Abstract
In the summer of 2010, thermal damages to birch in cultures reached 4.2–4.8 points according to the authors’ five-point scale. In 2011, the stands of birch trees were weakened to variable degrees, but some healthy stands remained. High-density forest massifs and birch forest belts are more drought-resistant. The grass cover is weakly developed therein. Thinned birch cultures become overgrown with herbs and die out after droughts. The root exudates of shrubs depress the intensity of photosynthesis of steppe plants by 10–25%. In vegetation experiments, various species of shrubs stimulate or slow down the growth of shoots and roots and the intensity of photosynthesis of the birch by 10–30%, on average. It is recommended to cultivate birch trees in forest belts using shrubby borders with high allelopathic activity for biological defense of the soil from overgrowth with weedy and steppe plants.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alekseev, V.A., Diagnosis of the life state of trees and tree stands, Lesovedenie, 1989, No. 4, pp. 51–57.
Kolesnichenko, M.V., Biokhimicheskoe vzaimovliyanie drevesnykh rastenii (Mutual Biochemical Influence of Tree Plants), 2nd ed., Moscow: Lesnaya Promyshlennost’, 1976.
Kovylina, O.P., Kovylin, N.V., and Sukhenko, N.V., Studies on the growth of protective fores strips of different species composition in the Shirin steppe, Khakassia, Khvoinye Boreal. Zony, 2011, Vol. 28, nos. 1–2, pp. 27–33.
Kuz’michev, A.M. and Zolotukhin, A.I., Ecofloristic characteristics of protective forest stands of different species composition in the middle Khoper region, Nauch. Obozr., 2011, No. 4, pp. 11–23.
Kuz’michev, A.M. and Zolotukhin, A.I., Damage to tree plants from extremely high temperature and drought in the summer of 2010 in the middle Khoper region, Vestn. Sarat. Gos. Agrarn. Univ. im. N.I. Vavilova, 2012, No. 1, pp. 32–36.
Parkina, I.N., Specific features of soil biological activity in the phytogenic field of weeping birch, Vestn. Samar. Gos. Univ.: Estestvennonauch. Ser., 2006, No. 7 (47), pp. 148–153.
Popov, V.K., Berezovye lesa Tsentral’noi lesostepi Rossii (Birch Forests in the Russian Central Forest Steppe), Voronezh: Voronezh. Gos. Univ., 2003.
Rakov, N., Senator, S., and Saksonov, S., Lament for the birch, FLORA FOLIUMII (Tolyatti), 2011, No. 29, pp. 2–5.
Voznesenskii, V.L., Zalenskii, O.V., and Semikhatova, O.E., Metody issledovaniya fotosinteza i dykhaniya rastenii (Methods of Studies on Photosynthesis and Plant Respiration), Moscow: Nauka, 1965.
Zolotukhin, A.I., On the biochemical effect of shrubs on birch and larch in forest strips planted in the forest–stepe, Lesnoi Zh., 1979, No. 6, pp. 7–12.
Zolotukhin, A.I., The allelopathic effect of shrubs used in steppe afforestation on coach grass, Ekologiya, 1980a, No. 4, pp. 13–17.
Zolotukhin, A.I., The phytocenotic role of substances secreted by shrubs in steppe forest plantations, in Lesnaya geobotanika i biologiya drevesnykh rastenii: sb. nauch. tr. (Forest Geobotany and Biology of Woody Plants: Collected Scientific Papers), Murakhtanov, E.S., Ed., Tula: Tul’sk. Politekhn. Inst., 1980b, pp. 30–36.
Zolotukhin A.I. The phytocenotic role of substances secreted by shrubs in communities of forest strips in the forest–steppe, Extended Absract of Cand. Sci. (Biol.) Dissertation, Kiev, 1981.
Zolotukhin, A.I., Biological activity of water extracts from tree leaves under different ecological conditions, in Struktura, sostoyanie i okhrana ekosistem Prikhoper’ya: mezhvuz. sb. nauch. tr. (The Structure, State, and Protection of Ecosystems in the Khoper Region: Collected Scientific Papers), Zolotukhin, A.I., Ed., Balashov: Nikolaev, 2007, pp. 43–46.
Zolotukhin, A.I. and Aleikina, M.M., The effect of shrubs widespread in the forest steppe on the state of birch trees growing in the same areas, in Kompleksnaya produktivnost’ lesov v Saratovskoi oblasti (Integrated Productivity of Forests in Saratov Obast), Dudorev, M.A., Ed., Saratov: Saratov S.-kh Inst., 1979, No. 128, pp. 82–89.
Zolotukhin, A.I., Zanina, M.A., Ovcharenko, A.A., and Shapovalova, A.A., The structure and state of tree stands in forest plantations in the Medvezhii Kust site, in Monitoring bioraznoobraziya ekosistem stepnoi i lesostepnoi zon: materialy Vseros. nauch.-prakt. konf. (Biodiversity Monitring in Ecosystems of the Steppe and Forest–Steppe Zones: Proc. All-Russia Sci.-Pract. Conf.), Zolotukhin, A.I., Ed., Balashov: Nikolaev, 2012, pp. 64–68.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Original Russian Text © A.I. Zolotukhin, M.A. Zanina, 2014, published in Povolzhskii Ekologicheskii Zhurnal, 2014, No. 2, pp. 208–215.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zolotukhin, A.I., Zanina, M.A. State, ecological-coenotic characteristics, and prospects of the silver birch (Betula pendula Roth, Betulaceae, Dicotyledones) forest cultures in steppe afforestation. Biol Bull Russ Acad Sci 42, 937–941 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1062359015100131
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1062359015100131