The effect of hydrogel on one- and two-year-old saplings of English oak Quercus robur L.

Survival rate of English oak ( Quercus robur L.) saplings (one- and two-year-old) on experimental plots under different hydrological conditions (long-interval flooding, short-interval flooding, no flooding) and the effect of hydrogel on the survival of the planted stock were studied. At present, these studies are relevant for the floodplain forest ecosystem of the Volga River, since the forests of this region are experiencing huge natural and anthropogenic loads, therefore, developments are needed for their conservation and restoration. The purpose of the research was to study the method of planting English oak ( Quércus róbur ) with annual and biennial saplings using hydrogel to restore and increase the biodiversity of degraded forest phytocenoses in conditions of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain in the north of the Astrakhan region. In the work, the following methods were used: soil moisture was determined by the thermostatic-weight method (B.A. Dospekhov); experimental data were processed by the method of dispersion analysis using Microsoft Excel. According to the results of the study, the best survival rate (83 %) was observed in one-year-old saplings of English oak in the variant with using hydrogel in no-flooding site.