Beauty will save the world, but will the world save beauty? The case of the highly endangered Vavilovia formosa (Stev.) Fed.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Vavilovia formosa (Stev.) Fed. is a scientifically valuable common ancestor of the plant tribe Fabeae and also important in breeding and agronomy studies of the cultivated Fabeae, but it is close to extinction. A concerted academic and geovernmental effort is needed to save it. Since 2007, an informal international group of researchers on legumes has been working to increase awareness of Vavilovia formosa (Stev.) Fed., a relict and endangered wild-land relative to crop plant species. A majority of the modern botanical classifications place it within the tribe Fabeae, together with the genera vetchling (Lathyrus L.), lentil (Lens Mill.), pea (Pisum L.) and vetch (Vicia L.). V. formosa is encountered at altitudes from 1,500 m up to 3,500 m in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Russia, Syria and Turkey. This species may be of extraordinary importance for broadening current scientific knowledge on legume evolution and taxonomy because of its proximity to the hypothetical common ancestor of the tribe Fabeae, as well as for breeding and agronomy of the cultivated Fabeae species due to its perenniality and stress resistance. All this may be feasible only if a concerted and long-term conservation strategy is established and carried out by both academic and geovernmental authorities. The existing populations of V. formosa are in serious danger of extinction. The main threats are domestic and wild animal grazing, foraging, and early frosts in late summer. A long-term strategy to save V. formosa from extinction and to sustain its use in both basic and applied research comprises much improved in situ preservation, greater efforts for an ex situ conservation, and novel approaches of in vitro propagation.

Metal contamination of short-term snow cover near urban crossroads: correlation analysis of metal content and fine particles distribution.

Snow samples were collected near crossroads in Novi Sad, Serbia, during December 2009 to assess metal concentrations (Ca, K, Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Al, Pb and Na), fine particle distribution and pH value. The filtered samples of melted snow were analysed, with a focus on particles smaller than a few µm. The most common values of the frequency number distribution curve were either in the range of 0.05-0.07 µm or one order of magnitude higher (0.2-0.5 µm). At examined locations metal concentrations varied from 0.0004 mg L(-1) for Pb to 18.9 mg L(-1) for Na. Besides Na, which mostly originated from de-icing salt, Ca is found to be the most abundant element in snow indicating the dominant influence of natural factors on snow chemistry. No significant difference was found in concentration of the elements at locations near crossroads with either low or high traffic volume, except for Na and Zn. To investigate how metals were related a correlation analysis was done for the concentrations of metals and with respect to the particle size distribution parameters and pH values. The major influence on the fine particle volume (mass) was concluded to be due to the elements from anthropogenic sources. This conclusion was based on the significant positive correlation between Fe, Zn and Al and the fine particle volume based distribution parameters.

Heavy metals, organics and radioactivity in soil of western Serbia.

Western Serbia is a region well-known for potato production. Concentrations of selected metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and radioactivity were measured in the soil in order to evaluate the quality and characteristics. The examined soils (Luvisol and Pseudogley) showed unsuitable agrochemical characteristics (acid reaction, low content of organic matter and potassium). Some samples contained Ni, Mn and Cr above the maximal permissible concentration (MPC). The average concentration of total PAHs was 1.92 mg/kg, which is larger than the maximal permissible concentration in Serbia but below the threshold values in the European Union for food production. The average radioactivity of (238)U, (226)Ra, (232)Th, (40)K and the fission product (137)Cs were 60.4+/-26.2, 33.2+/-13.4, 49.1+/-18.5, 379+/-108 and 36.4+/-23.3 Bq/kg. Enhanced radioactivity in the soils was found. The total absorbed dose rate in air above the soil at 1m height calculated for western Serbia was 73.4 nGy/h and the annual effective dose was 90 microSv, which are similar to earlier reports for the study region.