Abstract
In urban areas, snow cover accumulates atmospheric precipitation and serves as an integral indicator of pollution. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the use of biological methods for assessing environmental quality, in particular bioindication. The research goal was to evaluate the biological effect of meltwater from zones with varying anthropogenic loads in the City of Ust-Kamenogorsk based on phytotoxicity and fungal contamination. The research targets were oil-bearing crop seeds (soybean and sunflower seeds) and meltwater samples obtained from snow cover collected in the City of Ust-Kamenogorsk and its suburbs. The samples were taken in four zones: the area UMZ, Prokhladnaya, the laboratory area (the conventional center), and the village of Solnechnoye; distilled water served as the control. Phytotoxicity was assessed on soybean and sunflower seeds based on germination and root length. Fungal contamination was determined using the drop inoculation method on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar and Czapek-Dox agar. Sunflower germination was found to be 10% in the UMZ area, 30% in the Prokhladnaya area, 40% in the village of Solnechnoye, and 50% in the conditional center (control – 100%). Soybean germination ranged from 70 to 100%. Maximum root growth inhibition (4 cm) was observed in sunflower in the sample from the village of Solnechnoye. Micromycete growth (3–5 morphotypes) was recorded in all samples, with maximum diversity in areas of increased anthropogenic load. The most pronounced phytotoxic and microbiological impact was observed in the UMZ area. Sunflower demonstrated higher sensitivity to the effects of melt water compared to soybean which allowed recommending it as an effective test crop. The integrated use of phytotesting and microbiological analysis is an informative method for rapid assessment of the ecological state of snow cover in industrial cities.