with the atmosphere and are chemically transformed by it. The paper is framed by questions of how to engage more closely with the dynamics of earth systems and of how social and political agency emerges alongside earth forces. Sediment is important to such questions because it is the mechanism by which the earth recycles itself and is thick with the climatological and geological histories that have conditioned the possibility of life on the planet. While acknowledging the import of Deleuze and Guattari's metaphysics to such questions, the paper takes a material approach to them. It is based on field work in Bangladesh, but also traverses a range of scientific, historical and theoretical literature. It is arranged in four sections that loosely correspond to the sedimentary cycle. It follows sediment from chemical processes on rock surfaces in the Himalayas, to its lively travels in monsoonal rivers across flood plains to its eventual deposition and subterranean diagenesis. In each section, the paper discusses the material processes at work, their socio-political enmeshments and the theoretical implications of these intra-actions. The paper concludes that sediment serves as a reminder not only of close entanglements of geo-physical and geo-political becomings, but also of the profound indifference of earth systems to human affairs, and asks what this might mean for the re-imagination of politics

Acid-basic and sorption characteristics of tungsten-containing materials based on saponite clay

Целью данной работы было выявить влияние модификации на кислотно-основные характеристики сапонитовой природной глины и глины, модифицированной магнетитом

‘TSHEDRY’ IS A NEW DROUGHT RESISTANT FORAGE VARIETY OF SPRING BARLEY

Barley is one of the basic crops cultivated in the world along with rice, wheat and maize (corn). Basic areas of barley in RF are located in the regions with insufficient and unstable moisture. The monitoring of agro climatic factors of the region showed that in the cold period the amount of precipitations increased, but in the main period of vegetation (May-July) it decreased. Due to aridity of climate during last 15 years the old varieties turned to be unadapted to increased drought.  That’s why it’s necessary to select new barley varieties, adapted to changing weather-climatic conditions to supply husbandry with constant fodder. A new spring barley variety ‘Tshedry’ which is more adapted to dry climate has been created and zoned in All-Russian Research Institute of Grain Crops after I.G. Kalinenko. In 2008 a spring barley variety ‘Tshedry’ was submitted for study in State Variety Center of RF. In 2011 it was included into the State Register of RF in the 6-th region, in 2013 in the 8-th region, in 2015 in the 5-th region of RF. Under progressing climate aridity of last years a new spring barley variety ‘Tshedry’ gives higher yields due to a full ear with large grain and strong biological resistance to drought during all periods of vegetation

Agrobiological characteristics of the new ultra earlyripening winter barley variety ‘Foks 1’

The purpose of current work was to conduct an economic and biological estimation of the main morphobiological traits and properties of the ultra-early-ripening winter barley variety ‘Foks 1’ in comparison with the standard variety. In connection with the increasing climate aridity in recent years, the relevance of the production uses of early-ripening varieties of grain crops, including winter barley, has increased. For several decades the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution “Agricultural Research Center “Donskoy” has been working in this direction, which resulted in the development of the new ultra early-ripening winter barley variety ‘Foks 1’. Since 2019 the variety ‘Foks 1’ has been included in the State List of Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation in the North Caucasus region. The variety parentage has the highly winter-resistant, lodging-resistant and large-grain varieties. The variety ‘Foks 1’ ripens on average 8–10 days earlier than the middle-ripening standard variety ‘Timofey’. On average, over the years of study in the Competitive Variety Testing (2017–2019), the trait “1000 grains weight” of the variety was 42.5 g, that of the standard variety was 40.2 g, the trait “grain nature” was 672 and 656 g/l, respectively. The trait “number of grains per head” of the new variety was 51, that of the standard variety was 45. The new variety formed an average yield of 8.1 t/ha, the excess over the standard was 0.5 t/ha. The variety ‘Foks 1’ was of a high level of winter tolerance and was resistant to lodging, it was also tolerant to damage by the main leaf diseases widespread in the region. The study results at the state variety plots of the Russian Federation and ecological testing in various soil and climatic zones have shown that the new ultra early-ripening winter barley variety ‘Foks 1’ under increasing climate aridity is undoubtedly of practical interest for cultivation in the North Caucasian region of the Russian Federation

The study of winter barley varieties of different ecological and geographical origins on the main economic-valuable traits and properties

The study of winter barley varieties of different ecological and geographical origins on the main economic-valuable traits and properties Barley is a grain crop of multiple uses; its grain can be used for various purposes. Barley productivity greatly varies on different areas of cultivation, that’s why we carry out ecological variety testing to reveal reactions of the varieties on different soil-climatic conditions. It allows selecting cultivars adapted to definite soil-climatic conditions. The purpose of the researches is to study main economic-valuable traits and properties of winter barley varieties in the conditions of the southern part of the Rostov region. The experiments have been conducted in the fields of experimental crop rotation of the department of barley breeding and seed-growing of the FSBSI “ARC “Donskoy” in 2014-2016. The objects of the study were 25 cultivars of winter barley of different ecological and geographical origins. As a result we have selected the varieties with various economic-valuable traits and properties. The varieties “Polet”, “Zhiguli”, “Erema”, “Timofey”, “Artel”, “Samson”, “Platon”, “Gordey”, “Romans”, “Andryusha”, “Espada” (Russia), “Khobbit”, “Vutan”, “Galation” (Switzerland) possess a complex resistance to leaf diseases. The varieties “Erema”, “Timofey”, “Vivat”, “Gordey”, “Romans” (Russia), “Vutan”, “Galation” (Switzerland) are the most productive and resistant to lodging

NEW VARIETY OF WINTER BARLEY ‘EREMA’

Barley is one of the basic grain forage crop. About 80% of the barley yields are used as forage. Russia ranks second in the barley production after the EC-27 countries. The Southern Federal District, where Rostov region is located, produces 15% of total barley production in Russia. The hybridization of varieties tolerant to winter, drought, lodging and diseases is one of the main task of winter barley breeding in All-Russian Research Institute of Grain Crops after I.G. Kalinenko. The article considers morphological and economic-biological characteristics of the new winter barley cultivar ‘Erema’, hybridized in the department of breeding and seed-growing of winter and spring barley of ARRI of Grain Crops after I.G. Kalinenko using the method of intraspecific complex gradual hybridization.  The new cultivar was included in the State Register of Selection Achievements of RF in 2015 for six regions. The variety is used for forage. The type of the development is winter. ‘Erema’ is characterized by high features of winter tolerance, resistance to lodging and productivity. During variety testing (2012-2014) the average productivity of the cultivar was 6,9 t/ha, which was 1,2 t/ha more than the standard variety ‘Master’ produced. Introduction of winter wheat variety ‘Erema’ will allow stabilizing grain production in the south of Russia

The new facultative barley variety ‘Vivat’ adapted to the conditions of the North Caucasus

Barley has a prominent role in the grain balance, because it is a valuable crop with many various uses. Barley ranks second in its sown area, both in Russia and in the Rostov region. Previously, spring barley was used as an insurance crop for “restoring” the frozen crops of winter barley. Currently, for this purpose, facultative barley varieties are used, capable of giving yields both when sown in au­tumn and in spring. The aim of the research was to create a facultative barley variety, combining high productivity, quality and resistance to extreme environmental factors. As a result of long-term breeding work, a new variety of facultative barley ‘Vivat’ has been developed. In the creation of the variety, the most winter tolerant varieties were used, such as ‘Tayna’ (Ukraine), ‘Radical’ (Krasnodar, RF), ‘Paoli’ (the USA). The varieties with high potential productivity are ‘Master’ (Zernograd, Russian Federation) and ‘Khutorok’ (Krasnodar, Rus­sian Federation). During the years of competitive testing (2011-2017), the variety ‘Vivat’ showed advantages over the standard variety ‘Master’ and the best zoned variety ‘Timofey’ according to such important traits as high productivity, winter tolerance, resistance to lodging and drought. In the North Caucasus (6) region, the variety ‘Vivat’ also showed high productivity, winter tolerance, resistance to lodging, drought, and diseases. Since 2018 the variety has been introduced into the State List of Protected Breeding Achievements