Volodymyr Kozlovskyy

Dactylis glomerata subsp. slovenica (Poaceae) is widespread in the Alps, Carpathians, Sudetes, the Giant Mountains (Krkonoše), and adjacent foothills. Some localities are also known in the northern Apennines, in the foothills of the French Pyrenees, Balkans, and the Caucasus, and occasionally outside the mentioned mountain systems in Poland, Germany, France, and Ukraine. In the Ukrainian Carpathians, it occurs in isolated populations in all main mountain ranges up to 1620 m above sea level, preferring tall herbaceous communities of the subalpine belt. Relatively strong restriction of D. glomerata subsp. slovenica to habitats with neutral or sub-acidic soils limits its advance on new areas in the Carpathians. The primary threats to the taxon are its geographical isolation, substrate requirements, and secondary successions associated with the expansion of Alnus alnobetula (A. viridis). Instead, reduced grazing or haymaking may have a positive impact on population size within existing localities or dispersal into areas with suitable soil conditions.

Wheat grains are usually low in essential micronutrients. In resolving the problem of grain micronutritional quality, microbe-based technologies, including bacterial endophytes, seem to be promising. Thus, we aimed to (1) isolate and identify grain endophytic bacteria from selected spring wheat varieties (bread Oksamyt myronivs’kyi, Struna myronivs’ka, Dubravka, and emmer Holikovs’ka), which were all grown in field conditions with low bioavailability of microelements, and (2) evaluate the relationship between endophytes’ abilities to synthesize auxins and the concentration of Fe, Zn, and Cu in grains. The calculated biological accumulation factor (BAF) allowed for comparing the varietal ability to uptake and transport micronutrients to the grains. For the first time, bacterial endophytes were isolated from grains of emmer wheat T. turgidum subsp. dicoccum. Generally, the 12 different isolates identified in the four varieties belonged to the genera Staphylococcus, Pantoea, Sphingobium, Bacillus, Kosakonia, and Micrococcus (NCBI accession numbers: MT302194—MT302204, MT312840). All the studied strains were able to synthesize the indole-related compounds (IRCs; max: 16.57 µg∙mL⁻¹) detected using the Salkowski reagent. The IRCs produced by the bacterial genera Pantoea spp. and Bacillus spp. isolated from high-yielding Oksamyt myronivs’kyi and Holikovs’ka grains may be considered as one of the determinants of the yield of wheat and its nutritional characteristics.

Background. Several theories have been proposed to explain the podzolization process. Currently, the role of organic matter in both weathering and immobilization in the illuvial horizon is clearly stated. The origin of soil organic matter and, accordingly, the various mechanisms of its influence on the soil material, create the basis of these theories. We assume that in the base-poor sandy soils under rich herbaceous vegetation with a well developed sod layer, the process of podzolization may also depend on CO2 soil formation agent . Materials and Methods. Four localities along a Pinus sylvestris L. self-afforestation chronosequence with pine stands of 10, 20, 40 yrs and an adjacent semi-natural grassland area were investigated in order to determine the patterns of podzolization process on sandy glacial till deposits. Soil pH, exchangeable base, soil cation exchange capacity, total content of soil organic carbon, amorphous Fe, Si and Al and total contents of Al, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cd, Pb, Cu, Co, Ni, Na, K were determined. Statistical analysis of the results was performed using LibreOffice for Linux. Results. During the pine succession, a previously well differentiated into horizons podzolic soil under the grassland vegetation community gradually degrades. Previously well-defined albic and spodic diagnostic horizons disappear, the soil profile becomes more acidic, the soil organic carbon, the base cation content and the base cation saturation decrease, the leaching rate of aluminium and iron increases. Secondary podzolization features in the soil profiles were detected 40 years after the onset of afforestation. The podzolization has not been intensive enough to develop fully fledged albic and spodic diagnostic horizons over such a short period. Conclusions. Based on the obtained soil morphological, physical and chemical properties, three most important agents of podzolization are proposed as principal for the studied area. The main gent under pine forest is fulvic acids that are produced during coniferous litter decomposition. Low molecular weight organic acids and carbon dioxide produced to the rhizosphere by roots and a root associated microbiota are mainly involved in the podzolization process under the grassland ecosystem.

Biol. Stud. 2020: 14(2); 57–68 • DOI: https://doi.org/10.30970/sbi.1402.623 PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF DOMBROVSKE PIT LAKE — LEGACY OF OPENCAST POTASSIUM SALT MINE (KALUSH, UKRAINE)

Drought tolerance of 24 Ukrainian spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L., T. durum Desf., T. turgidum subsp. dicoccum) genotypes was estimated by determining water deficit (WD), relative water content (RWC), excised leaves water loss weight (EL WLW), excised leaves water loss per area (EL WLA) in flag leaves of plants grown in a field conditions during Y2018 vegetative season, that was characterized by low precipitation and high temperatures. Field experimental plots were located near Dmytriv village, Lviv region (50°13′26.6′ ′N 24°36′50.5′ ′E) on the Chernozem on eluvium of carbonate rock soil. Wheat was sown in a randomized complete block design in four replications of 30 m² plot area. The purpose of this study was to verify more reliably a physiological traits used for screening of the performance under the restricted water supply and to correlate the varietal tolerance with the final grain yield. Water status parameters were determined on the Zadoks 4.3 growth stage. Water deficit caused a reduction in the leaf RWC for all studied varieties. Differences in the drought response between T. aestivum and T. durum varieties were confirmed. The WD of flag leaves ranged from 18.0 to 37.8 % for bread and from 19.4 to 33.3 % for durum wheat varieties. The lowest WD (less or equal 20 %) has been recorded for bread varieties Kolektyvna 3, Elehiia myronivs’ka and durum varieties – Diana, Chado. High WD noted for the Simkoda myronivs’ka and MIP Raiduzhna. The low EL WLW and therefore higher drought tolerance was noticed for durum wheat varieties, namely for Spadschyna, Diana. Bread wheat varieties Simkoda myronivs’ka, Panianka, and durum wheat Zhizel’, Tera, MIP Raiduzhna and emmer Holikovs’ka varieties lost less water per leaf area (EL WLA). Past 3 biplot correlation analysis confirmed MIP Raiduzhna drought tolerance, and allowed to choose Zhizel’ (durum), Holikovs’ka (emmer) and Simkoda myronivs’ka (bread) as varieties with a high yield performance and drought tolerance. Bread varieties Bozhena and Dubravka, durum Spadschyna, Diana varieties were susceptible to drought in spite of relatively high leaf RWC. Thus, excised leaves water loss – EL WLW and EL WLA indices characte­rizing water-retaining ability of leaf tissues could be recommended as additional indicators of water stress tolerance. RWC as drought tolerance parameter is more applicable for durum varieties, whereas EL WLA 2–6 h for the bread varieties. Keywords: drought, Ukrainian spring wheat, relative water content, water deficit, excised leaves water loss, EL WLW, EL WLA

Biol. Stud. 2010: 4(3); 81–88 • DOI: https://doi.org/10.30970/sbi.0403.152 DISTRIBUTION OF HEAVY METALS IN THE PROFILE OF PEAT BOG ZHURAVLYNE (SKOLIVSKI BESKYDY, UKRAINIAN CARPATHIANS) AS AN INDICATOR OF CHANGES IN CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF AIR PRECIPITATIONS IN HISTORICAL RETROSPECTIVE