Salt-tolerant plant distribution within floodplain ecosystems due to technogenic soil salinization
O.Z. Eremchenko, E.E. Malyshkina, I.V. Pakhorukov
Section: Remediation and rehabilitation
According to site research, the vegetation that grows in the floodplain ecosystems of the Chyornaya and Lyonva rivers, located in areas affected by potash production waste, is dominated by ruderal annual and perennial herbaceous species. Additionally, obligate (Spergularia salina J. et C. Presl, Triglochin maritimum L.) and facultative halophytes were found. The pedological and ecological factors affecting the growth were analyzed in two distinct areas with salt-tolerant vegetation. The samples were collected ten times during the summer 2022 across four distinct observational intervals. The pH levels and redox potential within the root zone (0–10 cm) were field-measured. Na+, K+, and Cl- content were determined in soil at humidity of 50 %. In the Chernaya River floodplain, the topsoil exhibited a neutral to slightly alkaline pH (7.3–8.4) and weakly reducing conditions (139–282 mV). Salinization was notably absent, as indicated by the measured levels of Na+ activity. In the topsoil of the Lyonva River floodplain, the pH levels varied from 5.4 to 6.9. Moreover Eh varied from reducing (as low as –135 mV) to oxidizing values (468 mV). The soil exhibited both varying degrees of salinization (from mild to severe) as well as its absence. The K+ activity in the soil reached that of Na+, while the Cl– activity exceeded the total activity of the salinizing cations. Through the use of true color satellite imagery obtained during the summer months, it was possible to identify the sparse flora distribution within the floodplain ecosystems. Between 2015 and 2021, the expanse of salt-tolerant vegetation within the Chyornaya River floodplain grew by 1.8 times, totaling 8.7 hectares, and in the Lyonva River floodplain it increased by 1.6 times, reaching 22.2 hectares.
ISSN 1995-4301
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