Programme aim: Environmental monitoring of the East Kazakhstan region for sustainable development of agriculture and stabilization of environmental quality.

Objective 1. As a result of the research carried out in the East Kazakhstan region, a thorough selection of soil samples was carried out via division of the territory into a square grid and systematic random sampling. Soil samples were taken at different depths, which made it possible to obtain comprehensive information on the state of the soil and its pollution. Of special note is the selection of sampling points taking into account sanitary protection zones and wind roses, which increases the accuracy of the obtained data. The combined usage of land use and man-made impact data allows for a more accurate assessment of the level of pollution in the zone of influence of enterprises. Thus, work has begun to determine the level of pollution of dominant agricultural crops by technogenic factors in the zone of influence of hazardous pollution sources.
Training of 2 Kazakh specialists in the use of remote sensing tools is being conducted at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Germany under the first year of the training program. As a result of the first training module, the specialists of the Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology will acquire the necessary skills in working with geospatial data in QGIS. Participants will be able to master methods of classifying raster and vector data, train to use spatial analysis and data integration tools, which will significantly expand their capabilities in solving ecological and biological problems.

Objective 2. The basis of the structure of the soil database for areas (133 points, 487 samples) with technogenic pollution in Excel Spreadsheet format with georeferencing to maps - 19 fields, which were converted in the MapInfoPro GIS application, was compiled. The database includes the main chemical and physicochemical properties of soils and data on the content of heavy metals (HM). In the future, the database will allow for a comparative assessment of the ecological state of the soils of the study area, taking into account the use of remediation techniques, to assess the degree of degradation and/or restoration of the soil cover. Unpolluted (control) dark chestnut soil, typical for the region, has favorable agrochemical and physicochemical properties. However, the level of zinc and cadmium content exceeds background values ​​​​and is close to critical. For copper and lead, the content levels are within the norm and considered non-toxic, with possible influence of anthropogenic factors.
The analysis data of unpolluted dark chestnut soil show that even with favorable agrochemical parameters for plant growth and development, which provide them with the necessary nutrition, the content level of heavy metals is sufficiently high. This indicates the need for continuous agro-ecological monitoring and determination of the effect of heavy metals on phytotoxicity.
Assessment of environmental conditions of the soil by granulometric composition shows that soils with a high content of clay particles contribute to a decrease in the mobility of heavy metals, which mainly accumulate in the upper soil layers and rarely migrate below 20 cm. In sandy soils, heavy metals have a high migration capacity, penetrating into deeper horizons, where their concentrations can be either increased or decreased as a result of leaching.

Objective 3. The inventory of vegetation was taken along the edge of industrial sites and adjacent territories to the objects of study. At the time of the study, 162 species of woody and herbaceous plants from 117 genera and 40 families were recorded. Long-term impact of pollution sources formed industrial flora consisting of a number of local species (Populus laurifolia Ledeb., Betula pubescens Ehrh., Salix viminalis L., Calamagrostis epigeios (L.) Roth., Achillea millefolium L., Dactylis glomerata L., Artemisia vulgaris L., etc.), with an non-significant number of non-regional species (Acer negundo L., Populus balsamifera L., Malus baccata (L.) Borkh., Armoracia rusticana Gaertn., Mey., Urtica dioica L., Cannabis ruderalis Janisch., etc.). The disturbed areas gradually became overgrown with weed species with a total projective cover of 25-95% in various areas of industrial enterprises.

Supervisor of the STP: Shamekova Malika, PhD, professor, h-index 7. (https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=55617198500; https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/98695)

Objectives of the STP:
Objective 1: Conduct environmental monitoring of the East Kazakhstan region using modern GIS and remote sensing methods and technologies to support short-term and long-term planning and measures to adapt to natural and anthropogenic changes and consequences, to conduct research and planning.
Objective 2: Study the impact of technogenic zones of the East Kazakhstan region on the environment using ground monitoring methods.
Objective 3: Study the species composition and determine the dominant species of wild flora in the zones of influence of every identified source of hazardous pollution.
Objective 4: Identify the molecular genetic mechanisms of plant resistance to technogenic pollution.