Agropyron Repens Research Articles

Effect of Couch Grass (Agropyrum Repens) on Gentamicin-Induced Nephrotoxicity.

Effect of Couch Grass (Agropyrum Repens) on Gentamicin-Induced Nephrotoxicity.

The Effect of the Timing of Manure Application in Combination with Mineral Fertilizers and Planting Density on the Weediness of Potato Plantings

Potatoes are one of the most responsive crops for grooming techniques since in the period from seedlings before closing rows are easily suppressed by weeds that take away nutrients, water, light from it. The factor that causes high harm to potatoes is weed. By absorbing a large number of nutrients and moisture from the soil, weeds inhibit the growth and development of plants, reducing their potential productivity. The purpose of the study was to establish the effect of the timing of the introduction of bedding manure in conjunction with mineral fertilizers and planting density on the weediness of potato plantings. Studies were provided to identify the impact of the timing of bedding manure together with mineral fertilizers and planting density for weed planting potatoes. Experiments were laid by the systematic method with a tiered arrangement of variants in the experiment with a 3-fold repetition. We used cattle manure on straw bedding for autumn-winter harvesting. The following types of fertilizers were used: ammonium nitrate, double superphosphate, potassium chloride. Determination of the amount and biomass of weeds in potato plantings was carried out in the flowering phase and before harvesting. The application of manure was accompanied by an increase in the number and weight of weeds. Annual weeds predominated in potato plantings: Amaranthus retroflexus L., 1753 and Amaranthus blitoides S. Watson, 1877, Chenopodium album L. Chenopodium album L., 1753, Setaria P. Beauv, 1812 and Setaria viridis (L.) P. Beauv, 1812, Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) BEAUV., 1812 and others, perennials included Cirsium arvense (L.) SCOP. 1772 and Sonchus arvensis L., 1753, (Elytrigia repens (L.) DESV. ex NEVSKI, 1933 and others. Planting density also has a definite effect on the development of weeds. When manure was applied in autumn under the plow, the number of weeds increased in comparison with other options, where only mineral fertilizers were applied. The application of manure over frozen plow and in winter over snow leads to a slight decrease (2.3-2.5 pcs/m2) of weeds. The greatest number of weeds is observed during the spring application of manure for plowing the fall plow. Nevertheless, studies aimed at clarifying the composition and structure of weediness, the number and weight of weeds in potato plantings are of great practical importance for local agricultural producers. These data should contribute to the development of an effective weed control system and high yields of potatoes in the region

Weed and pest species composition in spring barley sowings and the grain yield loss under different preceding crops

Purpose. To study the influence of predecessors on the formation of weed and pest species composition in spring barley sowings and the grain yield loss. Methods. Field, physical, mathematical and statistical. Results. The most common weed species in spring barley sowings during vegetation season are the following: Cirsium arvense, Sonchus oleraceus, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Elymus repens, Sinapis arvensis, Consolida regalis, and Polygonum lapathifolium. The number of weeds per 1 m2 of spring barley sowings affected the amount of grain losses. After pealosses, the lowest grain loss (0.01 to 0.24 t/ha) was at the number of weeds from 5 to 10 per m2. The increase in the number of weeds has contributed to the increase in the grain loss. However, this figure varied over weed species. Thus, under the infestation with Sinapis arvensis and Consolida regalis, the grain yield loss was significantly lower compared to the control with the largest number of weeds. The largest grain loss occurred from Cirsium arvense and Sonchus oleraceus reaching 0.53–0.53 t/ha in at the number of weeds 20 per m2. Given the Polygonum lapathifolium, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Sinapis arvensis, and Elymus repens, this figure ranged from 0.19 to 0.34 t/ha. When spring barley was grown after sugar beet, grain yield loss was significantly lower than under the number of weeds from 12 to 20 per 1 m2. However, the trend of falling grain yield caused by weeds was similar. The smallest grain loss caused Sinapis arvensis and Consolida regalis, while the largest one was caused by root and shoot and rhizome weeds. The number of pests in spring barley crops varied from 1.0 to 1.8 per 1 m2 (plant). In the case of spring barley cultivation after pea, the grain yield loss varied from 0.52 to 0.73 t/ha, while after sugar beet from 0.34 to 0.41 t/ha, varying over the years of the study. Because the air temperature was similar during the pest development period, the number of pests varied little. Lower grain yield loss after sugar beet was due to fewer common pests. Conclusions. It was found that the largest grain yield loss was caused by such weeds species as Cirsium arvense, Sonchus oleraceus, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, and Elymus repens ranging between 0.47 and 0.55 t/ha in the amount of 20 plants per m2. Sinapis arvensis and Consolida regalis caused the lowest grain loss ranging from 0.26 to 0.28 t/ha. Under Sinapis arvensis, this figure ranged from 0.02 to 0.34 t/ha, depending on the weed number. In the sowing of spring barley, Schizaphis graminum Rond., Lema lichenis Voet., Phyllotreta vittula Redt, Carabidae, Aelia acuminata, and Eurygaster integriceps Put. were found. Pest control in spring barley sowings provides 0.52 to 0.73 t/ha of grain yield growth after pea cultivation and 0.34 to 0.41 t/ha after sugar beet.

Sympoietic Art Practice in Co-expressive Re-worlding with Hegel’s “Vegetal Subject”

“Sympoietic art practice”, construed as co-creative making-together-with plants, contributes to posthumanist discourse by forming cross-species partnerships which re-configure exploitative relations with plants. The posthumanist commitment of sympoietic practice to live equitably with the more-than-human world is inherently opposed to the tradition of anthropocentrism widely associated with Hegel’s idealization of reason and culture. But when Hegelian philosophy comingles with the radically different assumptions of sympoietic art practice in this exploratory paper, a co-expressive “worlding with plants” emerges. A transformative re-reading of Hegel’s Philosophy of Nature reveals that the English translators have smoothed away the vibrant concept of a “vegetal subject” explicitly used by Hegel in the original German. The resulting interpretive fissure makes space for a creative scrutiny of human exceptionalism, humanist and posthumanist conceptions of plant subjectivity and human-plant relations. Our transdisciplinary article concludes with a performative knitting together and composting of shreds of Hegelian text with vibrantly participative strands of living couch grass.

Syntaxonomy of secondary communities formed instead of earlier agricultural lands in the middle and south taiga subzones of the European North-East of Russia

We have identified the diversity of secondary communities formed instead of earlier agricultural lands (middle and south taiga subzones of the European North-East of Russia). The work describes 8 associations, 2 subassociations of the classes Papaveretea rhoeadis, Artemisietea vulgaris,Epilobietea angustifolii, Molinio–Arrhenatheretea, Vaccinio–Piceetea. 3 associations (Urtico dioicae–Chamaenerietum angustifolii, Centaureo phrygiae–Dactyletum glomeratae, Deschampsio cespitosae–Salicetum capreae), 1 subassociation (Galeopsietum bifidae galeopsietosum speciosae)were fixed for the first time. We noted a replacement of segetal communities (subass. Galeopsietum bifidae galeopsietosum speciosae) by meadow communities (аss. Centaureo phrygiae–Dactyletum glomeratae) through the domination stage of Cirsium setosum and Elytrigia repens (аss. Cirsio setosi–Elytrigietum repentis). Favorable conditions for development of woody plants (small size of study area, its close position to forest ecosystems, poorly sodded soil) respond for replacement of meadow succession stage by young woody plants towards the second decade of succession. Earlier agricultural lands are an appropriated place for formation of birch forests with a well-developed undergrowth of Salix caprea and herb layer of meadow and forest edge plants (аss. Deschampsio cespitosae–Salicetum capreae). Big-size study areas with a well-formed grass stand are dominated by meadow communities towards the second succession decade even in case of no haying. The highly competitive nitrophytes as Heracleum sosnowskyi, Chamaenerion angustifolium, Anthriscus sylvestris form the following communities as аss. Urtico dioicae–Heracleetum sosnowskyi, аss. Urtico dioicae–Chamaenerietum angustifolii, аss. Symphyto officinalis–Anthriscetum sylvestris. Being highly competitive, these species lead to degradation of first-formed meadow communities.

Differences in biological efficiency of one- and two-component graminicide on sugar beet crops in Tula region

One of the most urgent tasks in sugar beet production for Russia today is irregularities in cultivation technology and a low-efficiency crop protection. It leads to a high level of weed infestation of agricultural fields. Developing and identifying the most efficient, selective and accessible herbicides, which have low phytotoxicity, do not have a negative effect on soil chemical characteristics and can be used in sugar beet cultivation is relevant today. The aim of this study was to examine and compare biological efficiency of various doses and concentrations of one- and two-component graminicides on sugar beet crops against the following weeds: Cockspur grass Echinochloa crusgalli (L.) Beauv., Wild millet Setaria glauca (L.) Beauv. and Couch Grass Elytrigia repens (L.) Nevski. The experiment was conducted on the territory of the Tula region in 2020. The total field experiment area was 480 m2. Application of clethodim + quizalofop-P-ethyl (0.5 l/ha) resulted in reducing the number and weight of annual weeds by 6471 %, reducing the number and weight of perennial weeds by 5458 %, which had the same efficiency as clethodim (0.6 l/ha). The efficiency of clethodim + quizalofop-P-ethyl (1.0 l/ha) was higher than Clethodim (0.6 l/ha) and amounted to 7387 % of reduction in the number of weeds compared to the control, but was lower than Clethodim (1.8 l/ha), which resulted in 8995 % reduction in the number of weeds compared to the control. The highest sugar beet yields were obtained in the variants with clethodim (1.8 l/ha) and two-component herbicide (1 l/ha), which amounted to 28 and 25 % yield increase, in comparison with the control.

Vegetation and fauna features in the zone of influence of the solid waste landfill «Preobrazhenka» (Samara Region)

The anthropogenic factor has a significant impact on the natural-territorial complexes of the Samara Region. Solid waste landfills have a significant impact on the soil and vegetation cover and the animal population, which is due to the alienation of territories as well as the negative impact of leachate and emitted gases into the environment. The purpose of our research is to study the vegetation cover and fauna on the territory of the zone of influence of solid waste landfill Preobrazhenka (Volzhsky District, Samara Region), including the area near the filtrate storage ponds. In the course of the work, geobotanical, floristic, zoological and ecological methods were used. 15 stationary areas were established in the study area around the storage ponds. The authors revealed the composition of phytocenoses, including the associations Galatella villossa Stipa lessingiana, Galatella villossa Stipa lessingiana Onosma simplicissima, Elytrigia repens + forbs, Elytrigia repens Phragmites australis forbs, Elytrigia repens Phragmites australis, Poa angustifolia + Galatella villossa, Quercus robur + Acer platanoides Aegopodium podagraria, Populus tremula Urtica dioica, Poa angustifolia + Galatella villossa, Salix triandra Salix fragilis forbs, Cyclachaena xanthiifolia Polygonum aviculare. The total flora of the territory includes 140 species of vascular plants. The authors have found 36 species of animals, 16 are invertebrates and 20 are vertebrates among them. The general state of biogeocenoses in the area of storage ponds is considered to be unsatisfactory, downstream of the ravine-gully system and on its slopes satisfactory. It is necessary to carry out reclamation of the object.

The chloroplast genome of Elytrigia repens (L.) Nevski (Poaceae: Triticeae), a widespread perennial grass from Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China

Elytrigia repens (L.) Nevski, belonging to Triticeae of Poaceae, is a wild-growing perennial grass, widely distributed in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome of E. repens was sequenced and analyzed. The complete chloroplast genome size is 134,749 bp with 38.3% GC content. It includes 136 genes, including 89 protein-coding genes, 39 tRNAs genes, and 8 rRNAs genes. Based on chloroplast genome sequences, further phylogenetic analyses between E. repens and other Triticeae species revealed that E. repens, Connorochloa tenuis and three Elymus species formed a distinct clade, showing closer relationships.

‘Invasion debt’ after extensive land-use change: An example from eastern Australia

Land-use change, and associated land clearing/conversion and fragmentation are major drivers of biodiversity decline across the globe. The spread of invasive species is a well-recognised consequence of land-use change. The extent and intensity of invasion however is often difficult to assess due to a lack of temporal data. Using detailed mapping information for 130, 950 km2 of sub-coastal Queensland, Australia and results from field surveys we investigated changes to land-use, the extent of remnant (intact) vegetation and the spread of prominent invasive plant species over time (1997–2018). In the 50 years prior to 1997 the area underwent significant land development (mostly for livestock grazing and crops), resulting in a reduction of 45% of its remnant vegetation. Despite key policy developments aimed at protecting the remaining vegetation and species, 7392 km2 was cleared/converted between 1997 and 2017, mainly for the expansion of grazing and cropping lands. Vegetation types specifically listed for national protection under these policies were some of the greatest affected, highlighting the need for improved implementation and regulation of these control measures. Within remaining fragments of remnant vegetation, the cover and presence of two invasive perennial grass species indian couch (Bothriochloa pertusa) and buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) increased significantly during this time period. There was also a moderate increase in the cover and presence of the annual herb Parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus). The spread of these species within the landscape likely reflects an ‘invasion debt’, incurred from an intense history of land-use within the region and we predict this trend will continue to threaten remnant ecosystems.

The mentor effect increases the rate of selfing in couch grasses

The mentor effect increases the rate of selfing in couch grasses

Evidence of Occurrence of Barley Crown Rust Caused by Puccinia coronata var. hordei and Sexual Reproduction of the Pathogen Under Field Conditions in China.

Crown rust of barley, caused by Puccinia coronata var. hordei, was first reported by Jin and Steffenson in 1992, and the fungus has been reported only in the United States and Hungary. In China, stripe, stem, and leaf rusts have been reported on barley, but not for crown rust. Recently, a sample (HZJ0004) of rust collected from barley in Qilian county in Qinghai, China, appeared different from the three rusts based on color, size, arrangements of uredinia and/or telia. Teliospores had crown-shaped appendages on the top. Based on the disease symptoms and morphology of urediniospores and teliospores, the fungus was identified as P. coronata var. hordei. Using the internal transcribed spacer sequences, the isolates HZJ0004 from barley and POR3 from buckthorn (Rhamnus sp.) were clustered in one clade with P. coronata var. hordei isolates from barley and Elymus repens but in a different clade from the isolate POC8 from wild oat and the varieties of P. coronata from oats and grasses. At the seedling stage, most of the tested cultivars of barley and rye were susceptible to P. coronata var. hordei isolates HZJ0004 and POR3, but the cultivars of oats, triticale, wheat, and most grasses of genera Aegilops, Brachypodium, Bromus, Calamagrostis, Deschampsia, Elymus, Festuca, and Phleum were resistant, indicating their host specialization on barley. To our knowledge, this is the first report of crown rust on barley in China.

Evaluation of the Effect of Hydroseeded Vegetation for Slope Reinforcement

A landslide is a significant environmental hazard that results in an enormous loss of lives and properties. Studies have revealed that rainfall, soil characteristics, and human errors, such as deforestation, are the leading causes of landslides, reducing soil water infiltration and increasing the water runoff of a slope. This paper introduces vegetation establishment as a low-cost, practical measure for slope reinforcement through the ground cover and the root of the vegetation. This study reveals the level of complexity of the terrain with regards to the evaluation of high and low stability areas and has produced a landslide susceptibility map. For this purpose, 12 conditioning factors, namely slope, aspect, elevation, curvature, hill shade, stream power index (SPI), topographic wetness index (TWI), terrain roughness index (TRI), distances to roads, distance to lakes, distance to trees, and build-up, were used through the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model to produce landslide susceptibility map. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) was used for validation of the results. The area under the curve (AUC) values obtained from the ROC method for the AHP model was 0.865. Four seed samples, namely ryegrass, rye corn, signal grass, and couch, were hydroseeded to determine the vegetation root and ground cover’s effectiveness on stabilization and reinforcement on a high-risk susceptible 65° slope between August and December 2020. The observed monthly vegetation root of couch grass gave the most acceptable result. With a spreading and creeping vegetation ground cover characteristic, ryegrass showed the most acceptable monthly result for vegetation ground cover effectiveness. The findings suggest that the selection of couch species over other species is justified based on landslide control benefits.

The effect of ambient temperature on biological properties and energy metabolism of Fasciola hepatica metacercariae

Parasitic helminths mainly use carbohydrates for energy synthesis, of which glycogen is the main reserve polysaccharide. When its content decreases to the minimum value, helminths lose their invasive capability. The material for the research was F. hepatica metacercariae. The complete biological cycle of F. hepatica development, from incubation of adult helminth eggs to production of sexually mature trematodes in definitive hosts was reproduced in laboratory conditions using common methods of parasitic helminth cultivation. F. hepatica metacercariae were kept in petri dishes with distilled water on the leaves of Elytrigia repens under different temperature conditions. In experimental conditions, we observed a high stability of F. hepatica metacercariae. Their long-term storage at a constant temperature of 6 ± 2 ° C causes a gradual decrease in the biological properties of F. hepatica metacercariae: viability, invasive capability and glycogen concentration. The glycogen concentration from 0.115 to 0.061 μg in a metacercaria ensures the preservation of basic biological properties of the helminth. An increase in ambient temperature (38 ± 2 ° C) or freezing temperatures (-2 ± 2 ° C) cause a sharp decrease in the viability, the invasive capability and glycogen content. The invasive material becomes sterile after 72 h under high (38 ± 2 ° C) temperature conditions, and 96 days under freezing (-2 ± 2 ° C) conditions.

Phytosanitary status of disturbed ecosystems

The research is devoted to the study of the problem of finding plants-remediators, weeds of inconveniences and arable lands of the Orenburg region. Analysis of aboveground organs of representatives of herbaceous flora and soil for the presence of mobile forms of heavy metals (Co, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cd, Pb, and Zn) by atomic absorption spectrometry using mathematical statistics methods. It was found that the best accumulating abilities are (in descending order): Elytrigia repens (L.) Nevski, Achillea millefolium L., Taraxacum officinale Wigg. We found that the concentrations of the most dangerous heavy metals Pb, Cd are expressed for such potential mediators (in descending order): Elytrígia répens, Achilléa millefólium, Taracsacum officinalis, Plantágo média, Chelidónium május.

Weedness sowing of fiber flax in crop rotation with short rotation

Relevance. The aim of the work was to study the influence of predecessors cultivated in three crop rotations with a short rotation on the weedness of fiber flax crops and the yield of flax products. The study was carried out in field experiments in 2016–2019, on medium and weakly acidic soddy-podzolic light and medium loamy soils of the Tver region with a high phosphorus content. Methods . As the precursors of fiber flax, vetch-oat mixture and white mustard were cultivated with post-cut cultivation of white mustard for green fertilization, and also repeated sowing of fiber flax was carried out in the same field for three years in a row after the predecessor of barley. Results . As a result of the studies, it was found that the greatest lowering the weediness of fiber flax crops and an increase in the yield of flax products was observed in the crop rotation with the cultivation of white mustard for green fertilization after the precursor of the vetch-oat mixture for green fodder and the introduction of the biofungicide Sternifag after the precursor of barley with the addition of 12 kg/ha of ammonium nitrate. There was a decrease in the number of stems of couch grass ( Agroperon repens ) by 2.8 times, a significant increase in the yield of fiber flax — by 5 dt/ha a compared with repeated cultivation of fiber flax in the same field and by 1.4 dt/ha compared with cultivation after barley without the use of biofungicide. At the same time, the yield of flax straw was 29.1 dt/ha, of flax stock 22.4 dt/ha, of flax fiber — 6 dt/ha. In the crop rotation with the sowing of fiber flax after barley in the same field for three years in a row, there was a decrease in the yield of flax fiber by 0.3 and 0.8 dt/ha, including fiber scutched flax — by 1.6 and 1.7 dt/ha in comparison with cultivation in crop rotations with post-harvest use of white mustard for green fertilization.

Hidden Fungi: Combining Culture-Dependent and -Independent DNA Barcoding Reveals Inter-Plant Variation in Species Richness of Endophytic Root Fungi in Elymus repens

The root endophyte community of the grass species Elymus repens was investigated using both a culture-dependent approach and a direct amplicon sequencing method across five sites and from individual plants. There was much heterogeneity across the five sites and among individual plants. Focusing on one site, 349 OTUs were identified by direct amplicon sequencing but only 66 OTUs were cultured. The two approaches shared ten OTUs and the majority of cultured endophytes do not overlap with the amplicon dataset. Media influenced the cultured species richness and without the inclusion of 2% MEA and full-strength MEA, approximately half of the unique OTUs would not have been isolated using only PDA. Combining both culture-dependent and -independent methods for the most accurate determination of root fungal species richness is therefore recommended. High inter-plant variation in fungal species richness was demonstrated, which highlights the need to rethink the scale at which we describe endophyte communities.

Spatial structure of Globularia bisnagarica L. (Plantaginaceae, Magnoliopsida) coenopopulations

The paper presents the results of the spatial distribution analysis of 18 Globularia bisnagarica L. coenopopulations in the Saratov, Samara, Ulyanovsk and Orenburg regions and the Republic of Tatarstan. The analysis was carried out with the Spatstat package of the R environment for statistical computing. The research reveals an aggregation tendency for the G. bisnagarica coenopopulations. It is suggested that this tendency may be attributed to the prevalence of seed reproduction and certain peculiarities of dissemination (barochory) in the studied coenopopulations as well as to the confinement of the species to eroded landforms (slopes of watersheds, gullies, runoff hollows, etc.) characterized by high heterogeneity of environmental conditions. It has been established that the majority of G. bisnagarica coenopopulations grow in heavily or moderately sodded habitats. Nevertheless, in the studied communities, G. bisnagarica occurs abundantly and dominates along with Stipa pennata, Bromus inermis, Salvia nutans, Elytrigia repens, Poa compressa, etc. Finally, the spatial structure of G. bisnagarica coenopopulations is impacted by the interspecific competition in calciphilous phytocenoses under the invasion of eurybiontic steppe grasses.

Effects of plant species identity override diversity effects in explaining sedimentation within vegetation in a flume experiment

AbstractDuring floods, sediments suspended in river water deposit on floodplains. Thus, floodplains are a key to improving river water quality. Yet, the factors that determine the amount of fine sediment that deposits on floodplains are largely unknown. Plant diversity typically increases structural diversity, whereas the vegetation structure and the structural characteristics of individual species are known to influence sedimentation. We hypothesised that species diversity, in addition to species identity, may promote sediment retention. Our study aimed to disentangle the effects of species richness and species identity, via differences in vegetation structure, on sediment retention within herbaceous vegetation patches. In a flume experiment, we investigated sedimentation on 30 vegetation patches (40 × 60 cm2). We created patches with five different species‐richness levels (3, 4, 6, 8, and 11 species), each replicated six times. Species were randomly selected from 14 common floodplain species. We inundated the patches with silt‐ and clay‐rich water and measured the amount of accumulated sediment on the vegetation and on the ground underneath it. Species richness significantly increased sedimentation underneath the vegetation (R2 = 0.17). However, including species identity effects in a structural equation model, we showed that individual species' presence largely drove these effects. Alopecurus pratensis had a direct negative effect on sedimentation on the vegetation, whereas Bromus inermis and Elymus repens had indirect positive effects through an increase in total biomass (R2 = 0.42). Elymus repens had a direct negative, and Urtica dioica a direct positive effect on sedimentation underneath the vegetation (R2 = 0.38). Our results indicate that selecting the most effective species, rather than as many species as possible, may have the greatest benefits for promoting sedimentation. Overall, we conclude that floodplain management that aims to increase sediment retention should alter the vegetation structure of meadows by increasing vegetation biomass.

Dry weight minimum in the underground storage and proliferation organs of six creeping perennial weeds

AbstractMany herbaceous perennial plant species gain significant competitive advantages from their underground creeping storage and proliferation organs (CR), making them more likely to become successful weeds or invasive plants. To develop efficient control methods against such invasive or weedy creeping perennial plants, it is necessary to identify when the dry weight minimum of their CR (CR DWmin) occurs. Moreover, it is of interest to determine how the timing of CR DWmin differs in species with different light requirements at different light levels. The CR DWmin of Aegopodium podagraria, Elymus repens and Sonchus arvensis were studied in climate chambers under two light levels (100 and 250 μmol m−2 s−1), and Reynoutria japonica, R. sachaliensis and R. × bohemica under one light level (250 μmol m−2 s−1). Under 250 μmol m−2 s−1, the CR DWmin occurred before one fully developed leaf in R. sachaliensis, around 1–2 leaves in A. podagraria and E. repens and around four leaves in S. arvensis, R. japonica and R. × bohemica. In addition to reducing growth in all species, less light resulted in a higher shoot mass fraction in E. repens and S. arvensis, but not A. podagraria; and it delayed the CR DWmin in E. repens, but not S. arvensis. Only 65% of planted A. podagragra rhizomes produced shoots. Beyond the CR DWmin, Reynoutria spp. reinvested in their old CR, while the other species primarily produced new CR. We conclude that A. podagraria, R. sachaliensis and E. repens are vulnerable to control efforts at an earlier developmental stage than S. arvensis, R. japonica and R. × bohemica.

Analysis of Heavy Metal Content in Soil and Plants in the Dumping Ground of Magnesite Mining Factory Jelšava-Lubeník (Slovakia)

A high content of heavy metals in the soil and plants of a magnesite mining area might cause serious damage to the environment and can be a threat to the health of the surrounding population. This paper presents the results of research that focused on analyzing the heavy metal content in soil and plants in the dumping grounds of the magnesite mining factory Jelšava-Lubeník (Slovakia). The analysis focused on the content of heavy metals in soil (X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, atomic absorption spectrometry), in plants (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry), and pH (1M KCl solution). The results showed that the soil in the study area was slightly acidic to strongly alkaline and the content of Cr, As, Mn, and Mg exceeded by several times the limit values for the Slovak Republic. The results of the hierarchical cluster analysis and the correlation analysis show that the grouped metals come from the same sources of pollution. The content of heavy metals in plants was high and the highest concentration was found in the roots of Elytrigia repens > Agrostis stolonifera > Phragmites australis and flowers of Phragmites australis. The findings confirmed the suitability of the used plants in the process of phytoextraction and phytostabilization. The acquired knowledge can help in planning and realization remediation measures and improve the state of the environment in areas exposed to magnesite mining.