Khetag M. Khetagurov

The characteristics of maple syrup produced from Acer Trautvetteri Medw., growing on the northern macroslopes of the Caucasus, are presented in the article. The object of the study has been high-mountain maple stands at the lower limit of the vertical belt of their distribution. The geographical coordinates of the object are 42°56.352 N, 44°29.677 E. The altitude above sea level is 1374–1398 m. The slope steepness is 30–35°, the slope is exposed to the north. The beginning of sap secretion is the 3rd ten-day period of April, the duration of sap production is 12–17 days. The tapping has been carried out using a closed method. It has been shown that maple stand sap productivity averages about 4 t/ha per season. The main characteristics of maple sap and syrup have been determined by liquid chromatography in isocratic and gradient modes. The chemical composition of the syrup and the content of organic and inorganic components have been determined using a Maestro liquid chromatograph with spectrophotometric and refractometric detectors. The quantitative analysis of the elemental composition based on atomic absorption spectra has been carried out using a Contra AA 800 spectrometer with a flame and electrothermal atomizers. The sugar content in the sap has equaled 0.9–1.3 %. Maple sap syrup has been obtained by evaporation. The sugar content in the Trautvetter maple syrup has equaled 41 %, which is 12 % less than in the syrup produced in Canada. The proportion of glucose in the syrup is 1.7 %, the proportion of sucrose – 39.2 %. The content of Ca is 1286 mg/kg, the content of K – 9063 mg/kg. The elements such as Fe, Mn, Cu and Na in the syrup are present in small volumes – from 1 to 144 mg/kg. In terms of the content of identified chemical elements and organoleptic characteristics, syrup from the sap of the Trautvetter maple differs from syrup from the Canadian sugar maple. The data obtained contribute to solving the tasks of estimating the reserves of potential food resources of mountain forests in Russia. The results of the study can be used to update regulatory documents in the forestry sector and implemented into training programs for forestry specialists.

The study of unexplored areas of the forest fund in the territory of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania with the participation of the Red Book species of common yew in phytocenoses is relevant for the protection and conservation of the species. Original data on the growing conditions of common yew under the canopy of mixed forest stands are presented. The object of the study is forest fund areas with common yew in the Shubi tract on the right bank of the Ardon River. Geographic coordinates of the experimental site: N 42°54.736, E 44о11.307. The altitude above sea level is 995-1004 m. The composition of the tree stand is 48Beech18Hornbeam14Ash9Oak5Maple2Linden1Cherry1Elm1Yew. Complex. Under the canopy of the tree stand, the undergrowth of forest-forming species was revealed with a total number of 2520 specimens/ha, of the following composition: 68 Beech 12 Yew 8 Linden 7 Maple 5 Elm. The undergrowth is represented by shrubs of 6 species, the total number of which is 388 specimens/ha. Caucasian bilberry predominates. Allium ursinum L. dominates in the composition of the grass-shrub layer, the projective cover of which is 82 % consists of (bear’s onion). There is no grass cover on 20 % of the experimental plot area. Yew in the composition of the studied phytocenoses is represented by individuals of different generations, the height of plants from 5-10 cm to 9-11 m. Illumination under the canopy of the tree stands is 1200-1400 lux, and in the open space 48-56 thousand lux. The air temperature under the canopy of the tree stands at midday on June 14 is 23-26 °C, the soil temperature at a depth of 5 cm is 15-16 °C, and at a depth of 10 cm is 13-14 оC. The radiation background is normal - 12-16 uSv/h.

The introduction into cultivation of new plant species that combine not only high yields and nutritional benefits, but also resistance to diseases and pests is an important task for the agricultural industry. The main feature of amaranth is its high performance and active growth, which allows it to be used as a crop with a short growing season, and amaranth also has high seed performance, unlike other traditional crops. The studies were carried out at the experimental site of the Research Institute of Biotechnology of the Federal State Budgetary Institution of Higher Education Gorsky State Agrarian University. The material for the study was collection samples of amaranth, selected in the full flowering phase. Economic and biological indicators of productivity of different samples of amaranth VR-99, K-51, K-61, K-63 of the genus ( Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.) were established. These amaranth samples are mid-season, the growing season of which is on average 125 days. According to biometric indicators, the studied amaranth samples are of medium height, from 157 to 173 cm. On average, the biomass yield of samples K-61 and K-63 was 440-593.4 c/ha, respectively. The yield of amaranth samples ( Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.) K-51, BP-99 was 406-438.9 c/ha, respectively. The dynamics of the assimilating surface area and leaf blade area in the flowering phase for sample VR-99 was 63.75 (thousand m2/g). In the seed ripening phase, the leaf area was 142.8 (thousand m2/g). The total photosynthetic potential of the leaf surface was 2272.05 million m2 day/ha. Amaranth samples of the genus Amaranthus hypochondriacus L. (BP-99, K-51, K-61, K-63), due to their unique properties, are promising for use as a fodder crop, and its inclusion in the agrophytocenosis of the foothill zone of North Ossetia will provide high-quality forage.

In the North Caucasus are presented data on the intensity of sap production and sap productivity of the Trautvetter maple. Experimental tapping was carried out in an old-growth maple forest in the forest fund of North Ossetia-Alania, the Koban tract. Maple tapping was carried out by laying drill channels with a diameter of 10 mm and a depth of no more than 30 mm. From 1 to 4 channels were laid on one trunk. A polyvinyl chloride tube with an outer diameter of 10 mm was used as a sap line. Plastic containers with a volume of 5 and 10 liters served as juice collectors. The volume of secreted juice was determined with an accuracy of 10 ml. It has been established that the intensity and duration of juice secretion depends on the weather conditions at the beginning of the growing season. The sap productivity of the Trautfetter maple also depends on the size of the tree and its condition. A direct and strong dependence of the intensity of juice secretion on the diameter of the trunk has been proven - the larger the diameter, the more juice. At the same time, there are cases when the intensity of sap production by trees with a small trunk diameter is higher than that of trees with a trunk diameter of about 1 m. It is noted that the presence of heart rot and hollowness of the trunk affects both the intensity of sap production and sap productivity. An interesting feature was revealed in individual Trautfetter maple trees: when 2-4 sapling canals are laid on one trunk, sap flow from one, or less often from two canals at once, quickly stops. The period of rapid decrease in juice secretion takes from 30 minutes to several hours. A characteristic phenomenon for alpine maple is the growth of trees in nests, when from 2 to 10-12 trunks develop from a single root system. It is indicated that the intensity of sap production does not depend on the number of trees in the “nest”, and the overall sap productivity of the “nest” is higher than that of individual trees.

В настоящее время прослеживается множество научных публикаций касающихся изменения климатических условий, отдельных регионов, стран, континентов и всей земли как планеты. Все вышеперечисленное привело нас к рассмотрению данных изменений относительно их влияния на развитие эрозионных процессов в горных условиях. Основой явились исследования, изложенные в кандидатской диссертации Кучиева С.Э. 1996-1998 г., а также, проверка гипотез выдвинутых в работе о развитии эрозионных процессов. Вышеизложенное потребовало продолжение исследований на данном стационаре во второй период с 2008 по 2013 годы. В среднем за годы исследований выпадало 605 мм, в первый период 1996-1998 год 478 мм, во второй 2008- 2013 - 668 мм, в разные годы выпадало от 2 до 8 дождей интенсивностью более 20 мм. Проведенный корреляционный анализ показывает, что с ростом величины осадков наблюдаемых в последние годы, прослеживается корреляционная зависимость с количеством ливневых осадков. За рассматриваемый период дождей с интенсивностью выше 5 мм насчитывалось от 27 до 48. В 2009 ливневые осадки характеризовались в основном интенсивностью от 20 до 40 мм в сутки, однако в августе 2009 и 2010 года выпадало по 71 и 73 мм. Пик ливней был отмечен в 2012 год, когда в июне два дня подряд шел дождь с интенсивностью 121 и 101 мм. Значительно увеличился показатель поверхностного стока, как на варианте контроля (чистый пар), так и в посевах культур севооборота, которые можно расположить в порядке возрастания их противоэрозионной устойчивости: пропашные культуры, зерновые сплошного способа сева и многолетние травы. Исследования проводились на горном многолетнем стационаре СКНИИ-ГПСХ – филиал «ВНЦ РАН» с. Даргавс.

The moss biomonitoring technique was used for assessment of air pollution in the central part of Georgia, Caucasus, in the framework of the UNECE ICP Vegetation. A total of 35 major and trace elements were determined by two complementary analytical techniques, epithermal neutron activation analysis (Na, Mg, Al, Cl, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, Se, B, Rb, Sr, Zr, Mo, Sb, I, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Yb, Hf, Ta, W, Th, and U) and atomic absorption spectrometry (Cu, Cd, and Pb) in the moss samples collected in 2019. Principal Component Analyses was applied to show the association between the elements in the study area. Four factors were determined, of which two are of geogenic origin (Factor 1 including Na, Al, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Th, and U and Factor 3 with As, Sb, and W), mixed geogenic–anthropogenic (Factor 2 with Cl, K, Zn, Se, Br, I, and Cu) and anthropogenic (Factor 4 comprising Ca, Cd, Pb, and Br). Geographic information system (GIS) technologies were used to construct distributions maps of factor scores over the investigated territory. Comparison of the median values with the analogous data of moss biomonitoring in countries with similar climatic conditions was carried out.