Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a significant and valuable crop for the economy of many countries. It provides people nutrition and national food security. To obtain healthy potato planting material, propagation in vitro culture is carried out. The problem of increasing the propagation efficiency at this stage is very relevant and can be solved by optimizing the lighting parameters, including the spectral composition of the emitter. The review of published works mainly over the last 20 years concerning the study of the effect of LED lighting of different spectral composition and power on regenerated potato plants, grown in vitro, is given in this paper. Morphometric and physiological parameters of potato plants are given, which can be influenced by changing the spectral composition of illumination. Data on lighting recommendations for different varieties of potato are given. This review may be useful for organizations involved in potato micropropagation, as well as for research teams developing technologies for optimal potato cultivation.

In present-day conditions of industrial agriculture, the animal's body works at the limit of its capabilities, which leads to degenerative diseases of various organs and systems. The development of ergonomic ways of modern diagnosis of these pathologies at the early stages contributes to the maintenance of quantitative and qualitative indices of productivity of animals and to the extension of the time of their economic use. The liver with a great number of functions performed is subjected to the highest load. The aim of the article is to review the available clearance tests in order to diagnose the pathology of the hepatobiliary system of animals at the early stage, considering advantages and disadvantages of the tests. As the result of the search of themed issues in various bibliographic databases there have been selected 45 mostly cited scientific articles. The article reviews such clearance tests as indocyanine green clearance test, aminopyrine breath test, sorbitol elimination test, galactose elimination test, phenylalanine breath test, and hepatobiliary scintigraphy method. Functional tests allow not only diagnosing and differentiating hepatopathologies, but also visualizing their course and liver recovery. Unlike laboratory tests, clearance tests make it possible to evaluate the work of the liver in dynamics. The disadvantages of clearance tests are lack of information for their wide use and frequency of particular differences in elimination of specific substances. To reduce the proportion of existing shortcomings, it is possible to combine clearance tests with other laboratory methods for diagnosing hepatopathy in animals.

The development of the Boyarin spring barley variety was carried out in 2008-2022, the improvement of varietal agricultural technology – in 2021-2022 in the soil and climatic conditions of the Kirov region. The Boyarin spring barley variety is characterized by a high yield (up to 6.15 t/ha in 2017), in some years exceeding the Belgorod 100 standard (by 0.9 t/ha in 2018). The variety is medium-early, the duration of the growing season is from 76 to 97 days; forms a highly productive stem (390 pcs/m2) due to good survival and bushiness of plants (2.0 pcs/plant), has a strong straw and is characterized by high resistance to lodging (5.0 points). The weight of 1000 grains is up to 47 g, the nature is up to 683 g/l, the protein content in the grain is up to 12.2 %. According to the quality of grain, it belongs to the varieties of grain-forage use. Since 2023, the Boyarin variety has been included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements Approved for Use in the Volga-Vyatka region. The article provides a scheme for creating a new variety of spring barley Boyarin and its economic and biological characteristics. When developing elements of varietal technology, new biofertilizers (Azolene, Azotovite, Phosphatovite, Kalivite, Nitroslak) andbiofungicides (Pseudobacterin, Flavobacterin, Alirin) were tested, which were used to treat seeds and plants in the "tillering" and "earing" phases. In relatively arid vegetation conditions (HTC = 1.23), no statistically significant yield increases were obtained from the use of all the studied preparations. With excessive moisture during the growing season of plants (HTC = 2.20) relatively high yield increases (1.31-1.58 t/ha with LSD05 = 0.50) were obtained in variants using biofertilizers Phosphatovite (seed treatment), Azotovite (plant treatment in the "earing" phase) and Kaliivit (treatment of plants in the "tillering" phase). The best biological protection against root rot at the level of 60.5 % was provided by the treatment of seeds with Nitroslak biofertilizer, which is not only a nitrogen fixator and phosphate immobilizer, but it also contains a binary mixture of microorganisms antagonists of phytopathogens.

The research was carried out in 2020-2022 in the central part of the Kirov region, under varying weather conditions. In the nursery of the competitive variety testing, 3 varieties and 8 lines of hulled oats were studied in order to analyze their adaptive ability according to the elements of the productivity structure. Varieties and lines were characterized based on the sum of the ranks of the evaluation results according to the methods of S. A. Eberhart, W. A. Rassel (1966), N. A. Plokhinsky (1961), L. A. Zhivotkov et al. (1994), A. A. Rosielle and J. Hamblin (1981). There was a direct statistically significant effect of the mass of 1000 grains, the mass of grain from the panicle, the number of grains in the panicle on the yield (r = 0.62…0.85). The formation of the elements of the productivity structure depended on the hydrothermal conditions of individual periods of vegetation (r = 0.63…0.72). The method of two-factor analysis of variance revealed that the influence of the "year" factor on the elements of the productivity structure was more significant (33.7...64.3 %) than the "grade" factor (8.5...24.6 %). There have been identified lines and varieties able to form consistently high yields in contrasting weather conditions due to certain structural elements or their combined influence. A high adaptive capacity with a minimum amount of ranks was obtained by the number of spikelets in the 41h18 line (Σranks = 17), varieties Kirovsky 2 (Σranks = 14); by the number of grains in the panicle and by the weight of grains from the panicle – line 41h18 (Σranks = 14 and 15); by the weight of 1000 grains – lines 25h18, 91h18, 41h18, 50h18, 162h15 (Σranks = 21…27), varieties Medved’ and Kirovsky 2 (Σranks = 18…22). According to the total lowest sum of ranks (71...97), the Kirovsky grade 2, promising lines 25h18 and 41h18 have been identified.

In 2015-2021, 58 collection pea variety samples of various morphotypes and ecological and geographical origin were studied in the field and laboratory conditions of the Falenky Breeding Station (Kirov region) in order to identify sources of breeding valuable traits for the creation of new varieties. For leafy morphotype samples the Krasnoufimskij 93 variety was taken as standard, for leafless morphotype – Falyonskyj usatyj. According to meteorological conditions, the years of the research contrastingly differed: the hydrothermal coefficient (HTC) ranged from 0.82 (2016) to 2.57 (2019). The highest yield on average for the collection was formed in 2015 (HTC = 1.59) – 358±15 g/m2), the lowest in 2021 (HTC = 0.84) – 126±4 g/m2. The studied set of variety samples was mainly represented by medium-ripened (70-75 days on the average over the years of the research), medium-productive (201-250 g/m2) samples with a seed size of 150-250 g. There have been identified genotypes that exceeded the grain yield of standard varieties by 10% or more: Tigra (Germany) – 353 g/m2, Stabil (Austria) – 336 g/m2, Vyatich (Russia) – 308 g/m2, Flora (Russia) – 286 g/m2, G-21594 (Russia) – 283 g/m2, etc. Variety samples with high indicators of productivity elements have been identified. The highest number of fertile nodes (4.4-4.6 pcs.) was noted in leafy samples Verkholuzskaya, Ryabchik (Russia), Segio (the USA); the number of beans (6.0-6.1 pcs.) – in G-21594, Vyatich (Russia.), Ps var vittelinum – (Germany); the number of grains (24.1-27.1 pcs.) – in the variety Verkholuzskaya, G-21594, D-13560 (Russia). A higher seed productivity (5.2-5.6 g) was noted both in leafy morphotypes Grana (the USA), Omega (Moldova) and in leafless morphotype Stabil (Austria). It was found that the studied genotypes had high variability in grain yield, the number of fertile nodes, beans and grains per plant, the mass of 1000 seeds changed slightly. The statistically significant influence of the duration of the growing season on the number of fertile nodes (r = 0.27...0.60) and the number of beans per plant (r = 0.26...0.61) was established.

When using minitubers as planting material in seed production, there is a problem of sparseness of seedlings, which is associated with different duration of the storage period of minitubers (since harvesting from an aeroponic installation to the appearance of the first single shoots). The purpose of the research is to establish the influence of the duration of the storage period of aeroponic minitubers on the growth, development and productivity of various potato varieties under field conditions. The research was carried out in 2020-2022 in the conditions of the Novosibirsk region, the soil is leached medium loamy chernozem. The objects of the research are aeroponic minitubers of early-ripening (Yuna, Terra, Legenda) and mid-ripening (Zlatka, Sokur) potato varieties for December, March and April harvesting periods. It was established that the storage period of minitubers of various varieties was 179-184 days when collected from an aeroponic installation in December, 91.7-118.3 days in March, 71.3-99.7 days in April. The use of minitubers as planting material for growing high-quality potato seeds is justified during the December and March harvesting periods. Potato plants from the December planting material had a germination rate of 98.5 %, germinated 20 days earlier, had a larger average leaf area, the initial yield on the first recording date was 2.6 times greater and the final yield was 1.4 times greater than the plants from the March planting material. Minitubers of the December period provided the highest yield (22.8 t/ha) and the yield of seed tubers (76.3 %), with March harvest time the corresponding values were lower by 6.8 t/ha and 15.9 %, with April harvest period – by 15.9 t/ha and 34,0 %. It is not practical to use minitubers of the April harvest time with a storage period of 91.7-118.3 days as planting material, since it is impossible to obtain yield for the most of the studied varieties. The Sokur (mid-ripening) and Terra (early-ripening) varieties showed the highest yields of 20.4 and 19.5 t/ha.

Oil flax seeds are valuable raw material for various industries. The purpose of the research was to form a genetic collection of oil flax for resistance to Fusarium wilt in order to create specialized varieties for various purposes with highly effective R-genes. On infectious backgrounds from populations of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. lini (Bolley) and highly virulent monoisolate No 39 of this pathogens, 28 promising genotypes of oilseed flax were assessed. Using a phytopathological test from the world gene pool of the species Linum usitatissimum L. 10 promising oil flax genotypes were identified – No. 3829, Uralsky (Russia), l. 6 AGT 1538, l. 12 AGT 987 (Czech Republic), Altess, Eole (France), Selectiong 3 (China), Arnu, Bison (USA) and Linda (Canada), which have effective resistance genes to the fungus F. oxysporum f. lini, differing in the fatty acid composition of the oil. Using the method of hybridological analysis, it has been established that resistance to Fusarium wilt in the low linolenic line l. 12 AGT 987 (Czech Republic) is determined by the Fu 11 gene, while in the high linolenic l. 3 Altess (France) it is Fu 4 (χ2 = 0.02…2.89). In the low linolenic line l. 6 AGT 1538 (Czech Republic) a previously unknown gene for resistance to this disease – Fu 12 was identified (χ2 = 0.0001…2.4100). The use of identified genetic sources in breeding programs will contribute to the creation of specialized varieties for the food, chemical and other industries with various R-genes of resistance, which will prevent the development of epiphytoties of this disease on oil flax.

The yield of potatoes and other crops is influenced by many factors, one of the most important is the complex condition of the soil. Soil research more often focuses on the determination of its physical and chemical properties, but rarely takes into account the bacterial community and its diversity. In this work, the bacterial microbiota of soils cultivated with potato was evaluated. Using metabarcoding and full-fragment sequencing of the 16S rRNA site, by nanopore sequencing, primary screening of the bacterial community of fields in three administrative districts of the Sverdlovsk region: the city of Yekaterinburg, Beloyarsky and Sysertsky districts was carried out in 2022. As a result, 2371 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified to the species level. More than half of the relative bacterial abundance is occupied by the phylum Proteobacteria. Three orders represent more than one-third of the total bacterial community: Burkholderiales, Hyphomicrobiales, and Acidobacteriales. The most common bacterial genera in cultivated agricultural soils of the Sverdlovsk region are Bradyrhizobium, Massilia, Gaiella, Sphingomonas, Lysobacter and Gemmatimonas. The obtained results of alpha- and beta-diversity analysis allow us to conclude that, despite the statistically significant difference in the number of detected OTUs between some fields, there is no difference in their diversity by study objects in the administrative districts of the Sverdlovsk region.

Fungi of the genus Cordyceps Fr. (1818) (Ascomycota: Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) are widely distributed throughout the world, many species are cosmopolitan. Cordyceps are known as entomopathogenic fungi that infect caterpillars and pupae of insects. The fruit bodies of Chinese cordyceps Ophiocordyceps sinensis (synonym Cordyceps sinensis (Berk.) Sacc) are also well known for their pharmacological effects and are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of a wide range of diseases. This species has a limited distribution and, due to the huge demand, its resources are rapidly depleted in the wild due to uncontrolled fees. In addition, O. sinensis is difficult to cultivate artificially. Another entomopathogenic species of fungus, Cordyceps militaris, has a chemical composition and properties similar to those of O. sinensis, but, unlike O. sinensis, it is easier to be grown artificially in mycelial culture. In this regard, the study of the distribution and occurrence of the fungus Cordyceps militaris has now acquired exceptional relevance. The article presents data on the first sporadic records of Cordyceps militaris fungus, which has unique biological properties, in the Kirov region. The ecological strategy of the population of this species, the peculiarities of its distribution and population fluctuations in Russia are discussed. The question is considered why, with the wide distribution of this species, it is considered rare and even included in the Red Books of individual regions. C. militaris found in the northern part of the Kirov region was isolated into pure culture (strain T1) for artificial cultivation and study of physiological and biochemical properties. The expediency of including natural cordyceps isolates obtained by introduction into mycelial culture in mycological collection funds is substantiated, since artificial cultivation of the fungus is of obvious interest for the development of biotechnologies in medicine, veterinary medicine, crop production and plant protection.

The purpose of the research is to develop a comprehensive bioconversion of secondary processing products (SPP) of pea flour: liquid whey and insoluble starch-protein residue (ISPR), formed during the isolation of food protein concentrate (PC) using various enzyme preparations. The research was carried out in 2021-2023. The bioconversion of whey and ISPR into fodder yeast (FY) was performed with the association of cultures of S. cerevisiae 121 and G. candidum 977 (1:1). There was created a mathematical model of the dependence of biomass growth on whey on technological factors, and the optimal parameters were determined: pH, temperature, amount of inoculum. In the process of biomass synthesis microorganisms absorbed glucose, xylose, galactose, fructose from whey. The parameters of ISPR hydrolysis and the conditions for its joint bioconversion with whey with the same microorganisms were established: the amount of residue added to the mass of whey, pH, temperature, process duration, pressure. With insoluble starch-protein residue hydrolyzed at pH 1.8, the amount of protein in the biomass increased by 2.2 times, reducing sugars – by 6.1 times, compared with the original whey. At the same time, glucose and maltose were absorbed. Dry FYs contained 51.09-61.68 % protein, 2-8 % lipids, and ash content 5-8 % per dry matter. The amino acid score of proteins was 90-247 %, the ratio of saturated (23.5 %) and unsaturated fatty acids (71.67 %) – 1:3, omega-6 fatty acids – 19.73 %, trans-isomers – 5.0 %. Yeast is rich in sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc. The mass fraction of nucleic acids and heavy metals in FYs were within the normal range, in vitro digestibility was 85.73-89.74 %. The data indicated the expediency of utilization of pea flour secondary processing products into high-quality FY by comprehensive bioconversion.

Milk quality indicators are one of the main components of the breeding value of dairy cattle. The experience of many countries demonstrates that the Holsteinization of local cattle breeds is accompanied by an increase in the volume of milk produced while reducing its quality characteristics in particular to its cheese suitability. Solving this problem only by means of traditional breeding is difficult but it is possible to facilitate this task with application of modern molecular genetic methods and marker-oriented selection. The objective of the research was to assess the genetic potential of dairy performance of cattle with different genotypes by the kappa-casein gene (CSN3). The study was conducted on 104 purebred Russian black-and- white cows selected from the herds of the Yakovlevskoye APC and Raslovskoye APC. It was determined that the desired CSN3^BB genotype was most common in 61 % of animals. As part of the study, the comparison of the experimental animals' own milk productivity with the productivity of their ancestors was carried out which made it possible to assess their genetic potential. The analysis showed that in the Yakovlevskoye APC, the protein content in milk in carriers of the CSN3^AA genotype was significantly less than in carriers of the CSN3^AB (P < 0.05) and CSN^BB (P < 0.001) genotypes. There were no statistically significant differences in other productivity indicators, although the carriers of the CSN^AB genotype (100.9%) differed in the greatest realization of the genetic potential in terms of the mass fraction of fat in milk, and cows with the CSN^BB genotype (106.7 and 103.9 % respectively) in milk yield and protein content in milk. In the Raslovskoye APC, the greatest realization of the genetic potential in milk yield (119.5 %) was distinguished by carriers of the CSN^AA genotype and the greater potential of fat and protein in milk were shown by animals with the CSN^BB genotype (112.3 % and 103.7 %, respectively). Thus, the polymorphism of bovine kappa-casein gene has a significant impact both on the protein content in milk and on the realization of the genetic potential for this indicator of productivity. The obtained research results are important for breeding work with Russian black-and-white cattle aimed at improving the cheese suitability of milk.

The article is devoted to the problem of increasing the resistance of chicks from hatching to the age of 3 weeks to infectious diseases by technological methods. Dosed low-temperature exposure to the embryo during the sensitive period of early embryogenesis was proposed as an impact factor; influenza vaccine virus was used as a test virus for experimental infection of embryos. It was found that in the embryos after cooling, the titer of the virus was significantly lower by 1.5-12.0 times (p<0.001) compared with the control. This fact indicates a decrease in the replicative activity of viral strains in embryos of this group. In chicken embryos of Russian Snow-White breed after cooling, there was a decrease in the infectious activity of the influenza A virus by 11.5 %, as well as a decrease in the infectious activity of the infectious bronchitis virus by 3.6-6.9 %, depending on the breed of the embryos. The level of chick resistance in the experimental group to diseases of bacterial etiology was also higher, as evidenced by the higher safety of 3-week-old chicks (0.8-1.1 % higher than in the control) and a higher bursa index in 12-day-old chicks (8.5-9.0 % higher than in the control). The hatchability of eggs of the experimental group was also 4.5 % higher than in the control. The effects obtained as a result of hypothermic exposure during this sensitive period of embryogenesis can be explained by inducing the production of heat and cold shock proteins by the embryo, which, in turn, activate innate antiviral reactions caused by major histocompatibility complex. However, this issue requires additional study with the involvement of molecular genetics methods, since the supposed mechanisms that cause an increase in resistance in response to low-temperature exposure in early ontogenesis need to be confirmed.

The purpose of the research was to study the content of ceruloplasmin, copper and copper-coordinating amino acids (in the molecule of the studied protein) in the milk of white-and- black cows at different periods of lactation. The research methods were: modified method for determining ceruloplasmin by Revin; copper was determined using a ZEEnit 650 P atomic adsorption spectrometer (Analytik Jena AG, Germany), amino acid analysis was performed using a highly efficient LC-20 Prominence liquid chromatography system (Shimadzu, Tokyo, Japan) equipped with a reaction module for post-column derivatization with ninhydrin ARM-1000 (Sevko & Co., Moscow, Russia). The study groups were formed depending on the timing of lactation: 1-2 months – group 1; 3-5 months – group 2; 6-7 months – group 3; 8-9 months – group 4. Each group included 8 animals. The Mann-Whitney U criterion and Pearson correlations were used for statistical processing of the obtained results. The average values of ceruloplasmin levels in the groups were 0.44-0.49 mg/ml, copper 71-83 mcg/l, histidine 0.11-013 g/100g, cysteine 0.03 g/100g and methionine 0.09-0.11 g/100g. In these 4 groups, small differences were found in the content of ceruloplasmin, copper and three amino acids, but only for the second and fourth groups of histidine, these differences were significant. Thus, the indicated intervals of ceruloplasmin and copper content can serve as important guidelines for determining the "reference intervals" for cow milk in general, while it is not necessary to take into account different lactation periods.

The article provides information about the features of the device, the quality of work of the prototype of a new 25...30 % more productive clover grater and scarifier KS-0.3 P in comparison with the analogue KS-0.2 P. KS-0.3P includes a drum-type wiping and scarifying device, a pneumatic separation device, a two-stage exhaust air purification system containing a cyclone and a fabric filter. The increase in the productivity of the new machine is achieved by increasing the diameter of the drum with a solid wiping surface to 0.45 m and the length of the oval deck with scarifying plates to 0.7 m. The solid grating surface of the drum is welded from steel rods of hexagonal profile No. 12 mounted on an edge. The deck covering the drum from below by 180° is made of round bars with a diameter of 10 mm and nine steel plates with a thickness of 2 mm and a width of 11 mm, evenly distributed along the length of the deck. When studying the technological process of clover grater and scarifier the method of mathematic planning of the experiment was used. The quality of scarification done was evaluated using the GOST 12038-84, GOST 12036-85 methodologies and additionally introduced indicator of variation of the number of germinated seeds. The material supply was regulated by the degree of opening of the flap in the loading hopper in the range from 0.2 to 0.4 t/h. The rotation frequency of the drum was changed by a frequency converter from 550 to 650 min-1. Eastern galega seeds met GOST 52325-2005 requirements. The experiments were carried out in three-fold repetition. As a result of an experimental study of the KS-0.3P cloverworm-scarifier during the scarification of the seeds of the Eastern galega, the ranges of the optimal drum rotation speed of 550... 650 min-1 and the material supply of 0.3... 0.4 t / h were determined, when the specified agrotechnical indicators were provided: the degree of scarification not less than 95.0 % and crushing not more than 1.5 %.

The article presents a method of measuring bending rigidity of flax fiber during high-speed bending. This method is an important part of the effort to reduce the dependency on imported cotton. Unlike the standardized testing methods, the suggested approach closer imitates the conditions present during fiber processing and exploitation of fiber products. For evaluation of bending rigidity of flax fiber during high-speed bending there was used the scheme of loading (meeting the factors of Eule – Bernoulli theory) of a sample fixed in a cantilevered way with the following determination of the work done by bending and deformation by interaction with impact pendulum. The value of sample deformation was determined on the basis of the control of moments of the time of angle velocities deformation which took place by operating movement (during the tests) and free movement of the pendulum. The specific feature of determining the time of deformation were more precise calculations: of angle velocity of the pendulum considering the force of resistance to its free movement; of pendulum motion periods at different stages of its movement during its interaction with the sample; of the time of starting and finishing the interaction by sample bending using the method of dichotomy by approximation of angle velocity values; of angle velocity variation at different stages of its movement during its interaction with the sample. These more precise calculations has become the basis of generalized algorithm for determining the bending deformation by interaction with impact pendulum, done by electronic calculator. A hardware-software complex has been created that employs this algorithm to measure and visualize both sample deformation and pendulum energy loss, as well as angular velocity of the pendulum. A comparison of different kinds of natural bast fibers has been performed – specifically, flax, nettle and hemp. The bending rigidity of these samples has been determined to be 1.42, 2.53 and 6.45 newton‧mm2 accordingly. These differences match the well-known properties of those materials.

The article presents the results of research into the characteristics of the institutional environment of land relations in the agricultural sector under the influence of such institutions as the state and property, which determine the current model of land use. Among the selected elements of the institutional environment, the formation and negative consequences of the institution of land shares are considered in more detail – a kind of “institutional trap”, the influence of which is still difficult to overcome. The negative effect of consolidating this undesirable institution is shown, which has led to the preservation to this day of a large proportion of ownerless agricultural land, as well as other negative processes during their use. For example, by the beginning of January 2022, more than 40 % of the land area of collective and state farms, distributed among rural residents in the 90s, was in common shared ownership. Moreover, the area of land shares in the status of unclaimed reached over 11 million hectares, despite the fairly active activity of local governments in this matter. It is noted that one of the modern characteristics and consequences of the institutional environment is the presence of more than 30 million hectares of unused agricultural land, including due to unfavorable rent relations. A conclusion is drawn about the great role of digitalization as a critical element in improving the institutional environment, primarily based on the formation of the necessary database of complete and reliable data on land resources. It has been determined that the solution to the large-scale tasks set for the development of the agricultural sector and the return of abandoned land to circulation will help overcome the negative impact of dysfunctional institutions. Hence the importance in the implementation of priority directions of state agricultural policy of such principles as involvement and partnership, differentiation, systematic measures and strategies.