FIELD: ecology.
SUBSTANCE: inventions relate to ecology, bioindication, monitoring of environmental pollution. Method involves simultaneous sampling of analysed and control test plants, measurement of their physiological and morphogenetic characteristics, analysis of measurement results, which is used to determine the degree of environmental impact of the object. Test plants used are mustard plants (Sinapis alba) grown under the influence of environmental factors, the cotyledons signs of which are formed under the influence of contaminants transferred from the object by air movement and absorbed by the cotyledons. Electrical conductivity of the extract from the plants is proportional to the exposure of the plants to the air flow blowing the object. Assessment includes five stages, at the first stage six boxes for plants are filled with peat substrate, watered, prepared by one hundred mustard seeds on each box are planted into the substrate. Boxes are placed in the propagator without access to light until the sprouts appear, after their appearance, the sprouts are maintained for three days in intense light, three boxes with trays are placed in each of the two vegetation houses, the prevailing wind direction at the object is determined, houses with the test and control test plants are placed on the leeward and windward sides of the object, respectively, so that the ends of the houses are located on a straight line passing through the object. At the second stage, plants are grown in boxes placed in vegetation houses to age of 14 days. Plants are watered and the location of the houses is adjusted according to the change in the wind direction; at the third stage, samples of the analysed and control test plants are taken, nine plants collected from each vegetation house are placed in a chemical beaker with volume of 50 ml, distilled water is poured and infused for an hour, electrical conductivity of the extract is measured, statistical significance of differences of their average values in the investigated and control test plants is determined. In case of insignificant differences, plants are continued to be grown while controlling electrical conductivity; at the fourth stage, fluctuating asymmetry of bilateral cotyledon traits is measured in the analysed and control plants, which are taken as length and width, chlorophyll content and weight of left and right cotyledons. At the fifth stage, the impact of the object on the environment is assessed by an indicator of stability of plant development, which is the arithmetic mean value of the calculated indices of fluctuating asymmetry of separate bilateral features, and the found values are compared. If the value of the development stability index in the test plants is two and more times higher than the value in the control plants, the adverse effect of the object on the environment is considered to be significant. Vegetation house comprises a rectangular base, arched and fastening elements and a coating. Base frame is made in the form of two transverse and two longitudinal square-section bars fastened with angles. In longitudinal bars there are vertical through holes with diameter equal to diameter of round flexible arched elements, the ends of which are inserted into these holes in vertical plane and together with coating made of transparent plastic are fixed in horizontal plane by fasteners. In the upper part of the house, the arched elements and the coating together with the bar provided with the handle are bolted together; ends of the house are closed with detachable louvered screens attached to extreme arched elements with the possibility of wind penetration into the house and exclusion of rain drops. Inside the frame, to the transverse bars attached are shelves for three boxes with trays for mustard (Sinapis alba) grown under the influence of environmental factors, the cotyledons signs of which are formed under the influence of contaminants.
EFFECT: inventions make it possible to obtain bioindication assessment of impact of anthropogenic and natural objects on environment, to expand functional capabilities, to increase efficiency, reliability and accuracy of measurements, to reduce labour intensity.
2 cl, 7 dwg, 1 tbl, 1 ex
