No 1 (2025)

Shade-resistant Allium (A. victorialis and A. ursinum) plants have significant differences in morphological, seasonal and other indicators. In the conditions of the Moscow Region, A. victorialis, grown in alluvial meadow soils, ends its vegetation season in August, A. ursinum – in July. The period from the beginning of shoot growth to seed maturation is 80–85 days for A. victorialis and 65–72 days for A. ursinum. A. victorialis has 2.8, A. ursinum – 2.3 leaves per plant. The length and width of a leaf is 16.0 and 5.9 cm for A. victorialis and 19.5 and 4.6 cm for A. ursinum. The yield of leaves in A. victorialis is by 1.08 time higher than that in A. ursinum. In leaves of the studied Allium species, the average dry matter content is 17.5–18.6 %, nitrates – 154.1–159.2 mg/kg fresh weight, monosaccharides – 3.7–3.8 % fresh weight, ascorbic acid — 129.7–131.8 mg% fresh weight, chlorophyll – 248.9–254.2 mg/100 g dry weight, carotene – 26.5–27.4 mg/kg fresh weight, hydroxycinnamic acids – 175.4–179.9×10^-3 % dry weight, flavonoids — 291.7–304.0×10^-3 % dry weight. The studied representatives of the Allium L. genus can be considered as potential sources of biologically active compounds. By the study results on the seed productivity as a reproduction and introduction basis and by testing the cultivation possibility in ex situ conditions (in culture), A. victorialis has the limiting value of real seed productivity by 7.8 and the potential seed productivity by 3.1 times higher than those of A. ursinum, correspondingly. The studied species are insect-pollinated plants, whereby the seed-setting rate directly depends on the environmental factors (temperature, heavy rains, continuously cold weather, etc.), which are different in different years.

Great importance in increasing yields and product quality belongs to breeding, which is one of the leading areas of ensuring the country’s food security. The need to develop domestic breeding is also the basis for the successful development of agricultural production, increasing the yield and quality of crops. The organization of breeding and seed production at the proper level will contribute to the successful development of agricultural production, in particular potato growing. The creation of promising and highly productive potato varieties of medium maturity, which will be resistant to widespread diseases, well adapted to the soil and climatic conditions of the cultivated area and stably forming a guaranteed harvest, in turn, will contribute to raising the profitability of the potato industry in the republic. It should also be emphasized that in the context of import substitution, the creation of domestic potato varieties capable of adapting to the conditions of the growing area is one of the promising tasks of all breeding programs. The purpose of our work is to create, study them in the ecological conditions of the mountainous and foothill provinces and widely introduce new local, more adapted and disease-resistant potato varieties adapted to the soil and climatic conditions of Dagestan, where the vertical zonality of potato cultivation stands out sharply. Our research uses hybrid potato populations grown from seeds of the Experimental Potato Gene Pool Department at the All-Union Potato Institute named after A.G. Lorch and transferred for further research in Dagestan, as well as hybrids of the first tuberous generation, which were selected in 2021 and 2022 and deposited for further research in 2023.

In this review, we have tried to provide a holistic picture on the modern selection and innovation techniques for garden carrot, immunological diagnostics methods, genomic editing and sequencing invented by Russian and foreign scientists. Garden carrot is a good source of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibers. Together with the growing need in healthy eating, carrot becomes an increasingly popular product that is used not only as nourishment but also in cosmetology and for therapeutic purposes. In this view, advanced scientific studies in this area become highly important. Modern research largely applies the achievements of new technologies, which operate with germplasm, selection, immunity, tissue culture, and the results of molecular studies on carrot.

The article presents the results of ecological variety testing of chickpea in the arid conditions of West Kazakhstan. The West Kazakhstan region sharply differs in soil and climatic conditions from the other regions of Kazakhstan. Naturally, in such difficult environmental conditions, the varieties, which will be able to fully solve the problem of overcoming the negative complex influence of limiting environmental factors that are strictly specific to the study region, become crucial.

Among leguminous crops, chickpea occupies a leading position as a source of vegetable protein. It has a very high feeding value. Moreover, its value lies in its ability to improve soil fertility by enriching it with nitrogen. Chickpea is an excellent predecessor to spring durum wheat.

The main goal of this scientific work is to systematically study the chickpea breeding material, identifying sources of valuable traits and properties through ecological selection, and to create new competitive and patentable varieties adapted to the agroecological conditions of our region.

The article presents a summary of the results of ecological variety testing of chickpea breeding carried out by various research institutes including the Kazakh Research Institute of Agriculture and Plant Breeding, the Krasnokutsk Breeding and Experimental Station, the Volgograd State Agricultural Academy, the Krasnovodopadskaya Agricultural Experimental Station, and the Scientific and Production Center of Grain Economy named after A. I. Baraev.

To clarify the effect of the particular type of alcohol and its concentration on the safety of bee samples during storage, samples were stored in two alcohols (methylcarbinol and dimethylcarbinol) with concentrations of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 volume percent. By the obtained results, spore-forming bacteria persist in both alcohols at any concentrations. Comparison of bee samples, stored in solutions of two alcohols at different concentrations for 6, 18 and 36 months using nonparametric criteria of paired comparison, revealed significant differences in some cases and did not reveal significant differences using nonparametric criteria of multiple comparison.

The polymorphism of microsatellites was studied in 85 bulls – semen donors of the following breeds and types: the Kholmogory breed (38), the Holstein breed (10), the Pechora type of the Kholmogory breed (17), and the type obtained through crossing the Pechora type with the typical Kholmogory breed (20). Individuals were genotyped by 15 microsatellite loci. The largest number of specific alleles was revealed in the group of the Kholmogory breed bulls. The maximum genetic distance was identified between the Pechora-Kholmogory bulls and the Holstein bulls (DN 0.237, FST 0.045). The division of the entire array into two clusters in the program Strukture confirmed the high genetic differentiation between the crossed and purebred Pechora type bulls of the Kholmogory breed and the Holstein breed. The genetic difference between the Holstein and the typical Kholmogory breed was as high. The average probability of membership in the first cluster was 0.107±0.039, in the second cluster – 0.893±0.039 for Holstein bulls, 0.828±0.052 and 0.172±0.052 for Pechora type bulls of the Kholmogory breed, 0.860±0.019 and 0.140±0.019 for Pechora-Kholmogory bulls, and 0.633±0.046 and 0.367±0.046 for bulls of the typical Kholmogory breed, respectively. Information on number of effective alleles per locus, heterozygosity and fixation indices in animal groups of different genealogy and breeds did not provide any reliable and significant information on their intrapopulation genetic structure and differentiation that could be used in practical work to maintain the genetic diversity and reproduce the conserved gene pool of the breed. The cluster analysis at k=3 and k=4 allowed to identify and detail the structure and degree of genetic difference between groups and, thus, obtain additional information for planning and implementing gene pool conservation measures.

Cryopreservation of genetic material of highly productive cattle breeds has been relevant for several decades. The main goal of the experiments is to develop crypreservatives that will preserve sperm in a functionally active state. For this purpose, various antioxidants and sugars are added to cryoprotectors.

The purpose of this work was to study the effect of polysaccharide fractions from H. erinaceus on the cryostability of bull sperm. Solutions containing polysaccharide fractions of H. erinaceus retain a higher level of motility indicators than the control solution. The studies on polysaccharides and their role in preserving the reproductive function of cells need to be continued including preservation for longer periods.

The paper assesses the natural regeneration of Scots pine under the canopy of mossy pine forests. It includes qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the undergrowth, evaluates if they correspond to the current Forest Restoration Rules. In the Buzuluk Forest National Park, natural regeneration of pine has positive tendencies for accumulation though affected by a significant number of various negative factors due to the ecological land conditions. The paper offers recommendations on the maintenance of accumulating undergrowth, as well as measures to increase the amount of undergrowth and its viability.

The paper continues and enlarges the research of foreign and Russian scientists in the field of meat-product subcomplex management. The status of the agro-industrial complex of the Komi Republic has been evaluated. The main development trends of meat-product subcomplex of the Komi Republic have been outlined. The factors determining the need for integration in the meat-product subcomplex of the Komi Republic have been investigated. The work highlights a development strategy for the meat-product subcomplex of the Komi Republic and proposes a methodological approach for the formation of a model to improve the efficiency of the meat-product subcomplex of the Komi Republic. It also contains recommendations how to improve the organisation-economic mechanism of the meat-product subcomplex based on the development of cooperation and integration forms of enterprises and associations of the Komi Republic.

The effect of weak non-ionizing non-thermal electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on the biological processes in soils and seeds was accessed by the method of gas chromatography. We identified daily rhythms of carbon dioxide emission and oxygen absorption in sealed samples of seeds and soils depending on the humidity and time of treatment. The method of chromatography is a promising method for identifying EMF stimulation of soil microorganisms and optimizing EMF priming of seed crops.

The article dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the Institute of Agrobiotechnology, Komi Science Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences provides a brief history of the institute and the main results of its scientific activities. Attention is drawn to the specificity of agricultural production in the natural and climatic conditions of the Komi Republic, which determines the main directions of scientific research. The majority of studies are devoted to the creation of high-yielding varieties of potato and vegetable crops, perennial forage grasses adapted to the conditions of the Far North, the development of biopreparations for organic farming. Animal husbandry aims at improving the diagnosis methods and treatment options of known and newly identified diseases, as well as at increasing the productivity and environmental resistance of animals to the conditions of the Subarctic and Arctic based on the use of the latest achievements in biotechnology, population and molecular genetics. The article devotes much space to substantiating the need to preserve and use local genetic resources in breeding. Using concrete examples, the authors demonstrate promising areas of research in specific sectors of agriculture in the northern region, which will improve the efficiency of the agro-industrial complex and its productivity in unstable climatic, economic and social conditions of the environment.