Herbarium lamination technique: our experience in manufacturing demonstration herbariums of quarantine weeds

Abstract

The materials and methods that have been used for six years (since 2017) for the preparation and installation of herbarium materials of quarantine weeds are pre­sented. The collection and preparation of quarantine weed materials of the genera Cenchrus, Bidens, Solanum, Ambrosia and Ipomoea were carried out in the quaran­tine introduction site of the Southern Branch of FGBU “VNIIKR”; the species of the genus Cuscuta were pre­pared in field conditions. The advantages of using cor­rugated cardboard in the process of drying plants are described, which makes it possible to increase the volume of harvested herbarium materials in the branch with the involvement of a smaller number of special­ists. Thanks to the introduction of corrugated card­board, the need for periodically shifting plants with pa­per “shirts” has disappeared, with the exception of the genus Ipomoea plants, in which tender and juicy stems and leaves were injured during pressing and drying, moisture removal was insufficient. Herbarium collec­tions are considered from the point of view of biosafety and an attempt is made to reduce the possible spillage of viable seeds and fruits from the collection materi­al, namely, a method for mounting herbarium speci­mens of quarantine weeds by lamination is outlined. The positive aspects of the proposed method are de­scribed: an increase in the storage duration; the possi­bility of mounting herbarium samples on a transparent basis, which allows to better study the plant; protec­tion of herbarium materials from insects; exclusion of the possible breaking off parts of plants and shedding of seeds from the collection, etc. Possible options for using laminated herbarium materials for education­al and demonstration purposes, including by Rosselk­hoznadzor inspectors when performing inspections of regulated objects for the presence of quarantine plants, are highlighted.