Forest-steppe Region Research Articles

Yield shortfall of cereals in Ukraine caused by the change in air temperature and precipitation amount

Yield shortfall of cereals in Ukraine caused by the change in air temperature and precipitation amount

Diversity of early flowering plants of the Ulytau mountains (Central Kazakhstan)

Early flowering plants (ephemers and ephemeroids) are an important component of the biosystem of steppes and deserts. These species form perennial pasture communities, for early grazing. The present work was conducted to evaluate the floristic checklist and ecological uniqueness of early flowering plants of Central Kazakhstan, in the forest-steppe regions of Em-Bulak region and Edige mountains, during 2021 and 2022. A total of 26 species of ephemers and ephemeroids were recorded, which belong to 16 families: Liliaceae – 3 species, Asteraceae – 3 species, Ranunculaceae – 3 species, Rosaceae – 3 species, Brassicaceae – 2 species, Boraginaceae – 2 species, the other families are represented by one species. According to ecomorphological characteristics: 8 species (31%) belong to the xerophyte group, 6 (23%) to the xeromesophyte group, 7 (27%) to the mesoxerophyte group and 5 (19%) to the mesophyte group. Also, as a result of our research we found two species of plants which are included in the Red Book of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Pulsatilla patens (L.) Mill. and Tulipa patens Agardh. ex Schult. f. The data obtained can be used for environmental monitoring and issues of rational nature management of wild plants of Central Kazakhstan.

Wing morphometry of worker bees in the central and northern parts of Ukraine

In the flat forest-steppe region of Ukraine, several evolutionary lines of honey bees subspecies Apis mellifera mellifera L., Apis mellifera macedonica Ruttner, and Apis mellifera caucasica Pollmann are believed to be widespread, the territorial boundaries and within-population relationships of which require detailed study.Wing morphometry is one of the available methods for establishing the wing phenotype and morphological features of bees in general. However, the completeness and degree of study of the morphometric features of bee populations present in the territory of Ukraine are insufficient. The aim of the study was to carry out a more accurate and thorough classification of wings, establish morphometric standards of worker bees of local populations of Ukrainian steppe bees, create a methodology for assessing possible hybridization by wing phenotype, and attempt to find bee families with queens suitable for further breeding. To achieve this goal, classical morphometry was used to study the wing phenotype using 8 features: traditional - Ci, Dbi, Disc.sh, Pci, Ri, and additional features proposed by the authors - Сі.2, Сі.3, Сі.2.1, which allowed to increase the level of confidence in the quality of statistical data processing of wing features. Using discriminant analysis of the data and the Statistica software package, a classifier was created and 3717 wings were classified. With sufficient reliability (95.6 %), the wings of 28 bee families were divided into five clusters. Five arrays of standards were formed, two of which probably belong to the population of Ukrainian steppe bees subspecies A. m. macedonica, one to subspecies A. m. Carnica Pollmann, two to hybrids of Ukrainian steppe bees and the Polissya population of subspecies A. m. mellifera. A significant similarity in phenotypes was established between two clusters of investigated wings and wings of bees from the Carpathian region, and the hybridization of worker bees of the indicated territory was determined by the Polissya population of subspecies A. m. mellifera. It is shown how, in the presence of standard data of worker bee wing features obtained as a result of this work and others formed in another, it is possible to use discriminant analysis to correctly classify wings and assess the possible hybridization of bees. Formed arrays of five new standards can be used in subsequent studies as standards of comparison. Key words: Morphometry of wings, classification of worker bees, discriminant analysis.

BETWEEN SEDENTISM AND NOMADISM: LIFEWAYS ON THE FOREST-STEPPE FRONTIER OF THE LEFT BANK OF DNIEPER IN SCYTHIAN TIME

The paper is devoted to the issue of reconstruction of the lifeways and economics of the part of tribes in the forest-steppe region of the Left Bank of Dnieper during the Scythian period. The question of the role of nomads and semi nomads in the ethnic and cultural history of the population is one of the most important, since the correct assessment of the interaction between the forest-steppe agricultural population and the different groups of nomads depends on the reconstruction of ethnic processes in the Left-bank forest-steppe du­ring Scythian time. It can be assumed that the Dnieper Left-bank forest-steppe by its environment and convenient ways attracted both farmers and nomads. This led to the use of several ecological niches, which was reflected in the spread of the settlement structure of farmers in the areas that are most suitable for agriculture (chernozem soils of various types) and rich in resources for life, construction, etc. (access to water, forest areas). The nomadic population that has subjugated farmers has repeatedly penetrated the region several times. Nomads mostly used the steppe areas and floodplains of the region, leaving behind the main type of sites — the mounds, burial rites of which are fundamentally different from the settled agricultural population.
 The study proposes the conditional use of the term «nomads» for groups of mobile pastoralists only at the time of their penetration into the region. In the new conditions, their lifeways significantly changed. The term reflects a transition to mobile stockbreeding within a limited territory of movement, permanent winter houses near the settlements and hillforts of the settled population of the region, prevailing transhumance, etc. At the moment, the term «semi nomads» is the most adequate for those groups of mobile pastoralists who remained in the forest-steppe region of the Left Bank of Dnieper during the Scythian time. Judging by the flat necropolis in Barvinkova Gora tract near Bilsk hillfort, a part of the migrants from the south turned to a sedentary way of life in the 4th century BC. In general, it can be assumed that the migration of nomads into the region significantly impacted lifeways of the local sedentary population.

Agriculture During Scythian Time in the Don Forest-steppe Region: to the question of cultural and regional features

The article deals with the economic aspect of the ethnic-cultural characteristics of settlements of the VI–III centuries BC, belonged to the Scythoid and Gorodets cultures. The landscape features of the Don basin have been considered, that led to the location structure of hillforts and settlements in the forested valleys of the main rivers of the region. While the steppe interfluves remained unpopulated during that period. Information on specialized tools for soil cultivation and harvesting has been systematized. A set of cultivated and weed plants is characterized by grain and seed prints detected on pottery. These data indicate the agricultural orientation of economic systems in both settled communities of the region. The population of the Scythoid culture was engaged in plow farming, the Gorodets one – in mainly slash. Agricultural needs explain the development of the first typical forest-steppe southern territories, the second – more wooded northern ones.

Redvyntsi — the Funeral and Memorial Complex of a Rider of the Scythian Period in Northern Podillia

In 1973, the archaeological expedition of Kamianets-Podilskyi Pedagogical Institute under the leadership of A. F. Hutsal and I. S. Vynokur investigated the mound no. 1 near Redvyntsi village in Khmelnytskyi District and Oblast, in the upper reaches of the Southern Buh basin. The graveyard of five mounds was located 0.5 km southwest from Redvyntsi, on the territory of the collective farm garden. The height of the embankments, located 50—60 m from each other, was 1.8—2.7 m, the diameter — 14—18 m. The height of the mound no. 1 (the biggest in the group), located in the eastern part of the burial ground, was 2.5 m, the diameter — 18 m. A burial and memorial complex was discovered under the mound: the cenotaph. It had a wooden structure with a diameter of 4.4 m. It was located on the top of the soil filling. In the centre of the layout there was a complex of items. On the side, traces of ritual hearths and ceramics near them were found. Among the finds, bridle items made of bronze should be noted. Moreover, there were plates that had the shape of a circle, a rosette and and a diamond. Buckles were found with them. Weapons include an iron spearhead and bronze three-bladed arrowheads. A glass bead was found among the jewellery. The finds have analogies in many areas of the Northern Black Sea region during the Scythian period: the Eastern Podillia group, the Dnipro River Right-bank forest-steppe region, the Ukrainian Left-bank forest-steppe, the Middle Don region and Steppe Scythia. Mound no. 1 in Redvyntsi, due to the lack of a burial, can be interpreted as a cenotaph: during the construction of which fire rituals took place, which have comparisons in the Ukrainian forest-steppe. According to analogies, the burial mounds in Redvyntsi can be dated by the 4th century BC. The significant size of the mound, as well as the rich inventory, indicate that it was built in the memory of an ancient warrior-horseman. The deceased, who could have died in a foreign land, probably belonged to the local nobility, and headed one of the communities of the Scythian period, which lived in the 4th century BC in the upper reaches of the Southern Buh.

Current state and productivity of Scots pine modal stands of the Forest Steppe of Ukraine

The development of regulatory and reference support for the inventory assessment of the state of modal stands is an urgent issue, since it allows obtaining reliable and up-to-date information on the current state of existing forests. The purpose of the study was a statistical substantiation of the division of pine stands into groups by region of growth and stand composition, and their detailed inventory characteristics with an analysis of the distribution in the Forest-Steppe and their productivity. To conduct the study, a stand-wise database of the Production Association “Ukrderzhlisproekt” for Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine was used. Using a number of non-parametric criteria for evaluating samples (Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance, the median criterion, Jonckheere-Terpstra test), the study established a difference in the stands parameters of the samples under study and divided the stands of the Forest-Steppe zone into four groups. The main task was to describe the current state of modal pine stands of the Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine for selected groups, with a detailed distribution of areas and stocks according to the main stand parameters According to the results of the database analysis, it was found that about 92% of the total area of pine stands of the Forest-Steppe zone are artificial forests. Depending on the region of growth, the stands were divided into the left- and right-bank parts of the Forest-Steppe, in composition – into pure and mixed stands. Within the groups under study, the distribution of areas and stocks of pine stands was analysed according to site index classes, types of forest-growing conditions, forest types, relative stand density, and age groups. Site index classes in all groups are dominated by high site index stands of I and Ia site index classes. The proportion of high-grade mixed stands is greater compared to pure stands. In terms of the forest-growing conditions, stands in condition B2 dominate in all groups under study. From the left bank to the right bank, there is an increase in soil fertility from condition B to condition C, and this dependence is also observed from pure to mixed stands. Productivity in terms of the average growing stock of mixed stands of the rightbank and left-bank parts of the Forest-Steppe is very close and considerably less than the stocks of pure stands. The presented research results can be used by scientists as a description of the modal inventory characteristics of the Forest-Steppe region and for the grouping of experimental data when compiling forestry and forest inventory standards

Changes in the area of lakes in different natural regions of Mongolia and climate effect

There has not been much study done to explain how recent climate change affects the water surface area changes in lakes in different natural areas of Mongolia. Four lakes between 48° - 50° in Mongolia were chosen for this investigation because they have the same climatic and solar radiation patterns. The case studies of the Khoton Lake in the high mountain region, Terkhin Tsagaan in the forest-steppe region, Khukh Lake in the steppe region, and Namir (Khar Us) in the Govi region emphasized the relationship between lakes surface area and climate variables, which are temperature and precipitation. In the study, statistical analysis methods, the Mann-Kendall test (MK), the innovative trend analysis method (ITAM), the Sen's Slope Estimator Test (SET), and the normalized difference water index (NDWI) method were used. During the past 30 years, calculations based on satellite imagery of the lake area in different natural zones have shown a decreasing trend for the lake area. After 2000, all-natural regions saw a sharp rise in the long-term average air temperature. High mountain regions have seen an increase in precipitation since 2000, Forest-steppe regions have increased since 2010, and steppe and gobi regions have declined since 2000. Lake areas in the high mountain and forest-steppe regions showed a steady decreasing trend starting in 2000, while lakes in the steppe and Gobi regions showed a gradually creasing trend starting in 2010. The increase in the average annual air temperature (Z=1.17) in the high mountain region was more closely related to the changes in the lake region. On the other hand, the area in the forest-steppe zone was better correlated with the quantity of precipitation (Z=1.93). The effect of air temperature (Z=1.21) on the area of lakes in the steppe zone was more relevant, while the amount of precipitation was slightly related. Rainfall (Z=-1.80) was more related to the area of lakes in the Gobi region, while the air temperature was less related. The novelty of the research is that it has been clarified that the lake changes in the area in different natural regions are influenced differently by the climate.

Disentangling the taxonomic structure of the Allium paniculatum species complex in central and eastern Europe using molecular, cytogenetic and morphological tools

Allium section Codonoprasum includes a group of evolutionarily young taxa with unclear taxonomic boundaries, evolutionary relationships and complex synonymy. The most complicated taxon in this section is A. paniculatum, which until recently was considered to be the most widespread and morphologically most variable species, with a distribution extending from the Mediterranean area to central Europe and the Pontic region. A recent taxonomic study has shown that true A. paniculatum is a morphologically and genetically distinct species occurring in southern Ukraine and southern Russia. The clarification of its taxonomic identity questioned the taxonomic identity of populations referred to as A. paniculatum in other parts of Europe, including populations in central (Slovakia, Hungary, northeast Serbia) and the western part of eastern Europe (Romania, Ukraine), from where four other species of this complex (i.e. A. fuscum, A. fussii, A. marginatum and A. podolicum) were described and later frequently merged as synonyms with A. paniculatum. Here, the diversification within this complex in the abovementioned region is explored, using various biosystematic methods (morphometry, leaf anatomy and epidermal micromorphometry, karyology, estimation of genome size and GC content using flow cytometry, and molecular fingerprinting using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms). By this means the existence of three well-separated population groups were revealed in the material studied, taxonomically corresponding to A. fuscum, A. marginatum and the group A. paniculatum + A. podolicum. The genetic patterns indicate that populations of at least some of these taxa might have survived in their current ranges or in neighbouring areas during the last glacial and the early Holocene. Allium fuscum is a species that inhabits shaded rocky outcrops in the wide neighbourhood of the Iron Gate area (south-western Romania, north-western Bulgaria and northeast Serbia). Allium marginatum is a species closely related to A. fuscum, inhabiting dry grasslands and dry oak forests in the Pannonian and Transylvanian Basins. Two eastern-European taxa, A. podolicum and A. paniculatum,which are very similar inmorphology, genome size and genetic markers, are considered to be conspecific and named A. paniculatum. This species inhabits zonal steppe and forest steppe regions in eastern Europe from western Ukraine to southern Russia. In addition, a taxonomic and nomenclatural treatment, as well as a key for identifying the recognized species of the A. paniculatum complex in the region studied, are presented.

Оценка и картографирование экосистемных услуг Алтайского края

In Russia, ecosystem service assessments at the regional level (as opposed to national and local) are currently underdeveloped. The article presents a regional assessment of the main groups of ecosystem services and the results of their approbation for the territory of the Altai Kraj; their spatial differentiation was revealed depending on natural and socio-economic conditions. The main units of analysis are the regions of the Altai Kraj. The assessment was carried out taking into account the structure of the economy and the nature of land use in the study region, as well as the importance of individual ecosystem services for its economy. Based on the results of the assessment, the territory was zoned and compared with its landscape structure; schematic maps were drawn up. The zone of high value of reg-ulating and cultural ecosystem services is spread in the Altai and Salairo-Kuznetsk-Alataus mountain-ous landscape areas of the region, as well as in the northern part of the Kulunda province of the steppe zonal area. It is characterized by the high value of carbon sequestration by forests, game animals and the attractiveness of landscapes. The second zone is formed by areas with valuable arable land and hayfields providing ecosystem services. In natural terms, these are steppe (South-Prialeiskaya prov-ince) and forest-steppe (Upper-Obskaya province) regions. They produce the most valuable crop products in the region. The zone of medium and low value of regulating and insufficiently developed supporting ecosystem services is represented by the areas of western and southern parts of the steppe zonal area, northern and central parts of the forest-steppe zonal area. These territories do not have a high value of any ecosystem services. The results of the study contribute to improving the structure of land use in municipal organisations of Altai Krai and the development of strategies for their development, aimed at an optimal combination of the goals of socio-economic development and preservation of the quality of life-supporting functions of its ecosystems.

ПОЧВЕННЫЙ ПОКРОВ И СВОЙСТВА ПОЧВ МАЛЫХ ВОДОСБОРОВ ПРИДОНСКОГО МЕЛОВОГО ЛЕСОСТЕПНОГО РАЙОНА СРЕДНЕРУССКОЙ ВОЗВЫШЕННОСТИ

On the territory of the Pridonsky cretaceous forest-steppe region of the forest-steppe province of the Central Russian Upland, a large area is occupied by eroded soils and soils of gully-beam complexes. Various agrophytocenoses play an important role in the formation of erosion-accumulative processes. Soil flushing is common mainly in plowed areas. Denudation, deluvial and proluvial processes occur on the banks and bottoms of beams occupied by natural phytocenoses. The influence of anti-erosion forest belts on the intensity of erosion and soil accumulation is noted. Under the forest belts and on the adjacent sections of the slopes, washed and buried soils are formed. The features of the composition of the soil cover and soil properties according to the relief elements and phytocenoses of the beam catchment are noted. The proportion of soils exposed to the simultaneous effects of erosion and accumulation in the soil cover of the beam catchment is determined. The changes in the agronomic and physico-chemical properties of the soil under the influence of erosion-accumulative processes on the elements of the relief of the catchment area of the Log Repny and various land plots are studied. The change in the content of humus and the main elements of mineral nutrition of plants in the soils subject to these processes has been established. The taxonomic levels of the identification of signs of erosion and accumulation, depending on their intensity and nature, are clarified. The expediency of allocating the degree of soil flushing at the species level is shown. It is recommended to consider the signs of deluvial and denudation processes on the banks of the beam at the level of the soil type. Proposals have been developed to improve the classification of gully-beam soils.

НАЧАЛЬНЫЙ ЭТАП ОСВОЕНИЯ СТРЕМЯН НАСЕЛЕНИЕМ ЛЕСОСТЕПНОГО АЛТАЯ

The article analyses a series of 10 stirrups found in two burial grounds of the Odintsovo culture and accidentally found in the forest-steppe regions of Altai. Information about the location of stirrups in burial objects, their design features and parameters, as well as graphic images is provided. As a result of the classification procedure, the stirrups are divided into two groups, two divisions and five types, supplemented by six variants. Typological analysis made it possible to outline a circle of analogies and determine the dating of the subjects studied. The conclusion is made about the appearance of stirrups among the tribes of the Odintsovo culture under the influence of the Turks of the Altai Mountains at the turn of the 5-6th century. The initial stage of the development of stirrups by the local population can be determined within the framework of the 6th - the 1st half of the 8th centuries. It is characterized by the predominance of simple products and the following of the original Turkic tradition of placing one stirrup in the grave. The peculiarity of this stage is the use of organic materials - horns - in the manufacture of some stirrups, which is not observed in the Turkic culture.

Identification of promising alfalfa varieties in conditions of the southern forest-steppe zone (Republic of Bashkortostan): a study of economic and biological characteristics

BackgroundAlfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is one of the most important forage crops, but its seed productivity varies from year to year due to weather conditions. Alfalfa is a forage crop rich in nutrients which makes it valuable. The present 5-year study aimed to identify the promising alfalfa varieties based on their economic and biological characteristics, such as high seed productivity, a high yield of forage mass, good quality, and stress resistance.ResultsThe study contributes information about the promising varieties of alfalfa characterized by high biomass and seed productivity. Varieties such as P-88044, U-73+149 and S-302 had stable seed/green mass yields regardless of climatic conditions; hence, they may be used for alfalfa selection in the southern forest-steppe regions of Bashkortostan.ConclusionsThe present findings can be used for alfalfa selection in the Republic of Bashkortostan (Russia). In addition, the results will be of interest to crop breeders across the globe.

ОЦЕНКА СОСТОЯНИЯ И ПРОДУКТИВНОСТИ ВЫСОКОПОЛНОТНЫХ СОСНОВЫХ НАСАЖДЕНИЙ ПОДТАЕЖНО-ЛЕСОСТЕПНОГО РАЙОНА СРЕДНЕЙ СИБИРИ)

Forest ecosystems, in particular pine plantations, are currently experiencing a complex of negative factors that
 affect both the condition of plantations and their growth indicators. The purpose of the study was to determine the condition and productivity of suburban pine forests of Krasnoyarsk, as well as statistical regression assessment of carbon
 concentration in the growing, dying and dried part of the forest stands. The object of research is pine forests of natural
 origin of Karaulnoe area forestry of experimental forestry of M.F. Reshetnev Siberian State University, located in the
 suburban area of Krasnoyarsk. Evaluation of sanitary category of pine forests allowed to state mainly "weakened" their
 condition. Regression analysis ascertained a reliable one-coefficient linear relationship between the carbon of different
 parts of pine forests and the supply of trunk wood and the completeness of forest stands. In this case, when predicting
 the carbon of the deadwood part of the stand, it must be divided into two parts: caused by external influences (forest
 fires, the stage of obsolescence, phyto-pathological conditions) more than 20 tS*ha-1 and caused by natural fall-off to 20
 tS*ha-1. As a result, it was found that in high-density, dense pine forests of the subtaiga forest-steppe region of Middle
 Siberia, the stability of pine forests is due to a complex of factors: age structure (when the active phase of growth in
 plantations is terminated, indicators of vitality decrease); completeness (high density worsens the condition of trees);
 stock (growth of the number of trunk wood per unit area contributes to an increase in the drying part of the pine stand);
 climatic conditions (an increase in temperature during the growing season and a decrease in the amount of precipitation).

Improvement of the elements of phyto and sanitary technology of cultivation of sowing peas to solve the protein problem in the Southern Trans-Urals

Pea is one of the most precocious among crops. Most of its varieties ripen in 75–100 days. The potential yield of pea varieties reaches 40–50 c/ha, but it is rarely realized. In the forest-steppe regions of the Trans-Urals and Siberia, the yield of peas is 20–30 kg/ha. In the Kurgan region in the period 2018–2021, the areas occupied by peas amounted to 18 225, 25 100, 34 300 and 38 300 hectares with yields of 27,2; 18,5; 13,8 and 10,0 c/ha, respectively, by year. Pea varieties are able to form a consistently high yield under the conditions of the Trans-Urals, contributing to solving the protein problem. The purpose of the research was to study the resistance of promising varieties of sowing peas to harmful organisms and to improve the elements of phyto and sanitary cultivation technology to increase crop yields in the Trans-Urals. According to the results of four years research, a higher yield was obtained for the standard variety Aksai Usatii 55 – 2,22 t/ha. A good level of yield was noted in the varieties recommended for cultivation in the Ural region, which includes the Kurgan region such as Agrointel – 1,86 t/ha, Zauralsky 3 – 2,04 t/ha, Samarius – 2,25 t/ha. The high yield was shown of the new varieties such as Kulon – 2,32 t/ha, Sibur 2 – 1,97 t/ha and Samat – 1,90 t/ha. The economic effi ciency of the use of mineral fertilizers depended on the variety and type of fertilizers. In variants with the use of urea (N30) it varied from 112,1 % (Aksai Usatii 55 variety) to 120,2 % (Thomas variety); with the use of double superphosphate (P30) it was from 106,6 % on varieties Zauralsky 3, Zauralsky 4 to 109,5 % on Thomas variety. Higher economic effi ciency was obtained from the use of nitrogenphosphorus (N30P30K30) and by varieties it varied from 119,4 % (Aksai Usatii 55 variety) to 134,2 % (Thomas variety). The protection of sowing peas from root rot during seeds treatment with a chemical fungicide Deposit ME (1 l/t) increased by 1,20 to 1,24 times depending on the variety, compared with the control. Treatment with Protect (2,0 l/t) increased protection by 1,18 to 1,22 times depending on the variety. The effectiveness of biofungicides was lower and on average exceeded the control by 1,09 times when using Phytosparin M, P (0,6 kg/ha) to 1,11 times when using Biocomposite-correct (2 l/t).

The reconstruction of Holocene northwestern Mongolian fire history based on high-resolution multi-site macro-charcoal analyses

In palaeoecology, multi-site macro-charcoal analyses provide information on climate–fire–vegetation linkages, their spatial and temporal extent, and the impact of prehistoric human practices. Our multi-site study comprises eight macro-charcoal records from two highly continental forest-steppe regions in western and north-central Mongolia, covering the Holocene. In addition to reviewing macro-charcoal influxes and comparing macro-charcoal morphotype results with arboreal/non-arboreal pollen ratios, our dataset provides the first fire frequency synthesis for two regions in Mongolia. During the early and mid-Holocene, the fire history in western and north-central Mongolia was controlled by the regional climate variability, whereas the fire intensities were higher in the Mongolian Altai. In general, fire frequencies are lower in northern Khangai. Increases in the fire frequency correlate with the potential beginning of a rise in the nomadic population of the Mongolian Altai after 1,100 cal yr BP. In both areas, individual macro-charcoal peaks, a marked site-to-site variability, and a generally very low impact on the forest-steppe distribution may mostly be explained by a strictly local nomadic disturbance.

Influence of long-term intensive use of irrigated meadow-chernozem soil on the biological activity and productivity of the arable layer

The research was carried out on the territory of the Russian Federation in the forest-steppe region of the south Western Siberia (Omsk state), in the long-term (43 years) stationary experiment. Sprinkling was used for irrigation in the experiment. The number of different physiological groups of microorganisms, the cellulolytic activity of the soil, and nitrification capacity were determined under the sowing of an eight-field grain-grass crop rotation (perennial grasses (Bunias orientalis L. + Bromopsis inermis L. + Galega orientalis Lam. 6–8 years old), spring barley Hordeum vulgare Leyss.—variety Sasha). Immobilization processes predominated in the soil under the sowed crops, it contributes to the preservation of soil organic matter (mineralization coefficient SAA/MPA < 1). The highest transformation ratio of soil organic matter, i.e. increased conversion of plant residues into organic matter, was noted with applying nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers (N60P60) under the barley. The combination of irrigation factors and the use of mineral fertilizers (N30-60P60) were contributed to the growth of the microorganisms’ population, the amplification of decomposition of cellulose, and improvement of nitrification capacity in the soil. The perennial irrigation of the meadow-chernozem soil and the application of intensive technology of cultivation of crops in crop rotation stimulated the growth of the microorganisms’ population and didn’t detriment the ecological state of the soil.

Differentiated application of mineral fertilizers in cultivation of Sudanese grass

Research on the use of mineral fertilizers considering the intrasoil variability of agrochemical indicators in the sowings of Sudanese grass of Kinelskaya 100 variety was carried out in 2011 and 2017 in two fields of crop rotation deployed in time (pure fallow - winter wheat – spring wheat – spring wheat – Sudanese grass – spring barley) on leached heavy loamy chernozem (humus in the arable layer – 5.2-7.1 %, nitrate and ammonium nitrogen 6.5-16.9 mg/kg of soil, mobile forms of phosphorus – 83-201 mg/kg of soil and exchangeable potassium – 91-198 mg/kg of soil) in the forest-steppe regions of the Euro-North-East of the Russian Federation (The Republic of Mordovia). The scheme of the experiment included 3 variants with fertilizers (planned yield of green mass of Sudanese grass 20.0 t/ha): control (without fertilizers); average dose of fertilizers (N89P33K30 – in 2011, N92P35K28 – in 2017); differentiated doses (N73-99P21-31K23-32 in 2011 and N70-103P24-40K20-21 in 2017). The experiment was based on the principle of a split plot, where plots of the 1st order were reserved for variants with fertilizers, and plots of the 2nd order (5 plots in each repetition) were used to determine the variability of intrasoil fertility and fertilizer application. On average, among two crop rotation fields, the highest yield of Sudan grass (25.1 t/ha) was obtained in the variant with differentiated use of fertilizers, that was significantly higher than the control (49 %) and 10 % higher than in the variant with average doses. The application of fertilizers considering the heterogeneity of soil fertility ensured the smallest range of variation of the yield (4.4 t/ha) among the plots of the testing ground with an insignificant level of variation coefficient (V = 6 %). The use of fertilizers had a positive effect on the collection of dry matter, feed units and digestible protein per 1 ha. According to these indicators, a significant advantage was observed for the variant with differentiated doses, which also provided the highest level of production profitability (122.3 %).

Honey-Bearing Potential of Tilia cordata Mill. Forests in the Southern Urals

This article examined the honey-bearing potential of Tilia cordata Mill. stands in the Southern Urals using forest management and taxation methods. The studies were conducted in pure and mixed even- and uneven-aged forests with T. cordata Mill. in different natural zones of the Southern Urals on the territory of the Bashkirs. These were forests of the South Ural forest-steppe region, the forest-steppe region of the European part of Russia, the area of coniferous-deciduous (mixed) forests of the European part of Russia. The research employed the method of laying temporary and permanent trial areas. T. cordata Mill. forests on the republic’s territory were divided into zones by forest districts. There is a discrepancy between the territorial localization of “nectar” (honey-bearing) linden and designated forest areas, that is, honey-bearing forest areas on the republic’s territory. It could be due to the lacking methodology for assigning linden to these categories. The increased rotation age of linden trees to 81–90 years for several decades, a ban on final cutting, reduced annual cut of soft-leaved forests by 15% enlarged the stocks of overmature forest to 48%. Depending on the age, the number of flowers on one T. cordata Mill. tree varies from 0 to 60.2 thousand pieces. The maximum amount of nectar is 69.04 kg/ha at 12-day linden flowering. The honey productivity of plants including T. cordata Mill., calculated concerning the linden age, its share in the forest composition, the average number of flowers on the tree, nectar per 1 ha of linden and the flowering period ranged from 252.8 to 662.8 kg/ha.

Genomes from Verteba cave suggest diversity within the Trypillians in Ukraine

The transition to agriculture occurred relatively late in Eastern Europe, leading researchers to debate whether it was a gradual, interactive process or a colonisation event. In the forest and forest-steppe regions of Ukraine, farming appeared during the fifth millennium BCE, associated with the Cucuteni-Trypillia cultural complex (CTCC, ~ 5000–3000 BCE). Across Europe, the Neolithisation process was highly variable across space and over time. Here, we investigate the population dynamics of early agriculturalists from the eastern forest-steppe region based on the analyses of 20 ancient genomes from the site of Verteba Cave (3935–825 cal BCE). Results reveal that the CTCC individuals’ ancestry is related to both western hunter-gatherers and Near Eastern farmers, has no local ancestry associated with Ukrainian Neolithic hunter-gatherers and has steppe ancestry. An Early Bronze Age individual has an ancestry profile related to the Yamnaya expansions but with 20% of ancestry related to the other Trypillian individuals, which suggests admixture between the Trypillians and the incoming populations carrying steppe-related ancestry. A Late Bronze Age individual dated to 980–825 cal BCE has a genetic profile indicating affinity to Beaker-related populations, detected close to 1000 years after the end of the Bell Beaker phenomenon during the third millennium BCE.