1105 ISSN 1064-2293, Eurasian Soil Science, 2017, Vol. 50, No. 9, pp. 1105–1114. © Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2017. Original Russian Text © O.V. Nikolaeva, V.A. Terekhova, 2017, published in Pochvovedenie, 2017, No. 9, pp. 1141–1152. Improvement of Laboratory Phytotest for the Ecological Evaluation of Soils O. V. Nikolaeva a, * and V. A. Terekhova b a Educational–Experimental Soil-Ecological Center, Moscow State University, Chashnikovo, 141592 Russia b Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991 Russia *е-mail: lisovitskaya@yandex.ru Received December 28, 2015 Abstract⎯Analysis of methodological documents, Russian and foreign standards, and scientific publications has been performed to reveal best global practices and current trends in the improvement of laboratory phy- totesting. It is proposed to increase the number of simultaneously used test cultures and the range of simul- taneously controlled test functions at the first (screening) stage of phytotest to increase the information value of laboratory phytotests. Attention is focused on the assurance of the statistical reliability of test results. The advisability of creating universal regulations of Russian Federation for phytotesting methods to unify approaches to the ecological evaluation of soils. Keywords: laboratory phytotest, soil, pollutants, procedure, method implementation DOI: 10.1134/S1064229317090058 INTRODUCTION The active application of phytotesting methods to ecological soil science is a current trend, which is related to the increasing diversity of pollutants and their sources [15, 17, 35, 39]. Under conditions when environmental pollution acquires an integrated char- acter, the quantitative parameters of pollutant content like maximum permissible concentration and maxi- mum permissible level cannot cover the diversity of pollutants and estimate the environmental risk for the objects under study. The general ecotoxicological state of soil ecosystems can be assessed by integrated bio- testing methods, including from the response of higher plants [1, 3, 24, 30, 31, 36, 42]. The phytotesting method is based on the capacity of plants to respond to changes in environmental conditions, which makes it possible to estimate the toxicity or bioactivity of differ- ent objects [5, 18]. The sensitivity of plants to external impacts is manifested in changes of their biochemical reactions and is reflected in morphological parameters of their growth and development. The principle of phy- totesting is the recording of these parameters for plant organisms developing in the test samples compared to the control treatments free from test substances. The soil is a natural substrate for the growth and development of plants; therefore, the phytotesting method is of highest demand for estimating the bio- safety of soils, sediments, and bottom sediments. The method is actively used for the ecotoxicological evalu- ation of soils in urban [4, 10, 12, 25, 27–29, 57] and agricultural [7, 8, 16, 22] areas. It is of current interest for the regulation of pollutant contents [6, 38] and the revelation of the bioactivity of different chemicals and industrial wastes [2, 13, 32, 40, 44, 49–51]. Phytotesting methods are subdivided into labora- tory, pot, and microplot versions depending on the scale used, among which the laboratory version acquired wide use due to its compactness, high sensitiv- ity, low cost, good preservation of test cultures (plant seeds), and short-term seed exposure. The number of publications dealing with its application increased exponentially between 2005 and 2015 [56]. Despite the active use of laboratory phytotesting, there is no univer- sal method of its implementation, as noted earlier [21]. Publications and procedures have some termino- logical inconsistencies; therefore, we define some ecotoxicological concepts. The phytotest system is a space with test cultures (plant species whose parame- ters are observed) and test objects (samples of test sub- stances affecting the plants) under controlled condi- tions. The controlled test functions in phytotests with higher plants include the germination capacity and germination energy of seeds, root development, sprout growth, plant biomass, and some others. The recorded test parameters (biometrics parameters) quantitatively ref lect the values of test functions, i.e., the response of plant to the impact. The value of test parameter or the rule from which a conclusion is made about the state of the test sample is used as a toxicity criterion. In international practice, the results of phytotests are presented using the following concentration char- acteristics of test samples: the no observed effect con- DEGRADATION, REHABILITATION, AND CONSERVATION OF SOILS