Organic substances replenishment and high humus content of soil in the apple orchads under different fertilization

The balance of humus in a meter layer of dark gray, podzolized soil and podzolized chernozem of the experimental apple orchads and the study of their long-term fertilization was investigated (from the planting to 50-year old trees) with the use of organic (40 t/ha of cattle manure) and mineral fertilizers (N120P120K120), which were applied once in two years in autumn under the plowing in the row spacings at a depth of 18 20 cm. In the 20-year period (from 30- to 50-year-old experimental gardens) in a meter layer of dark gray podzolized soil on the non-fertilized control plots the amount of humus increased by 27 t/ha, and on the plots fertilized with manure – by 7 t/ha more and on the plots with mineral fertilizers – by 6 t/ha less and in podzolized chernozem – 37 t/ha and 3 t/ha more and 10 t/ha less respectively. Such changes in humus storage were caused by different replenishment of organic substances, and, to a greater extent, an increase in the biological activity of the fertilized soil, in particular the intensity of mineralization processes of organic matter, and in particular the humus compounds. Also, the replanishment of such soils in the gardens by the organic mass of fallen leaves and thin (d≤1mm) small roots, which systematically grows and dies, providing root nutrition of fruit plants, was investigated. These sources supplemented with organic substances the layer of soil of 0 20 cm – with all the mass of leaves and 38,5 43,3% of the total roots, and the increase in humus content was in all roots of the layer of 0 60 cm: in non-fertilized areas of 11 t/ha in dark gray soil and 18 tons per hectare in chernozem, under organic fertilizers, by 14 and 19 t/ha, and under mineral fertilizers – by 3 and 9 t/ha respectively. The greatest quantity of humus was added in the layer 60 100 cm: 16 and 19 t/ha, 20 and 21 t/ha and 18 t/ha. Such results were conditioned by the intensification of biological activity, in particular mineralization processes, in the upper layers of fertilized soils at higher humus content, as well as the migration of soluble humus substances deep into the meter profile.

CARAGANA ARBORESCENS LAM. AS A SHRUB SPECIES FOR BIOLOGICAL RECLAMATION OF POST-TECHNOGENIC AREAS

Minerals are considered one of the components of the economy of any country. The negative side of technogenesis is the emergence of technogenic landscapes with developed exogenous processes. To prevent and eliminate them, biological reclamation is carried out, the most promising direction of which is forest reclamation. In forest reclamation, preference is given to soil-improving tree and shrub species. The research was carried out in the stands of the Caragana arborescens (Caragana arborescens Lam.) on the dumps of the Kursk magnetic anomaly in the Belgorod region of the Central Federal District of Russia. The work on the test areas was carried out according to generally accepted methods. On the sandy-chalk dump of loose overburden, the karagany cultures completely died by the age of 38. On a two-component technozem, with surface application of a fertile layer on a sand-chalk mixture, karagana showed positive results. The maximum safety (84.2-82.0%) is typical for the first four years of karagana's life. It does not depend much on environmental conditions. The growth of shoots in karagana begins only in the second decade of May. Shoots grow most actively in the third decade of May - 43.8%. The average biomass of one karagana bush at the age of 6 years is 503 g. At the same time, the average mass of one specimen of Robinia pseudoacacia is 2264 g. The total supply of phytomass in the 9-year-old karagana plantation is 69.5 c/ha, which is 2.6 times less than in the robinia pseudoacacia plantation. The reclamation role of caragana leaves is insignificant. The tree-like karagana is rich in mineral elements, which is reflected in their accumulation in substrates. The reserves of nitrogen – 4.06% and calcium – 1.46% are especially large in Karagan. The dump is located in the mining production zone, so the iron content in the assimilating organs of karagany exceeds 4 times the content on zonal soils, and titanium - 1.8 times. A significant part of the chemical elements falls on the green parts of plants. Caragana leaves are supplied with: nitrogen - 26.64 kg /ha, potassium - 1.78 kg/ ha, calcium - 17.52 kg/ ha and magnesium - 4.56 kg/ha. More than half of the chemical elements of root systems accumulate in small roots. When they die off, they enter directly into the substrate. The tree-like karagana can be recommended for forest reclamation of technogenically disturbed lands when mixed with more valuable tree and shrub species

Belowground morphology and population dynamics of two forest understory herbs of contrasting growth form

Forest understory herbs exhibit a large range of variation in morphology and life history. Here we expand the reported range of variation by describing the belowground structures of two very different species, Xerophyllum tenax and Chimaphila umbellata. We excavated individuals in forests of the Cascade Mountains, Pacific Northwest, USA. Xerophyllum tenax has short rhizomes, but an extensive root system that is exceptionally large among forest understory species. The roots reach 4 m in length and may occupy an area 50 times that of the aboveground canopy. In contrast, Chimaphila umbellata has very small roots, but an extensive rhizome system. The largest plant we excavated had 57 m of connected rhizomes and still had a seedling source. Both species have long-lived individuals but differ in response to disturbance. Based on monitoring of 151 permanent 1 m2 plots in an old-growth forest, X. tenax increased only minimally in density over 40 years following tephra deposition from the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, whereas density of C. umbellata increased substantially. The very different morphology of these two species highlights the large range of variation found among forest herbs, which needs to be considered when examining the forest understory.

Influence of form and size of a root on the storage life of kitchen beetroot

Kitchen beetroots have a series of high-value parameters: good taste properties, healing-prophylactic importance, ability to long-term storage. There are many sorts of kitchen beetroot, different by root form. Most widespread are ones of the round and cylindrical forms. At the same time plants of kitchen beetroot at growing form roots of different masses. The aim of the study was to investigate the storage life of kitchen beetroot depending on form and root sizes. The conducted studies give a possibility to substantiate scientifically an influence of kitchen beetroots’ form and sizes on their storage life for determining its term. It has been established, that roots of the round form of the Kharkiv Bordo sort lost moisture more intensively at the expanse of breath and evaporation – 4.4–5.4 %. In the Vital sort with roots of the cylindrical form, mass natural losses were 4.1–5.1 %. At that more natural mass losses were in small roots with mass 150–300 g. Small roots were more inclined to sprouting at storage. Among sprouted roots, 1.6–1.8 % were small ones with mass 150–300 g. More percent of sprouted roots was for ones with mass 500–700 g as 2.3–2.5 %. At that less percent of sprouted roots was in the Vital sort of the cylindrical form. Small roots with mass 150–300 g were more damaged by rots at storage – 10.4–12.3 %. Among roots of middle sizes, 6.0–6.8 % were damaged by rots, among big ones – 4.5–4.7 %. It must be also noted, that cylindrical roots of the Vital sort were less damaged by rots at storage than round ones of the Kharkiv Bordo sort

Analytical cryptanalysis upon N = p2q utilizing Jochemsz-May strategy

This paper presents a cryptanalytic approach on the variants of the RSA which utilizes the modulus N = p2q where p and q are balanced large primes. Suppose e∈Z+ satisfying gcd(e, ϕ(N)) = 1 where ϕ(N) = p(p − 1)(q − 1) and d < Nδ be its multiplicative inverse. From ed − kϕ(N) = 1, by utilizing the extended strategy of Jochemsz and May, our attack works when the primes share a known amount of Least Significant Bits(LSBs). This is achievable since we obtain the small roots of our specially constructed integer polynomial which leads to the factorization of N. More specifically we show that N can be factored when the bound δ<119−294+18γ. Our attack enhances the bound of some former attacks upon N = p2q.

Water transport in European Beech roots (<5mm) under drought in the south of Lower Saxony

&lt;p&gt;Climate models predict hotter and dryer summers in Germany, with longer periods of extreme droughts like in summer 2018. How does this affect the water uptake and transport in tree roots growing in the top- and subsoil?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In summer 2018 and 2019 we measured the water transport in fine roots (&lt;5mm) of European Beech on tertiary sand and triassic sandstone up to 2 m depth. We adapted the well-established HRM technique to enable measurements of very small sap flow rates in small roots. Thus, we measured the water transport as a temperature ratio of a stretching heat pulse.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Relating sap flow to root surface area, root depth, anatomy, soil moisture, and VPD allows for interesting insights in tree water uptake rates: Where are the limits of drought intensity and duration, for water uptake and recovery of small roots? Are there differences in the function of top- and subsoil roots? Are roots specialized for water transport or nutrient uptake? The investigated data gives a first hint on how the water transport in Beech roots differs with changes in the soil moisture and VPD under changing climate.&lt;/p&gt;

New Jochemsz–May Cryptanalytic Bound for RSA System Utilizing Common Modulus N = p2q

This paper describes an attack on the Rivest, Shamir and Adleman (RSA) cryptosystem utilizing the modulus N=p2q where p and q are two large balanced primes. Let e1,e2<Nγ be the integers such that d1,d2<Nδ be their multiplicative inverses. Based on the two key equations e1d1−k1ϕ(N)=1 and e2d2−k2ϕ(N)=1 where ϕ(N)=p(p−1)(q−1), our attack works when the primes share a known amount of least significant bits (LSBs) and the private exponents share an amount of most significant bits (MSBs). We apply the extended strategy of Jochemsz–May to find the small roots of an integer polynomial and show that N can be factored if δ<1110+94α−12β−12γ−130180γ+990α−180β+64. Our attack improves the bounds of some previously proposed attacks that makes the RSA variant vulnerable.

Productivity of seedlings of Scots pine on alluvial sands of natural and man-made origin

Purpose. To find out quantitative physical and water indicators for which there are significant changes in forest vegetation properties in alluvial sands, as well as to trace their impact on the formation of pine seedling root systems and the accumulation of aboveground phytomass in their plantations. Methodology. The chemical properties of sandy soils were determined taking into account the current requirements of ISO, and their physical and water properties using volumetric cylinders, followed by the calculation of their density, porosity, as well as the coefficients of water content and aeration. The root population of the upper meter layer of sands was determined by the method of monoliths, and plant productivity was assessed by phytomass of medium model trees (7-year-old seedlings, plots 14) and by biometric indicators (22-year-old seedlings, plots 59). Findings. It was found that on alluvial sands with a density of 1.501.66 g × cm-3 in their upper meter thickness, 7-year-old seedlings of Scots pine form a superficial root system (1341.8 g × m-2), which provides accumulation of 2558 kg × ha-1 of aboveground phytomass in seedlings. As the density of sands increases, the production of seedling phytomass decreases. In the case of an increase in density by 14% (1.521.72 g × cm-3), there is a decrease in the mass of roots, in a meter-thick layer of sand (by 53.4%) and aboveground phytomass (by 36%). An increase in the density of sands by 510% with its maximum values (1.741.79 g × cm-3) in a 1030 cm layer causes a decrease in the mass of pine roots by 64.1%. The roots of pine seedlings, for such a density of sand, are not able to inhabit the inter-row space, as indicated by their content in the upper 20-cm layer of sand (2% of the mass of small roots recorded in a one-meter thickness). The phytomass of aboveground organs decreased by 81%, and the seedlings themselves were marked by dwarf growth (were grown by V class of productivity). On sands covered with humus mass of zonal soils, the one meter thickness contained fewer (by 51.4%) pine roots (482.8 g × m-2) than on the control. The share of small roots was smaller (by 61.5%) and that of coarse roots was higher (by 21.5%). Losses of aboveground phytomass per unit area in pine seedlings growing under such conditions can reach 31%, due to the compaction of sands at a depth of 2550 cm (1.671.72 g × cm-3) when they are covered by humus mass and row spacing are overgrown with herbaceous plants (root mass in 60-cm profile 3147 g × m-2) in the phase of their individual growth. Originality. Quantitative indicators of density, porosity and coefficients of water content and aeration of alluvial sands of natural and man-made origin are shown for which the seedlings of Scots pine feature delay in the formation of full-fledged root systems of the surface type, which is reflected in a decrease in the productivity of pine plantations cultivated on the sands, up to the visual manifestation of their dwarf growth. Practical value. The quantitative indicators of their physical and water properties obtained for alluvial sands explain the changes occurring in the structure of the root systems of Scots pine seedlings and the productivity of their aboveground organs. Maintaining the density of sands in the range of 1.501.66 g × cm-3 will allow growing pine seedlings on sands without covering their surface with humus mass, and no-till pre-planting loosening of sands in the rows of future crops allows ensuring the cultivation of multifunctional pine plantations.

Reproductive resilience but not root architecture underpin yield improvement in maize (Zea mays L.)

Plants capture soil resources to produce the grains required to feed a growing population. Because plants capture water and nutrients through roots, it was proposed that changes in root systems architecture (RSA) underpin the three-fold increase in maize grain yield over the last century1,2,3,4. Within this framework, improvements in reproductive resilience due to selection are caused by increased water capture1. Here we show that both root architecture and yield have changed with decades of maize breeding, but not the water capture. Consistent with Darwinian agriculture5 theory, improved reproductive resilience6,7 enabled farmers increase the number of plants per unit land8,9,10, capture soil resources, and produced more dry matter and grain. Throughout the last century, selection operated to adapt roots to crowding, enabling reallocation of C from large root systems to the growing ear and the small roots of plants cultivated in high plant populations in modern agriculture.