ANALYSIS OF WOODY PLANTS STATE IN ROADSIDE SHELTERBELT FORESTS BETWEEN THE VILLAGES DOSLIDNE AND NOVOOLEKSANDRIVKA (Zaporizke shose STREET, DNIPROPETROVSK)
Shelterbelt forests are considered as one of the most effective factors of maintaining sustainable functioning of suburban landscapes in antropopression. Hence, it is very important and necessary to step up the works aimed at solving scientific and practical problems in relation to the inventory of shelterbelts tree plantations, determine its phytosanitary state, identify the plant species composition of pests and diseases, apply modern methods of protection, optimize and improve their quality, and bring the shelterbelt forests state to present-day requirements. The purpose of these studies was to determine the phytosanitary condition of woody vegetative plants, particularly of Acer L. and Ulmus L. genera that dominate in the composition of plantations of the investigated part of the roadside shelterbelt forests along the Zaporizke Shose Street between the villages Doslidne and Novooleksandrivka of Dnipropetrovsk region (approximate length of the area is 5,2 km, width is 0,03 km.) In accordance with the aim the following tasks were set: to make an inventory of the designated roadside shelterbelt forest areas, assess the phytocenosis state, examine the species diversity and woody vegetative plants bio-ecological condition, including Acer L. and Ulmus L. genera, analyze the extent and types of insect damage of maples and elms leaf apparatus, determine the relationship between the level of the damage and remoteness from the main line of trees (Zaporizke Shose Street). In the result of the inventory it was established that 5608 woody vegetative plants belonging to 17 species, 15 genera, 10 families are growing in the defined shelterbelt forest areas. As part of trees the following species dominate: Robinia pseudoacacia L. - 23,4 % of the total number of trees (including without visible signs of damage - 64,7 % of the total number of trees, diseased - 8,2 %, dry trees - 27,1 %), Acer negundo L. - 17,1 % (respectively - 87,5, 9,8 and 2,7 %), Ulmus scabra Mill. - 16,7 % (respectively - 56,6, 34,5 and 8,9 %), Acer platanoides L. - 15,2 % (respectively - 78,7, 18,8 and 2,5 %), Aesculus hippocastanum L. - 10,7 % (all trees were diseased), Ulmus parvifolia Jacq. - 7,7 % (respectively - 73,3, 26,7 and 0 %), Juglans regia L. - 4,1 % (respectively - 93,9, 0 and 6,1 %). Other tree species ( Armeniaca vulgaris Lam., Syringa vulgaris L., Salix alba L., Cerasus vulgaris L., Pyrus communis L., Tilia cordata Mill., Elaeagnus angustifolia L., Hippophae rhamnoides L., Picea pungens Engelm., Fraxinus excelsior L.) together account for 5,1 %. The analysis of woody vegetative plants life condition of the investigated part of roadside shelterbelt forest showed that the majority of trees, namely 65,2 % of the total number, are in satisfactory condition, with no signs of external damage. A small part of trees (3,3 %) has relatively small damage or partly damaged leaves and drying young shoots, 19,3 % - severely damaged leaves, drying shoots, little branched crown, scars and cancerous ulcers, and in 12,2 % of cases there is exfoliating bark on the tree trunks. Among the studied species of maple trees, Acer platanoides L. (21,3 %) were damaged more compared to Acer negundo L. (12,8 %). Among the studied species of elm trees, Ulmus scabra Mill. (43,4 %) were damaged more compared to Ulmus parvifolia Jacq (26,7 %). Maples leaves were the most affected by insects with piercing-sucking mouthparts (15,8 % of all identified types of damage). The elm leaves were often damaged by skeletonization, which was likely caused by Xanthogaleruca luteola Muell. Also the reasonable tendency of increasing of the number of the damaged trees belonging to the genera Acer L. and Ulmus L. in rows adjacent to the highway on an average 8,4 and 10,8 % respectively was registered, towards the same parameter for trees that make up the rows near planting crops of field crop rotation. As a result of general entomological survey of tree crowns some stages of insect pests development were revealed, among which are polyphagous pests crop field rotation, as well as different type of food for pests deciduous forest species. So more detailed study of phytophages complex of the defined shelterbelt forest areas is required to be carried out in future.