Transformation of the Forest Litter Microbial Community Introduced into the Agrocenosis Soil

The long-term use of pesticides in the forest nurseries of the Sverdlovsk region has led to a decrease in the quality of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) planting material. As a way to reduce pesticide stress and create optimal conditions suitable for the conifer’s growth, a one-time use of forest litter (20 kg/m2) was proposed. This substrate is easier to obtain from a plantation near to the forest agrocenosis. However, forest litter may be obtained in some circumstances from locations that are geographically far from the forest nursery. The article presents the results of a study on the possibility of applying forest litter obtained from places located at different distances from the forest nursery in the bioremediation of pesticide-contaminated soil and improving the quality of Scots pine planting material. In the field experiment, samples of the forest litter were taken near two forest nurseries and introduced into the soil of the experimental plots before sowing pine. Some of the plots contained Roundup (3 L a.i./ha), while the other remained without treatment. In each nursery, plots were created containing both litter from a nearby stand and from a more remote forest area. It was found that the peak of the transforming activity of the microbiocenosis in the introduced forest litter and decreasing of the pesticide contamination, most likely, will be observed in the first stages of the microbiocenosis introduction. The observed effect takes place regardless of the distance from the application site where the forest substrate was obtained.