Articles

In the paper, the features of the biological cycle of 90Sr in the birch forests of the Bryansk region in the remote period
aft er the Chernobyl fallout are discussed. Specific activity and inventories of 90Sr in soil, diff erent structures and types
of tree and herbaceous-shrubby stories, higher fungi, and litter are given. It is shown that at present the major part
of 90Sr in the contaminated birch forests of the Bryansk Polesie is accumulated in the soil (82,3%), of which about
71% is in the mineral soil horizons. The biota contains only 17,7% of the total radionuclide inventory with maximum
values in the tree story. Th e contribution of herbaceous-shrubby vegetation and higher fungi is small, <0,5%. In birch
forests 3,07 kBq·m-2 90Sr is involved in the biological cycle, which is about 3% of its total stock in the ecosystem and
approximately corresponds to the radioactive decay of this radionuclide. The main part of the 90Sr goes for formation
of annual growth of the stand, while the contribution of higher fungi to the cycle exceeds the contribution of the
herbaceous-shrubby layer. Th e 90Sr return to soil is lower (48,2%) than its fi xation in annual biomass growth (51,8%).

The results of a vegetation experiment on the humus horizon of soddy-podzolic sandy loamy soil (Albic Retisol),
which was contaminated with heavy metals as a re sult of sewage sludge as a fertilize r, are presented. Th e soil was
used for growing vegetables and forage grasses but has been abandoned for the last 10 years. In the experiment, the
eff ect of rhizospheric bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas on biomass and the entry of micro- and heavy metals into
the vegetative organs and root system of spring wheat plants was studied. Under the infl uence of inoculation with
bacteria, the biomass of wheat plants increased by 10–12% and the content of the main macro- and microelements
in plants changed. Th e content of Ca, K, Mg, Na and P decreased by 1,5–2 times in the vegetative part of wheat plants
inoculated with P. fl uorescens 21 and P. putida 23. The content of macroelements in wheat roots changed little, but the
ratio between the content of elements increased in roots and vegetative parts of plants. Th e distribution of the content
of trace elements and HMs was much more contrasting: the content of Cd in the roots of wheat plants exceeded that
in the vegetative part of plants by 9 times without treatment with bacteria and by 18 and 11 times aft er inoculation
with P. fl uorescens 21 and P. putida 23, and in variants with P. fl uorescens 20 by 7 times. A decrease in the content of
Cd in the vegetative part of wheat plants was noted, by 2 times upon inoculation with P. fl uorescens 21 and by 1,5
times for variants with P. putida 23. Th e content of Zn in the aerial parts of plants also decreased upon inoculation
with P. fl uorescens 21 and by 1,8 times for variants with and P. putida 23 by 1,4 times. An increase in the ratio of the
content of elements in the roots and vegetative mass of plants indicates an increase in the resistance of plants to the
toxic eff ect of heavy metals and the barrier function of the roots.

Bacteria are a sensitive indicator of the state of the soil contaminated with oil and oil products. Aft er the introduction
of ameliorants, the oil content in the soil changes, which aff ects the number of bacteria. Th e aim is to
estimate the number of bacteria in petroleum hydrocarbons contaminated Haplic Chernozem aft er amelioration.
Biochar, sodium humate, nitroammophos, and microbiological fertilizer «Baikal EM-1» were added to petroleum
hydrocarbons-contaminated Haplic Chernozem (5% petroleum hydrocarbons by weight of soil). Aft er 90 days
of the experiment, the number of bacteria in the soil was estimated by the total number of bacteria, determined
by the method of luminescent microscopy, the number of actinomycetes, amylolytic and ammonifying bacteria,
determined by the method of inoculation on solid nutrient media. Th e integral indicator of the number of bacteria
(IINB) of the soil was calculated before and aft er the application of ameliorants. When introducing biochar, it is
possible to use the total number of bacteria to assess the ecological state of the soil, with nitroammophoska — the
number of ammonifying bacteria, sodium humate — the number of actinomycetes, «Baikal EM-1» — the number
of amylolytic bacteria. According to the IINB of soils, the most eff ective dose for remediation with nitroammophoska,
biochar, and Baikal EM-1 is D0.5, and for remediation with sodium humate, D2. It is advisable to use the
results of the study in biodiagnostics and monitoring the state of petroleum hydrocarbons contaminated Haplic
Chernozem aft er amelioration.

A comparative analysis of the composition of lysimetric waters for 2021–2022 was carried out. for two groups
of stationary soil lysimeters in the city. Th e fi rst group of lysimeters is formed by the system: fallow — grass
phytocenosis — overgrown fallow — spruce forest — mixed and broad-leaved plantation, developing on the
same type of mantle loam. Th e second group of lysimeters represents soils with diff erent types of tillage: conventional
plowing, extra-deep planting according to Bushinsky, plowing according to Mosolov, deep plowing
according to Kachinsky.
For both groups, the same type of migration of components is shown, in which the most migrating elements are
carbon, mono- and divalent cations, and chloride ion, with minimal migration of iron, manganese, and aluminum.
In the group of lysimeters under various types of vegetation, as the tree canopy develops and, accordingly, the
intensity of the biological cycle increases in migrating waters, the concentration of such important biophilic elements
as magnesium, calcium, potassium, and carbon increases signifi cantly, and among anions, chloride and sulfate ions.
Th is determines, within the framework of the cluster analysis, two diff erent subgroups in terms of the composition of
natural waters: the fi rst one is formed by the fallow-grass phytocenosis — overgrown fallow system, and the second
one combines tree plantations.
In the group of lysimeters with diff erent tillage, a cluster characterizes the composition of water in lysimeters with
reclamation plowing according to Mosolov and deep plowing according to Kachinsky. At the same time, individual
aggregates form lysimeters with conventional plowing and ultra-deep planting according to Bushinsky. This is explained
by the fact that in this group of lysimeters, the initially created soil profi le design is transformed, which is
characterized by the placement of eluvial and illuvial soil horizons in various combinations and at diff erent depths
depending on the type of plowing.

Biodegradation is one of the main factors limiting the effi ciency and service life of gel-forming soil conditioners. Th e
study quantifi es this process using laboratory analysis of biological oxygen uptake (BOD) in innovative composite
superabsorbents with an acrylic polymer matrix, amphiphilic agents (humates, peat) and silver ions as an inhibitor
of biological activity. A simple kinetic model of BOD is proposed to standardize the analysis and calculation of the
half-life of polymers aft er their incubation in precision VELP respirometers (Italy). Th e half-life of hydrogels swollen
in distilled water (1:100) at a temperature of 30°C varied in the range from 0,8±0,2 to 2,4±1,6 years. Th e addition
of an aqueous extract from compost sharply enhances biodegradation and reduces the half-life of hydrogels up to
40–60 days. Doses of 0,1–1% silver in a polymer matrix or 10-100 ppm in swollen hydrogels increase their half-life by
5–20 times. Th e new methodological approach makes it possible to fully automatically evaluate the biodegradation
of gel–forming polymers in laboratory conditions, however, for stable materials with a half-life of more than 2,5–3
years, the accuracy of manometric BOD analyzers is insuffi cient for a statistically reliable assessment of the kinetics
of biodegradation even in long (120 days) incubation experiments.

One of the tasks set when establishing the fact of inappropriate use of agricultural land in the framework of law
enforcement practice is to determine the period of non-use of land for agricultural purposes. As the most accessible
methods that can be used to determine the age of a fallow in the absence of documented data on the history of the
land plot and aerial and space survey materials is the study of the vegetation cover formed on the studied sites during
the postagrogenic succession and the transformation of the arable horizon.
In the course of a study conducted on the territory of agricultural lands located within the Kurgan region, it was
found that the exact determination of the period of non-use of land is possible using dendrochronology methods in
the presence of trees on the site. In addition, the study of the species composition of grassy vegetation allowed us to
identify a number of communities belonging to the successive stages of development of postagrogenic succession:
weedy, the stage of rhizomatous cereals, the stage of transition from rhizomatous to loose-turf cereal grasses, however,
it is not possible to accurately determine the duration of these stages. At the same time, a comparative analysis
of the species composition of various areas of grassy vegetation, as well as the thickness and composition of the sod,
allows us to establish the similarity of two or more sites, one of which has woody vegetation, which is a marker of
the age of the fallow and in neighboring areas.
Thus, the main feature that allows you to determine the age of a fallow on the land plot is the age of the existing
woody vegetation. As an additional feature that allows determining a single contour of a deposit of a certain age,
the species composition of the herbaceous biocenosis, the degree of development and the composition of the sod
can be used.

Th e assessment of land degradation neutrality (LDN) is used to characterize the achievement of the UN Sustainable
Development Goal 15 (SDG), Target 15.3 — «to combat desertifi cation, restore degraded lands and soils» by
individual countries and regions. Th e article presents the calculation of land degradation neutrality for agricultural
territories of the Samara region using global indicators (dynamics of land productivity, dynamics of land cover,
dynamics of soil organic carbon) and regional ones, such as yield, erosion, content of mobile forms of potassium
and phosphorus in the soil. Th e Trends.Earth tool presented on the QuantumGIS was used to calculate the fi rst
two global indicators platform. Th e evaluation of the remaining indicators was carried out using stock data and
data from the agrochemical service. According to the results land degradation neutrality was not achieved in the
agricultural territories of the Samara region. Th e indicator of SDG 15.3.1 («the proportion of land that is degraded
over total land area») is 78,61%, and the LDN index is –57,22%. Th e main process leading to a negative LDN index
is water erosion, which leads to a decrease in the levels of indicators such as land productivity and humus content.

On the basis of testing various varieties of ecological and economic assessment of lands on the territory of the Russian
Plain, their systematization was carried out both fr om the standpoint of the ratio of profi t and loss associated with
nature management, and the attribution of these varieties to the areas of economic science that diff erently determine
the role of human economic activity in ecological systems.
The predominance in the Russian Federation of those techniques and methods of ecological and economic assessment,
which are associated with the defi nition of damage/ harm from pollution, degradation and cluttering of land plots, is shown. Th e results of the approbation of the «Methodology for determining the extent of damage from
soil and land degradation» (1994) for agricultural farms located in various regions of the Russian Federation — in the Volgograd, Belgorod, Kaliningrad and Penza regions are presented. It has been established that the damage caused to agricultural lands in all the studied regions is due to the low level of agrotechnical measures carried out
here — mainly insuffi cient application of organic and mineral fertilizers, liming of acidic soils (for example, in the
Kaliningrad region) and gypsum of saline soils (in the Volgograd region).
Methods wh ere the comparison of income and losses is carried out (methodology Y. von Braun, adjusting the value
of land based on information about their ecological condition), are the most diffi cult to implement, but the most promising from a practical point of view. The results of the adjustment of the cadastral value of the lands of the Western Administrative District of Moscow based on the calculation of the indicator of loss of ecological quality of soils are presented. In some cases, the decrease in the cadastral value of land plots was 71% compared to the initial value. It has been established that the assessment of environmental damage refers to the direction of «environmental economics», the assessment of ecosystem services of soils and lands, the adjustment of the value of land based on
information about their ecological condition, the assessment of environmental tax/environmental payments, — to
the direction of «ecological economics», the methodology of J. von Braun and the assessment of environmental risks
of pollution, degradation and littering of land — towards the direction of «green economics».

Th e methodology for biodiagnostics of the ecological state of soils and other environmental objects involves the use
of two approaches: bioindicative observations in situ and biotesting of samples, carried out according to standard methods in controlled laboratory conditions ex situ. An integrated assessment of soils on an interdisciplinary basis in accordance with the international standard ISO19204-2017 makes it possible to diagnose of soils “health” based
on biotic parameters in the course of natural environmental observations, ecotoxicity indicators, which are supplemented
by the results of quantitative chemical analysis (TRIAD methodology). For soils, indicators of the state of higher plants and microbial communities, especially in agroecosystems, are of paramount importance. The article analyzes the advantages and limitations of well-known methods of phytoindication, laboratory phytotesting, soil
respiration, structural and functional indicators of microbiota diversity and bacterial biosensors. Th e responses of living systems to the same pollutant content largely depend on the carbon content of organic matter. The existing regulatory framework for the ecological assessment of the biological state of soil ecosystems practically does not take into account this, as well as the level of mineralization and pH of the analyzed objects. For an adequate assessment of the ecological quality of soils, it is proposed to improve the methods of measuring toxicity by more targeted recommendations for application (for example, for certain gradations of humus content, mineralization, pH).

The purpose of the study was to assess the current state of food security in some regions of the Russian Federation,
to identify bottlenecks that hinder its achievement, and also to try to determine the relationship between food
security indicators and the degree of land degradation – categories that largely determine the socio-ecological
development of the region. Belgorod, Vladimir, Volgograd, Kaliningrad, Penza, Samara regions were selected as
test regions. At the same time, the choice of the self-suffi ciency indicator for the main types of food products as the
most representative indicator for assessing food security at the municipal level is justified. Th e adapted methodology
for calculating self-suffi ciency for the municipal level consisted in using the calculated indicators of the required
production volumes in accordance with rational consumption standards, which allowed us to obtain an objective assessment of how much municipal formations are able to provide the population living there with the main types of products. The adapted methodology proposed by the authors for calculating indicators of self-suffi ciency in basic types of food at the municipal level is described in detail in earlier publications. Th e results of the analysis of the
data obtained on self-suffi ciency in such types of products as potatoes, vegetables, meat, milk, fruits and berries in the municipal districts of the test regions in dynamics for the period 2010-2021 are presented. In addition, the relationship between the calculated indicators of self-suffi ciency in the main types of food and the degree of land degradation in the municipalities of the test regions was revealed. The results obtained made it possible to identify the main problems associated with ensuring food security and develop proposals to improve the situation.<br>