Shrub species for multifunctional plantings in the Volgograd region
The Volgograd region, with its complex soil and climatic conditions, needs to develop and preserve an assortment of shrub species suitable for various landscaping purposes. Among the introduced and already existing species in the plantings, the most promising include Cotoneaster lucidus Schltdl., Rosa cinnamomea L., Ribes aureum Pursh., Berberis vulgaris L., Mahonia aquifolium (Pursh.) Nutt., Symphoricarpos albus (L.) S.F. Blake, Amelanchier canadensis (L.) Medik., Ligustrum vulgare L., Chaenomeles japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. ex Spach. The authors found that the studied species, due to their wide distribution area, perfectly adapted to the conditions of the region. In addition, the shrubs described in the paper, while forming new forest-agrarian landscapes, play an important role in enriching the species composition of flora and fauna, serve to preserve and increase the natural resources of the area, perform sanitary, aesthetic, recreational and other functions, which is of great importance in the conditions of desertification. The biological features of the studied species make them promising for agroforestry areas and soil zones with different precipitation levels. Due to the lack of natural seed bases in the territories occupied by protective forest stands, shrubs form the basis for growing planting material that has the entire set of economically valuable characteristics. Being recommended for use in an arid region, shrub species have good growth, development, well-developed shoots; they retain annual growth and decorative properties, and can be used to preserve the collection of the multifunctional plantings.