An electronic database of wild plants will be created at the Institute of Gene Fund of Flora and Fauna of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan.

Transparent petals, twigs and buds that have lost their color - this is how many imagine a herbarium. However, with the introduction of computer technology in the process of studying the diversity of nature, these images may change radically. A practical project to create an electronic database of flora of the country is being launched at the Institute of Flora and Fauna gene pool of the Academy of Sciences. It is funded by a grant from the Science and Technology Development Coordination Committee under the Cabinet of Ministers with the support of the Global Environment Facility's Small Grants Program.

After gaining independence, the approach to the protection of flora and fauna, relict, rare and endangered species has changed radically. The study and analysis of the modern distribution of plant varieties and their natural compounds in the regions has become particularly relevant for the successful monitoring, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. According to the latest data, the modern flora of Uzbekistan includes more than 4,500 species of wild root crops. About 10 percent are endemic diseases that occur only in our country. About the south-western Tien Shan (mountainous and foothill areas of Tashkent and Namangan regions), Nurata ridges (Jizzakh, Samarkand and Navoi regions) and Kogitang (Surkhandarya region), the Aral Sea and the Aral Sea a lot of data has been collected. Downstream of the Amudarya. However, the remaining plains and some mountainous areas require more careful study.

The most important source of information about the flora of the Republic and Central Asia is the collection fund of the Central Herbarium of the Institute of Gene Pool of the Academy of Sciences. It houses more than 1.5 million leaflets collected in all regions of Uzbekistan and other parts of the world. The Botanical Collection and Museum is a national treasure of the country, the pride of Russian botanists and attracts the attention of taxonomists around the world. The Tashkent herbarium is the largest in the world in terms of the number of Central Asian specimens, and even the famous "colleague" of the Institute of Botany of the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg.

Kaufman tulip - Chatkal ridge

Every year, through the efforts of staff, the base is replenished with about 1,500 "newcomers." The collection of species specimens, that is, the "passports" of the plant species first described for each newly discovered species, is a golden fund. Their total number exceeds 1,500. The information in this collection provides insight into how the green world has changed in the context of history in most parts of Uzbekistan. However, in the past, this unique data set has been rarely used in scientific research, and has not been sufficiently required in the assessment of natural diversity. The main reason for this was the lack of an electronic database of the Central Herbarium. It was necessary to search for the necessary information among thousands of samples, printed publications and scientific reports. The solution may be to use geographic information systems (GIS). This advanced software allows you to store large amounts of data - text and graphics: maps, photos. However, on request, it provides everything you need quickly and easily.

Launched last year, “Creating a single database on botanical and geographical zoning of Uzbekistan and plant diversity. Part 1. The Mountainous Region of Central Asia project will be implemented in the next two years. The largest scientific work in Central Asia has won a state grant. Based on the electronic catalog, data on 40,000 herbarium specimens belonging to the largest generation of flora of Uzbekistan have already been compiled, containing the maximum number of rare, endemic and endangered plant species. It is noteworthy that in the first year of the project, more than 40 new discoveries were made. These herbarium specimens have been collected for a long time, but have not been included in the flora of Uzbekistan and the Keys of Central Asian Plants due to fragmented data and the lack of a centralized database.

The corresponding tulip is the Nurata ridge

At present, the staff of the institute has developed a scheme of botanical and geographical zoning of Uzbekistan. It becomes a matrix for recording and collecting data. The project uses all available data sets. These are the herbarium funds of the Central Herbarium and literary sources, as well as scientific expeditions. They are sent to unexplored areas of the republic. By the way, time aviation field research is also bearing fruit. In recent years, scientists at the institute have discovered more than a dozen new species for science. Thus, in 2012, in the Fergana Valley, Akhangaran Valley and Western Gissar, previously unprecedented plants were harvested in Uzbekistan.

The electronic database contains a complete list of flora by region, including endemics and the Red Data Book. For each, scientists collect information about soil type, habitat, growth height zone, distribution rate. In addition to textual information and geographic coordinates, users will be able to view scanned herbarium images and images of live plants. As an example of the use of the base for eco-education and tourism, it is planned to publish an illustrated field guide on the Chimgan massif and its surrounding flora, one of the most visited and interesting areas in the Ugam area. Chatkal National Park. There are 1,697 species of higher plants, of which 61 are listed in the Red Data Book of Uzbekistan and 58 are endemic. The guide provides information on 300-350 of the most prominent and bright, as well as rare and unique grasses, trees and shrubs.

Any user can sort by data collection year, get a list of all the plants in a particular area, or a list of rare and endemic species specific to a particular area. Then the results of new research are constantly entered into an electronic database, which allows to analyze changes in the composition of the green world of the country. This is a necessary condition because it is under human influence and constantly changing for natural reasons - cold, rain. A database with GIS maps allows you to search and retrieve analytical data, such as information on the location and abundance of rare or economically valuable species, and to provide an overall environmental assessment of the area being studied. In addition, it will be possible to assess ecosystems, monitor the environment and predict the further development of the situation using satellite imagery.

One of the advantages of an electronic database is that it is placed on a special page on the Internet and versions are distributed free of charge on CDs or DVDs. First of all, they are involved in the activities of the territorial structures of the State Committee for Nature Protection, nature reserves, national parks, environmental audits of large production facilities and environmental monitoring, natural scientists, higher education. is useful in the activities of professors and students of educational institutions. , biologists.

Komiljon Tojiboev.

Doctor of Biological Sciences, Head of the Central Herbarium of the Institute of Flora and Fauna of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Natalya Beshko.

Candidate of Biological Sciences, Senior Research Fellow.

This material was provided by Pravda Vostoka correspondent Oksana Vedyaeva for posting on the PMGEF website and was published on http://www.pv.uz/today/13.02.13.

Photo by Natalya Beshko