REVIEW OF THE MONOGRAPH «MICROORGANISMS IN THE STABILIZATION OF AGROECOSYSTEMS»

Abstract

The article presents an analytical review of the collective monograph «Microorganisms in the Stabilization of Agroecosystems», which is the result of joint work by leading Ukrainian scientists from the D. K. Zabolotny Institute of Microbiology and Virology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv) and the Institute of Agricultural Microbiology and Agro-Industrial Production of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine (Chernihiv).
The monograph is devoted to addressing a global problem – the overcoming of the ecological crisis in agricultural production caused by intensive chemicalisation and climate change. The objective of the monograph is to provide a robust scientific basis for the concept of a ‘biological revolution’ in agriculture, with a focus on the optimisation of soil microbiome functions. The monograph’s contents are analysed in ten chapters. This text focuses on symbiotic systems, including the mechanisms of formation of highly efficient legume-rhizobial and associative complexes based on nitrogen-fixing bacteria and saprophytic fungi (in particular, strains of Chaetomium and Azospirillum). It also examines biopreparations, reviewing a wide range of innovative products (Rhizohumin, Polymyxobacterin, Azogran, Phytovit, etc.) that provide not only plant nutrition and growth stimulation but also immunomodulatory protection. Furthermore, it explores ecological restoration and technologies for the remediation of the agrosphere from persistent organochlorine pesticides using microorganism destructors, as well as methods of controlled composting of organic waste.
It is Chapter Nine that demands particular attention, insofar as it is here that the authors propose a universal system for soil bioindication. The utilisation of integral indicators and illustrative methods of graphical data visualisation (e.g. ‘stars’, ‘amoebas’, and ‘spider webs’) is described, thereby enabling the accurate detection of anthropogenic changes in ecosystems.
The monograph is considered a foundational scientific and applied work. The study provides compelling evidence that the implementation of microbial technologies is a financially viable and ecologically essential measure to ensure the sustainability of the agricultural sector and the preservation of Ukraine’s natural resources.