The analysis of scientific papers concerning economic significance of evaluation of agricultural land fertility and quality has been done. This analysis was made according to technological and cost parameters. It is noted that the study of soil ability to realize the general biospheric functions is of current importance now not only in theoretical but also in practical aspect. This research is required by state environmental agencies when they execute their oversight functions. It is also very important for land owners when they organize a land rent or title transfer on the stage of ecological and economic evaluation of agricultural land. The data on the content of organic substance and basic plant food compounds in the soil are proposed as criterions for assessment the soil ability to realize general biospheric functions. The economic evaluation of soil general biospheric functions support may be done by analyzing the increase of humus, mobile potassium and labile phosphorus for a certain period of time as well as by costs for applying organic fertilizers (manure) and mineral fertilizers (superphosphate and potassium chloride) to provide the increase. The costs for support of soil fertility (an environment component and a guarantor of biogeocenotic functions execution) was calculated and it was 2 259.5 rubles a year per hectare. The podzolic chernozem soil of one farm in Nizhny Novgorod region was taken as an example for this assessment.

The review of the results of investigations on influence of soil acidity on winter rye productivity was done. The pattern of breeding process for creation of aluminum- and acid-resistant winter rye varieties under conditions of North-East of Russian Non-Chernozem zone was substantiated. Different methods of estimation such as cell and tissue cultures, method of nutrition solutions, soil culture, field study are used for screening of agricultural crop varieties on the level of resistance to abiotic stress. Winter rye is the least sensitive to soil acidity. However, higher soil acidity decreases winter hardiness and regenerating ability of rye after snow mould (M. nivale) damage that leads to shortfall of its production up to 40%. Creation of acid-resistant rye varieties is a perspective direction in breeding research especially for the conditions of north crop farming. In Russia, rye edaphic breeding began in the North-East Agricultural Research Institute in 1980 and it is now the only research institute in the country involved in this work. Studies are conducted under provocative conditions of field, greenhouse and laboratory experiments. Aluminum- and acid-resistant rye varieties were created - Regina (method of cells and tissues) and Kiprez (field method of multiple selections on natural rigid provocative background). Under conditions of natural soil background these varieties exceeded the initial variety Kirovskaya 89 in productivity by 0.24 t/ha and 0.72 t/ha correspondingly. Study on provocative soil conditions proved the superiority of variety Kiprez in aluminum- and acid-resistance. Additional productivity compared to the standard Falensky 4 was 0.26-0.32 t/ha, to the variety Kirovskaya 89 - 0.78-1.63 t/ha. Variety Regina was inferior to the standard Falenskaya 4 in productivity. In 2016 variety Kiprez was transferred to the State varietal test. Based on studies carried out in Federal Agricultural Research Center of the North-East the plan of creation of aluminum- and acid-resistant winter rye varieties with the use of complex natural provocative background (Н⁺ and Al³⁺; M. nivale) was developed and implemented. The varieties being created are subjected to obligatory test under rigid field provocative conditions. Acid-resistant varieties are reliable reserve for increasing the winter rye grain production on low-fertile acid soils of Non-Chernozem zone of Russia and are valuable sources of aluminum- and acid-resistance in breeding programs in other regions of the country.

Under the conditions of the Kirov region the state of the pigment complex of leaves of soft spring wheat of 2 varieties and 9 promising lines was studied during “tillering - flowering” period to determine the influence of weather conditions in years contrasting in moisture availability and temperature indicators. During the study period of 2016-2017, the content of chlorophylls (Chl a, Chl b) and carotenoids (Car) in the majority of genotypes in one and the same phases of plant development statistically significantly varied (at p ≤ 0.05). The C-65, C-122 and C-129 lines were selected, the leaves of which contained more than the average of the experiment or an equal amount of pigments. It is shown that vegetation conditions had a greater impact on the quantitative content of pigments, and to a lesser extent on their ratio. An insignificant and medium (7.1 - 14.5%) inter-varietal variability in the content of Chl a in the reaction centers (RC) of photosystems, Chl b and Car in the leaves was noted. The average variability noted in the flowering phase allows to use the absolute values of the pigment content as an additional component in the selection of breeding lines. Under conditions of excessive moisture, paired correlations (at p ≤ 0.05) were found between plant height and Chl a and Chl b content in the tillering phase (r = -0.67 and -0.69, respectively), and also with Car content in the flowering phase (r = -0,65). The number of Chl a, Chl b and Car in the phase of entering the tube was statistically significantly correlated with productive bushiness (r = 0.67, 0.64 and 0.68, respectively), the number of grains of the main spike (r = 0.70, 0.63 and 0.68) and the mass of grain per plant (r = 0.69, 0.61 and 0.73). Under drought conditions, the content of Chl a and Chl b was significantly correlated with the length of the main spike (r = 0.71 and 0.65, respectively) and the mass of the main spike grain (r = 0.73 and 0.77). An assessment of genotype-environment interactions between the same parameters characterizing the pigment complex in different years showed that the growing season conditions strongly influenced the severity of most of them. Weak interaction genotype - year was manifested by the Car content in 1 g of dry matter in the flowering phase (r_g = 0.61).

In 2013-2015 in the northern forest-steppe of the Tyumen region the comparative study of 10 mid-season and 7 middle-late strong varieties of spring soft wheat of the Siberian selection was carried out. During the research with seeding rate of 620 viable grains per 1sq.m, high indices of density of young crops (485-586 pieces/sq.m) and of the viability of plants by the harvesting period (402-530 pieces/sq.m) were obtained. These indices closely correlated with the yield productivity (r = 0.72-0.84). The productive tilling capacity was low (1.0-1.2) and it had little effect on the output yield. The maximum leaf area (30 thousand sq.m/ha and more) was formed by mid-season varieties Alexandrina, Niva 2, Novosibirskaya 89 and middle-late Omskaya 28, Sibakovskaya 3 and Omskaya 37 varieties. Close positive relation (r = 0.74-0.81) between the leaf area and productivity has been established. The varieties Altaisky prostor, Omskaya 18, Omskaya 19, Omskaya 37, Omskaya 38 are of special value for use in selection programs. They successfully combine the productivity (2.69-2.96 t/ha) and the amount of gluten (27.1 -32.4%) of the first quality group.

The studies on spring soft wheat Bazhenka bred in FARC North-East were done in 2015-1017 under conditions of Kirov region. The scheme of the first field experiment included four variants of sowing data - early (by workability of soil), and three more subsequent data with an interval of five days. The scheme of the second experiment included four variants of harvesting data: early one (when 70% of plants reached full maturity phase) and three other variants with five-day interval each. In 2016-2017 the productivity of the variety increased from the first (early) sowing date to the last (from 0.7 to 1.115-1.22 t/ha). The exception was 2015 when increase in productivity was noted only in the second and third sowing data (from 1.45 to 2.13-1.78 t/ha respectively). The greatest average productivity was achieved in 2015 - 1.64 t/ha; the smallest one - in 2016 - 0.84 t/ha. In 2016-2017 the indices of germination energy and viability of seeds decreased from the first sowing date to the last one. The exception was the third sowing date in 2015 at germination rate of 98% or 6.5-11.3% higher than other planting dates. The highest percentage of viability and germination energy was in the seeds harvested in 2017 - 97.2 and 94.5%, respectively. The lowest parameters of sowing seed qualities were noted in 2016: viability - 89.6%, germination energy - 88.2%. The effect of the year and harvesting date on the productivity of spring soft wheat was observed. The most significant increase in productivity in 2016-2017 was observed in variant of the second harvesting date; in 2015 - in variant of the forth harvesting date. Decrease in indicators of grain unit and of 1000-grain mass occurred from first harvesting date until the last one. The average index of grain unit at the first harvesting date was 788 g/l; at the last date - 780 g/l, the average index of 1000-grain mass was 37.6 and 37.4 g, respectively. On the average, for the years of study according to the sowing qualities of grains, the first sowing date (early, at soil physical maturity) was recognized as the optimum date. Optimal harvesting date is the second (when 100% of plants reach full seed maturity).

The peculiarity of the weather conditions of Yakutia highlights the task of reliable ripening of barley varieties in most soil-climatic zones. Seventy six samples of barley of various ecological-geographical and selective origin were studied in collection nurseries for the period 2012-2014 in the conditions of Central Yakutia. The zoned variety Tammi, ultrafast (58 ... 66 days), but not resistant to lodging (3 points) was used as a standard. Compared with the standard, a group of the earliest ripening varieties was identified with a growing season of 60-64 days: Herse (Norway), Nevan (Russia, Irkutsk Region), Piket (Russia, Krasnodar Territory), Nyurbinsky Improved (Russia, Yakutia), JO 1032 (Finland), k-7711 local (Turkey), Nutans 970 (Kyrgyzstan), Belogorsky 95 (Russia, Leningrad Region), Vitim (Russia, Buryatia), Otol (USA, Alaska), JO 1098 (Finland). The most resistant to lodging (7-9 points) were the following varieties: JO 1032 (Finland), Veresk (Russia, Sverdlovsk Region), Coliseum (Russia, Arkhangelsk Region), Tandem (Russia, Kirov Region), Bensa (Belarus), Werner and Svani (Sweden). Thus, according to the study, the initial material was selected for further use in hybridization when creating new early-ripening barley varieties resistant to lodging.

In the Udmurt Republic in 2014-2017 barley occupied from 35.4 to 36.2% of all acreage, covered with grain and leguminous crops. An assessment of the adaptive response of 10 varieties of barley (new and zoned) according to the data of five state growing test sites located in three natural and climatic zones of the Udmurt Republic was carried out. Raushan variety was used as standard. The parameters of environmental plasticity were determined by the method of S.A. Eberhart, W.A. Russell set forth by V.Z. Pakudin; adaptability, environmental sustainability, stress tolerance and yield range - according to А.А. Goncharenko, genetic flexibility - according to V.A. Zykin. In various agro-climatic conditions of the republic, stably high yields (4.36 and 4.67 t / ha) of barley varieties have been established, which are formed in the central and southern part of the Udmurt Republic (Sarapulsky and Mozhginsky GSU). The yield of barley breeds varied depending on the year and environmental conditions from 32.2 to 42.3%. The best in yield varieties were chosen. They are: Pamyati Chepeleva, Torbellino, Nadezhny - 3.40-3.57 t/ha, exceeding the standard by 8-13%. These varieties had a high plasticity index (bi) - 1.08-1.20 (intensive breeds), their genetic flexibility was 4.26-4.62 t/ha, stress resistance - -5.60...-6.14 t/ha (Raushan - 0.85...3.88 t/ha and -4.84 t/ha, respectively). They revealed a strong correlation between the yield and the amount of precipitation during the sowing season (r = 0.73), during the “tillering-earing” period (r = 0.64). Inverse correlation (r = -0.71) was observed between the yield and the average daily air temperature during the “tillering-earing” period.

The results of assessment of pea varieties in a competitive varietal test under conditions of Kirov region (Volga-Vyatka economic region) on productivity of grain, green matter and hay are presented. An object under research - 21 pea varieties of different morphotype bred in Falenki breeding station. Meteorological conditions for years of research (2014-2017) differed significantly in temperature regime and the amount of precipitation: favorable conditions for pea vegetation were in 2014 and 2015, the adverse ones - in 2016 and 2017. In group of grain-hay white-flowered plants variety Falensky yubileiny was selected. It had an average yield of grain - 4.1 t/ha, green mat ter - 34.3 t/ha, hay - 4.4 t/ha that exceeded standard variety Krasnoufimsky 93 by 0.7, 9.0 and 0.8 t/ha respectively. Among grain-hay color-flowered plants the perspective line D-24746 (productivity of grain - 4.0 t/ha; green matter - 35.3 t/ha, hay - 5.5 t/ha) exceeded standard variety Ryabchik by 0.6, 5.3 and 1.3 t/ha respectively. The varieties were defined which exceeded standards by grain productivity (Vita, D-22477, E-3542, D-22596, E-630, E-626, E-460, E-3698), green matter (E-3583, E-411, D-22596), and dry matter (E-3583). All samples had strong variation in productivity of grain, green matter and hay. Varieties with high rates of productivity elements were selected. It has been established that the majority of the studied varieties belong to middle-grain type according to the 1000-grain mass. Large-grain varieties are Vita (1000-grain mass of 264 g) and Falensky usaty (1000-grain mass of 263 g); small-grain ones are E-411 (140 g) and E-246 (136 g).

Forecasting of plant productivity with the help of mathematical models is in demand in the field of precision agriculture. The work is devoted to determining the optimal timing of harvesting for green mass using theoretical growth curves in 37 samples of perennial grasses. The theoretical curves were constructed on the basis of Richards equation. The study of samples was carried out in the Leningrad Research Institute of Agriculture. The accounting was carried out in the spring and summer periods of 2018. Models were built for 37 samples. Three models had low convergence. The point of inflection wasn’t determined for 8 samples. The rest 26 had high reliability and correlation between empirical data and the model curve. Among the samples of cocksfoot, tall fescue and bromegrass the variability in the potential height of plants, the growth rate at an exponential site and the rate of reaching the inflection point to the asymptote were observed. The samples of tall fescue were homogeneous in the model parameters. The most early matured varieties were Serebristy (21st of May) and Leningradskaya 204 (20^th of May); their esti mated hay ripening began after 40 and 36 days. Late estimated hay ripeness was observed in the samples of tall fescue (55-62 days), bromegrass (Chishminsky 3 - 49 days), cocksfoot (Leningradskaya 853 - 53 days and wild samples: k-44349 from Leningrad region - 51 days and k-44354 from Komi Republic - 53 days. The recommended model is applicable for the majority of the studied samples. The use of the offered model allows to optimize the date of mowing taking into account the varietal belonging.

In the conditions of the Chuvash Republic new hybrids of potato selected by the All-Russian Research Institute of potato farming named after A.G. Lorkh were studied. The studies were carried out on heavy-loamy gray forest soils. As a result of selection work from 2010 to 2017 more than 11.000 breeding samples were studied. For 2015-2017 years of study on the complex of economically valuable traits two breeding numbers were identified: 1683-12-2 and 1691- 12-5. According to the results of crop accumulation in the dynamics the duration of vegetation of these hybrids was determined. The accumulation of most of the harvest of the hybrid 1683-12-2 was observed in the period between the second registration (55 days from germination) to a total harvest, during the aging of the vegetative mass of the potato. Hybrid 1691-12-5 accumulated the bulk of the crop on the 55th day after full shoots-89.0 %. The vegetation period of breeding number 1683-12-2 was 85 days, which allowed to refer it to the group of middle - ripening varieties, and in 1691-12-5 the growth period was 72 days, which is typical for the middle-early maturity group.

The article provides the results of seven viburnum opulus varieties study in the conditions of Kirov region (the control variety is Tayozhnye rubiny of NIIS of Siberia named after M. A. Lisavenko selection). The productivity evaluation was held in the plant age of 7 and 10 and during all years of study on the average. According to the average productivity of 1996-2002, the form 1-2-5 (5.3 t/ha) and the Ulgen sort combining productivity (4.2 t/ha) and large fruitness (0.73g) have been selected on Kirov fruit variety testing plot. During the 1999-2010 period of study in FARC North-East no signs of freezing were noticed on the variety. On the 7th year such sorts as Souzga (9.0 t/ha) and Krasnaya Grozd (8.0 t/ha) had the highest productivity. On the 10th year all varieties, excluding Eliksir and Krasnaya Grozd were noticed to have significant productivity loss because of high honeysuckle sawfly (Tenthredo livida L) development. Krasnaya Grozd variety was determined as productive one in ten-year age (15.8 t/ha) and as a mid-productive (12.2 t/ha) during the 2006-2010 years of study. The sort exceeded the control variety results (1.4 and 2.4 t/ha respectively). According to the large-fruitness, the varieties were divided into three groups: with a medium fruit weight (varieties Souzga - 0.7g, Krasnaya Grozd - 0.68g and Eliksir - 0.62g); a small size fruited group (Zholobovskaya variety - 0.54g); and very small fruit varieties (Ulgen - 0.50g, Tayozhnye rubiny - 0.46g and form 1-2-5 - 0.42g). A strong positive correlation (r=0.77) between an overage mass of one bunch and viburnum productivity was noticed. Krasnaya Grozd variety of FSBSI FRC named after I. V. Michurin has been noted according to a combination of traits complex (productivity on the 10^th year after planting, mid-productivity, large-fruitness and mass of a bunch).

The article provides the results of studies on the identification of Alicyclobacillus genus bacteria in apple juice concentrates produced at the processing enterprises of the Southern Federal District of the Russian Federation. Microorganisms of the genus Alicyclobacillus are acid resistant, thermophilic, spore-forming bacteria that can cause juice products spoilage. Spoilage mainly appears as the formation of a phenolic (medicinal or smoky) smell. An alien odor is the result of the formation of guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol), the product of the vital activity of separate strains (guaiacol-forming) bacteria of Alicyclobacillus genus. Microbiological studies of 49 samples of sterilized apple juice concentrates and 10 samples of washing water from the equipment, selected in the process of apple juice concentrate producing were carried out. The studies have shown that spores of Alicyclobacillus genus bacteria can remain viable in juice concentrates after the heat treatment commonly used in the food processing industry for microbiological stability. Microbiological analysis of 49 samples of apple juice concentrates showed that 30 samples (61% of the total number of examined samples) contained bacteria of the genus Alicyclobacillus. When identifying bacteria of Alycyclobacillus genus in 30 samples of apple juice concentrates containing these bacteria, 25 samples (83%) contained guaiacol-positive bacteria and, accordingly, 5 samples (17%) contained guaiacol-negative bacteria. The number of bacteria in 1 cm³ of apple juice concentrates did not exceed 400 CFU/cm³. The results of the research can serve as the basis for the development of standards concerning the allowable content of Alicyclobacillus bacteria in apple juice concentrate.

This research was aimed at the development of a recipe for a multi-functional topinambur-based product in order to create a new range of products having good sensory characteristics. The recipes for a new type of functional canned food product “Dessert from topinambur”, consisting of a mixture of vegetables and fruits with good organoleptic characteristics were developed. Also the experimental samples were produced and their physical and chemical as well as organoleptic characteristics have been determined. The development of recipes was based on the requirements of GOST R 52349-2005 “Functional food products”, which says that each portion of the functional product must contain at least 15% of the daily consumption rate established by the Institute of nutrition of the RAMS for a specific physiological functional ingredient. To select the best recipe of the dessert the comparative experimental samples of canned food with the content of topinumbur from 30 to 45% as the main component were made. As the best composition of canned food “Dessert from topinambur”, which received an average rating of 4.5 points as a result of sensory analysis by rating, the following content of components was chosen: topinambur puree - 40%, pureed carrots - 30%, pureed apples - 30%. According to the results of sensory evaluation of the intensity of the characteristics the profiles for each of the five indicators were built: the taste, the color, the aroma, the appearance and the consistency. Also the diagram of the overall organoleptic evaluation of a new type of functional product “Dessert from topinambur” was built.

Due to the significance of the tasks of resource and energy saving, particular importance in field feed production of the Middle Urals should be given to perennial grasses. A birds-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) is of interest as a perennial legume plant that can grow on acidic infertile soils (pH 4.2-4.5) which has high winter hardiness and drought resistance. In 2011-2017 the study of the photosynthetic activity of birds-foot trefoil and the formation of its yield in dependence to different cover crops, methods of sowing and seeding rates, was carried out. Depending on studied methods the fodder productivity varied from 4.47 to 5.21 t / ha dry matter for four years of use on the average. By the flowering phase the largest leaf area (41.3-46.2 thousand m2/ha) was formed by a bird's-foot trefoil sown without a cover and under the cover of spring wheat and oats with the sowing rate of 6 million pcs. for wide-row sowing and 8 million pcs. of germinating seeds/ha for the ordinary row sowing. Sowing of the bird's-foot trefoil without cover and under the cover of spring wheat promoted the intensive development of photosynthetic potential -3.62-3.78 million m2 per day/ha. However, an increase in the leaf area in the variant with sowing a birds-foot trefoil without a cover contributed to a decrease in the net photosynthesis productivity to 3.9 g/m2. The highest net photosynthesis productivity (5.1-5.6 g / m2 per day), as well as the collection of dry mass in the first mowing (1.75-1.84 t / ha) was provided by a birds-foot trefoil sown under the cover of spring wheat and oats with a sowing rate of 7 million pcs. of germinating seed / ha in a wide-row sowing, and with a norm of 9-10 million pcs. of germinating seeds / ha in the ordinary row sowing. The analysis of the obtained data showed that the optimal structure of crops emerged in segregated variants with such indicators: the stalk density of bird's-foot trefoil is 745-803 pcs. / m2, the plants height is 37-39 cm, the foliage is 46-47%.

The influence of the initial degree of cultivation on the development of modern soil- forming processes in fallow agrosod-podzolic loamy soils of the Udmurt Republic was established by 2015-2017 studies. It has been shown that three-year weed infestation increased the soil structure, which was expressed in a sharp decrease in the silt fraction content (<0.25 mm) in the upper 0-30 cm layer, which was a result of the sod-forming process of soil formation. The initial amelioration level of postagenogenic soils had a significant effect on the soil structure. The structural coefficient in the 0-10 cm layer in variants with increased and higher cultivation levels exceeded an indicator of averagely cultivated soil (by 35.7 and 16.7%, respectively). It is established that weed infestation of arable land led to a decrease in soil density in the 0-10 cm layer at all levels of cultivation from 2.3 to 6.1%. Changes in the layers of 10-20 and 20-30 cm depended on the cultivation level: at the average level soil density increased by 10.1-14.2%, on the increased and high level it practically did not change. The productive moisture content in the 0-30 cm soil layer in the variants with fallow land exceeded arable analogues by 22.1 -46.7%. The state of cultivation contributed to an additional increase in the productive moisture content in fallow soils by 1.8-8.8%.

The article provides the results of many years of research conducted in 2005-2010 on leached chernozem in the forest-steppe of Volga region. The subject of the research is species and quantitative changes in weed infestation of crops during crop rotation under the influence of differentiated and averaged doses of fertilizers. It is established that the species composition of weeds depended on the cultivated plant in crop rotation, and their number depended on the predecessor and weather conditions of vegetation. In the Sudanese grass, a late sowing plant, there were late spring weeds (Redroot Pigweed, Barnyard grass) which were practically absent in wheat and barley, the early sowing crops. The influence of fertilizers application on the plant weediness in crop rotation was insignificant. At the same time, in comparison with the control, there was a significant decrease in the number of weeds by 11 -27%. In arid conditions of 2010 the effect of fertilizers on weed infestation was not significant. In favorable moisture years fertilizers had a positive effect not only on the growth and development of cultivated plants, but also stimulated the weeds growth. The quantitative change in weed infestation of crops primarily occurred under the influence of cultivated crops and was less dependent on the technology of fertilizers application. In all experiments with fertilizers, the number of weeds increased by 78-87 % from the first crop in rotation to fallow and decreased after it by 80-87%, more evident in variants with fertilizers. Differentiated application of fertilizers contributed to the reduction of weed weight by 7 % compared with the control and by 11% compared with traditional fertilizer application.

The article provides the results of 2014-2016 studies of the effect of macro- and micro fertilizers in the link of field crop rotation on fodder productivity and weed infestation on the background of basic and presowing cultivation of leached chernozem. The link of the crop rotation is presented by: (barley + meadow clover - meadow clover of 1 year of use -meadow clover of 2 year of use). In the main soil treatment variants, plowing (with PLN-4-3.5), disking (with PM-3 x 4) and non-moldboard tilling (with KPE-3.8) were used. The presowing treatment was carried out by the units IMT-616 (Europack) and KPS-4. Microfertilizers are represented by a complex of chelated microelements Microvit. The first grain crop of the rotation link (barley) provided the largest yield of feed units per 1 hectare - 3.72 tons of feed units/ha on plowing, the smallest on non-moldboard tillage (2.82 tons of feed units / ha), which was 0.24 tons of feed units/ha more than on the background of disking (3.06 tons of feed units / ha). Foliar top dressing with Microvit was more effective than seed treatment on all backgrounds of basic tillage, where the increase in productivity was from 0.25 to 0.66 tons of feed units / ha, while in seed treatment the increments were from 0.15 to 0.38 tons of feed units / ha. Feeding efficiency of the clover of 1 year of use in the sum for two cuts varied from 4.16 to 5.30 tons of feed units/ha. According to the basic methods of soil cultivation, this indicator varied; between plowing (4.98 tons of feed units/ha) and disking by 0.50 tons of feed units/ha, between plowing and non-moldboard tillage by 0.36 tons of feed units/ha in favor of plowing. In the second year of use, the growth of crop productivity was also observed from plowing (3.52 tons of feed units/ha) to disking (2.62 tons of feed units/ha) with an intermediate value on the background of non-moldboard tillage (3.12 tons of feed units/ha). Over the years of research, the application of the Microvit preparation on clover for all variants of basic tillage was most effective in foliar top dressing, where an increase in productivity was observed from 0.20 to 0.67 tons of feed units/ha versus 0.06-0.46 tons of feed units /ha at crop seeds treatment. The use of clover for two years for food and subsequent plowing up as siderate helps to reduce the contamination of the crops in the field crop rotation link from 17% in 1 year of use to 7% in 2 year of use in comparison with weed infestation of cover crop.

Surface treatment with soil compaction is the most important technological operation that has a direct impact on the conditions of growth and development of the root system of plants, and, as a result, on the yield of cultivated field crops. To improve the efficiency of this process in the development of new forms and justification of parameters and modes of tillage devices mechanical-bionic approach should be used, which proved effective in the development of design schemes and justification of the parameters of various agricultural machines. The final result is the adaptation of the working organ, bringing it to the image of a living organism and giving it certain geometric shapes, dynamics of movement and properties of the living prototype. The methods of the General theory of systems, agricultural mechanics, continuum mechanics, integral and differential calculus are used. The initial data for reasoning the parameters are physic-mechanical properties of soils: expansion index of soils, shear modulus, coefficient of lateral expansion, and the coefficient of friction. The article substantiates the optimal shape of the working surface of the loosening elements of the ring-cutting roller. Theoretical dependences on the justification of the main design parameters of the roller are obtained. For the soil conditions of the Republic of Crimea their rational values are equal to: a placement step of loosening elements S = 160 mm, the width of the contact of loosening element of the roller with the soil b = 45...50 mm, the amount of loosening elements Z = 12 pcs., the diameter of the loosening element D_p.₃= 48...54 mm, the height of the loosening element of the roller h = 42...46 mm. The kinematics of the process of interaction of loosening elements with the soil is considered and the dependence for determining the total traction resistance of the soil-cultivating ring-cutting roller is obtained.

In 2017 in the Kirov region the research of the second pneumо separating channel of the machine MPO-30R «VELES» intended for preliminary cleaning of the grain heap of grain crops, cereals, legumes, maize, sorghum, sunflower, as well as for primary and secondary clearing of the grain of these crops from impurities in all agricultural zones of the country was carried out. This was done in order to study the impact of structural and technological parameters of this channel on the effect of cleaning the grain material from light impurities and determining the optimal values of the parameters studied. Experimental studies were carried out by conventional methods in three modes: preliminary, primary and secondary cleaning of grain. As a result of the research of the pneumо separating channel of the mass-produced machine MPO-30R «VELES» it has been established that installation of deflector rods in the lower part of the channel reduces average speeds of an air stream, increases unevenness of a field of speeds in the separation zone that leads to deterioration of cleaning quality of the grain material. The effect of cleaning the grain material from light impurities when installing deflector rods is reduced by 12.8% in the pre-cleaning mode, by 8.8% in the primary cleaning mode and by 2.7% in the secondary cleaning mode. Research of the pneumо separating channel with a modified bottom part proved that with increasing depth of the bottom of the channel from 0.13 to 0.16 m the effect of cleaning of the grain material from light impurities in the mode of preliminary cleaning increased by 8.0 %; of primary cleaning - by 3.8 % and of the secondary cleaning - by 7.4% with a relatively equal loss of high-grade grain to waste. Thus, taking into account the maximum values of the effect of cleaning the grain material from light impurities, the lower part of the pneumо separating channel should be made straight, inclined at an angle of 13° to the vertical, without deflector rods. The depth of the lower part of the channe l, taking into account the maximum capacity of the fan (2.14 m³/s) and the required average speed of the air flow in the pneumо separating channel for the secondary cleaning of grain (8.0 m/s) should be 130 mm.

In the Russian Federation, linseed is cultivated as an oil crop for seed production then its bast fiber part of a plant does not used due to the lack of processing technology and special equipment. Machinery factory named by Korolev (city Ivanovo) produces domestic equipment for flax primary processing for high price, but which is not adapted to produce fiber from stems of linseed. New low-cost technology and technological equipment for the primary processing of linseed fiber directly on the fields in flax-growing farms without building capital facilities and utilities have been done at the All-Russian Research Institute for Flax Production. This resource-saving technology allows rationally use the biological potential of the crop, to learn new types of production, to create additional jobs in farms and countryside. The calculations of the cost of new technological equipment, volumes of fibrous of raw materials for its processing, cost of linseed fiber producing at all transitions from the field to the final product in comparison with the existing basic technologies and technical means are presented in the article. On the basis of production tests of new equipment and quality characteristics of the obtained linseed fiber, carried out in 2015-2017, the areas of application in textile industry and other sectors of the economy have been recommended - cottoning fibers, nonwoven materials, environmental building insulation, composite materials. The low-cost innovative technology and its using in real economy is available for all categories of farms and fiber processing plants. The advantages of the new technological line compared to the existing baseline AKLV-1-01 (Korolev’s machinery factory) are the following: the processing capacity of raw materials is 1.6 times higher; fiber production with wide rank characteristics, as an average mass-long from 40 to 200 mm, content of shives from 10 to 20%, linear density from 1.5 to 7.0 tex; the power of electric motors was 1.8 times lower (from 65 to 36 kW) , the costs of materials consumption was 1.8 times lower and the cost of equipment decreased from 11.200 to 7.000 thousand rubles. Calculations of economic efficiency of production and the payback of new resource-saving technological equipment confirm the validity of the use of the proposed technology. Additional revenue from the sale of fiber will be more than 2 billion rubles per year, and net profit of more than 500 million rubles. The payback period of the equipment of one production line is less than two years.

The normative legal documents in force in Russia (concept, strategy, program) for sustainable development of rural areas are imperfect. They do not take into account the European experience of rural development. The concept and the program expire in 2020. When developing these documents for a new period, one should take into account the historical experience of the European Union (EU). The establishment of a scientific paradigm and conceptual approaches to the development of rural areas in Russia, with due regard to the European experience in the formulation of the author, is new. The aim of the study is to substantiate conceptual approaches to the development of rural areas of Russia, in view of the fundamental principles of building a system for managing rural development in the EU countries. A scientific assessment of conceptual approaches to the development of rural areas in the EU is given. Since the early 1990s, the process of substitution of the exogenous-branch approach for the more progressive - endogenous-territorial and the formation of elements of the new - neo-endogenous approach - has been taking place in the EU countries. The most acceptable for the conditions of modern Russia is the endogenous-territorial approach. Its main features: the use of local natural, human, cultural and other resources; local initiative and entrepreneurial attitude, the creation of partnerships; multifunctionality of agriculture and diversification of the local economy; formation of social capital at the local level, development of "rural networks"; strengthening the institutional and infrastructural capacity of rural areas, overcoming their isolation from the outside world. The realizing of such an approach will require a complicated and painstaking work to create institutions for development and self-development, including resource potential in the development of rural areas. The "bottom-up" movement with financial, informational and institutional support "top-down" can fundamentally change the socio-economic situation in rural areas. At the same time, institutional prerequisites will be created for the subsequent transition to a neo-endogenous approach in the development of rural areas.