[Changes in phenolic acids during maturation and lignification of Scots pine xylem].

The content and fractional composition of alcohol soluble phenolic acids (PhA) in cells with different degree maturation and lignification in the course of early and late timber formation in the pine (Pinus sylvestris) during vegetation were studied. Phenolic compounds (PhC), extracted by 80% ethanol, were divided into free and bound fractions of PhA. In turn, the esters and ethers were isolated from bound PhA. The contents of all substances were calculated per dry weight and per cell. Considerable differences have been found to exist in both the contents and the composition of the fractions PhA on successive stages oftracheid maturation of early and late xylem. Early timber tracheids at all secondary wall thickening steps contained PhC less and free PhA more than late timber tracheids. Throughout early timber tracheid maturation, the pool of free PhA per cell declined at the beginning oflignification and then increased gradually while that of bound PhA decreased. The maturation of late timber trecheids were accompanied by the rise of free PhA pool and the diminution of bound PhA pool. In the composition of bound PhA, the ethers were always dominant, and the amount of that in early timber cells was less than in late timber cells. The cells of early xylem at all steps of maturation contained more of ester. The sum total of free hydroxycinnamic acids, precursors of monolignols, gradually decreased during early xylem lignification as the result of the reduction of the pools of p-coumaric, caffeic, ferulic and synapic acids, while that of their ester rised. In the course of late xylem lignification, the pools of free p-coumaric, ferulic and, especially, synapic acids increased. Simultaneously, the amount of ferulic acid ester and synapic acid ether increased too. According to the data, lignin biosynthesis in early xylem and late xylem occurs with different dynamics and the structure of lignins of two xylem types might be different too.

[The changes in contents and composition of phenolic acids during cell xylem growth in scots pine].

The contents and composition of alcohol soluble phenolic acids were studied during cell xylem growth in the course of wood annual increment formation in the stems of Scots pine. The cells of cambium zone, of two stages of expansion growth and the outset of secondary thickening zone (before lignification) were successively gathered from the stem segments of 25-old pine trees in the period of earlywood xylem formation with constant anatomical and histochemical control. The contents of free and bound forms of phenolic acids, isolated by 80% ethanol from tissues, as well as of their ethers and esters were calculated both per dry weight and per cell. The content and relation of the fractions and the composition of phenolic acid have been found to change significantly from cambium zone to the outset of tracheid secondary thickening. The character of the variations depends on a calculation method. According to the calculation per cell the amount of free and bound phenolic acids and in their composition of esters and especially ethers increased at the first step of expansion growth zone, decreased at the second one and rose again in the outset of secondary wall deposition. In dependence on the stage of cell development the pool of bound phenolic acids exceeded of free acid pool in 2-5 times. Sinapic and ferulic acids dominated in the composition of free hydroxycinnamic acids. The content and composition of hydroxycinnamic acids in ethers and esters depended on cell development phase. In cambium p-coumaric and sinapic acids were principal aglycons in ethers, at other stages these were sinapic and caffeic acids. The esters in cambium zone included essentially p-coumaric acid and at the other stages - sinapic and ferulic acids. At the first phase of growth benzoic acid was connected principally by ester bonds. The pool of these esters decreased from the first phase of growth to the outset of cell wall thickening and in proportion to this the level of free benzoic acid rose.

[Effect of the complex of technogenic and recreational loads on development of trunk tissues of Scotch pine in the Krasnoyarsk forest-steppe].

The morphometric parameters of trunk tissues of Scotch pine in suburban pine forests of Krasnoyarsk are studied, which grow under the long-term impact of technogenic and recreational loads in comparison with the background. Technogenic and recreational loads decrease the intensity of work of the cambium, especially towards the xylem, its duration, the cell size, and the structure of storage tissues. In pine stands of the Krasnoyarsk forest-steppe, the effect of the complex of anthropogenic stressors is weakening and degradation of forest stands and inhibition of production process at the cell and tissue levels are taking place.

[Seasonal development of phloem in Siberian larch stems].

The seasonal development of phloem in the stems of Siberian larch (Larix sibirica Ldb.) was studied over two seasons on 50-60-year-old trees growing in a natural stand in the Siberian forest-steppe zone. Trees at the age of 20-25 years were used to study metabolites in differentiating and mature phloem elements, cambial zone, and radially growing xylem cells in the period of early and late wood formation. The development of the current-year phloem in the stems of 50-60-year-old trees started, depending on climatic conditions, in the second-third decades of May, 10-20 days before the xylem formation, and ended together with the shoot growth cessation in late July. Monitoring of the seasonal activity of cambium producing phloem sieve cells and the duration of their differentiation compared to the xylem derivatives in the cambium demonstrated that the top production of phloem and xylem cells could coincide or not coincide during the season, while their differentiation activity was always in antiphase. Sieve cells in the early phloem are separated from those in the late phloem by a layer of tannin-containing cells, which are formed in the period when late xylem formation starts. The starch content in the structural elements of phloem depends on the state of annual xylem layer development. The content of low molecular weight carbohydrates, amino acids, organic acids, and phenols in phloem cells, cambial zone, and xylem derivatives of the cambium depends on the cell type and developmental stage as well as on the type of forming wood (early or late) differing by the cell wall parameters and, hence, by the requirement for assimilates. Significant differences in the dynamics of substances per dry weight and cell were observed during cell development.

[Seasonal development of phloem in Scots pine stems].

The formation of phloem was studied for two years in stems of 50 to 60 year old trees of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) growing in nature. The development of phloem of the current year begins 10 to 20 days before the xylem formation and is completed with the termination of shoot growth in the end of June. Observations over the seasonal activity of cambium producing sieve-like cells of phloem and duration of their differentiation as compared to the xylem derivatives of cambium have shown that the maxima of formation of phloem and xylem cells could coincide or not coincide by season, while the activities of their differentiation were always at antiphase. The sieve-like cells of early phloem were separated from those of late phloem by a layer of tannin-containing cells, which are formed simultaneously with the formation of late xylem cells by the cambium. Seasonal dynamics of accumulation of starch grain in structural elements of the phloem is related to the xylem development. The content of metabolites in differentiating and mature phloem elements, in the cambium zone, and in the xylem cells growing in the radial direction depended on cell specificity, stage of their development, and type of forming wood, early or late, which differ in the cell wall parameters and, hence, requirement of assimilates. Significant differences were described between the content of low molecular weigh carbohydrates, amino acids, organic acids, and phenol compounds using two methods of calculation: per dry weight and per cell.

[Application of fungal metabolites for evaluation of pine stand vigor in conditions of industrial pollution].

Two methods for evaluation of pine stand vigor were tested on permanent sample plots near Krasnoyarsk City: visual evaluation and exposure to fungal metabolites. In the first case, forest vigor was estimated using the six-point system of the Sanitary Regulations of the Russian Federation as the mean score for 200 trees on the sample plots. In the second case, the vigor was evaluated from the size of the necrotic spot on the tree cortex after inoculation of 22-25 randomly chosen pines with the extract of fungus Ceratocystis laricicola Red-fern and Miter. The necrotic spot size was significantly larger in pines from polluted forest as compared to background one. This points to the decrease in infection protection of trees affected by pollution, although visual evaluation of the stand vigor could not distinguish the polluted and background stands.