The review presents the generalized material of experimental studies and review works (114 sources, including 110 foreign) on studying the composition of bacterial microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract in cattle depending on age, clinical condition of animals and level of productivity, shows the influence of the functional activity of microbiota on the formation and development of the organism. The microbiota affects the health and productive qualities of dairy cattle. The bacterial community of the gastrointestinal tract plays a crucial role in the digestive system. This complex system with feedback, where on the one hand, the microbiota is influenced by the genotype of the host, feed base, living conditions, breeding methods, and drugs used, and on the other hand, the microbiota primarily affects plastic and energy metabolism, but also indirectly affects respiratory, urinary, central nervous, and immune systems of the body. Bacterial diversity is laid down during the fetal period, undergoes significant changes during calf growth, and remains stable throughout life, adapting to changing conditions. Modern studies of gastrointestinal diseases are increasingly focusing on the composition of the microbial community, pointing to the dangers of antibiotic use and the need for a transition to probiotic and prebiotic therapy. Productive qualities of cows, such as milk yield and fat and protein content, also depend on the composition of the microbiota.

The study was carried out in the conditions of Kirov region in 2019–2023. Against provocative and infectious backgrounds of snow mold, root rot, ergot, powdery mildew, leaf and stem rust, the immunological state and yield of 15 varieties of winter rye created over a 73-year period were studied. Taking into account the breeding methods, the source material used and the year of creation, they were conditionally distributed over five successive periods of breeding and variety change: I – Vyatka 2, Kirovskaya 89; II – Falenskaya 4, Snezhana, Rushnik; III – Flora, Grafinya, Batist; IV – Lika, Talitsa; V – Symphoniya, Garmoniya, Graphit, Graphit FP, Perepel. When recording diseases, well-known methods were used. Research has shown that as a result of breeding, on artificial infectious backgrounds newly created varieties showed a decrease in the development of root rot (Flora, Perepel, Garmoniya – degree of damage 14.6, 15.5 and 15.0 %) and ergot (Flora, Grafinya, Batist, Lika, Symphoniya, Graphit FP, Garmoniya – damage 11.4...15.9 %), grain contamination with sclerotia – 0.38...1.84 %. In varieties of the I period of breeding the degree of root rot infection was 18.8 %, ergot infection – 31.7 %. There is no progress in breeding for resistance to powdery mildew and rust types. The most productive varieties are Lika and Batist (769.3 and 738.7 g/m²), which significantly exceed the Falenskaya 4 standard (578.8 g/m²). A close and significant dependence (p ≥ 095) was revealed between the yield of winter rye varieties and regrowth of plants after snow mold infection (r = 0.693...0.830) as well as grain contamination with sclerotia (r = -0.531...-0.712). The relationship between the yield of winter rye and the development of other studied diseases is insignificant and weak. Considering the high harmfulness of snow mold and ergot in the research region, it is necessary to continue to carry out breeding improvement of varieties for these characteristics, as well as to increase resistance to powdery mildew and types of rust.

The research was carried out in order to study the effect of non-root fertilizing using complex fertilizers on the yield and quality of plum fruits of the Velikaya sinyaya variety in the Astrakhan region. The following treatment variants with complex fertilizers were used in the experiment: Master; Aquarin; Ultramag Boron + Ultramag Calcium; Aquarin + Ultramag Boron + Ultramag Calcium. Non-root fertilizing of plum plants was carried out before flowering, after flowering and during fruit development. On average for 2021-2023 non-root treatments contributed to an increase in the number of plum ovaries compared with the control (water treatment) by 3.3...26.7 %, the best result was obtained in the variant Ultramag Boron + Ultramag Calcium. In all variants of the experiment, foliar fertilization increased the yield of plum of the Velikaya sinyaya variety by 3.1...4.2 t/ha (LSD05 = 0.1 t/ha). The highest yield of plum fruits was formed in the variant Aquarin + Ultramag Boron + Ultramag Calcium – 12.9 t/ha (in the control – 8.7 t/ha). The maximum values of the average fruit weight were obtained in the variants Ultramag Boron + Ultramag Calcium and Aquarin + Ultramag Boron + Ultramag Calcium – 45.1 and 45.6 g, respectively (in the control – 43.3 g, LSD05 = 1.2 g). Foliar fertilizing with Ultramag Boron fertilizers together with Ultramag Calcium provided a higher sugar content (14.2 %) and the value of the sugar acid index (17.7) in the fruits of the Velikaya sinyaya plum variety (at the control – 13.2 % and 16.5 respectively).

The aim of the research was to optimize the clonal micropropagation of stone crops through the use of improved techniques. The objects of the research at the stage of introduction into culture in vitro were meristematic apexes, at the stage of micro-propagation itself – micro-shoots, at the rooting stage – rooted micro-shoots, at the adaptation stage – micro-plants. All experiments were carried out according to generally accepted methods using the example of the steppe cherry variety Shchedraya, the domestic plum variety Kazanskaya and the hybrid sweet cherry Fatezh. As a result of the research, it was found that the use of a 10 % chlorhexidine solution for sterilization of the initial plant material of stone crops increased the survival rate of apexes on average by 2.4 %; the combined use of growth regulators 6-benzylaminopurine 0.5 mg/l, gibberellic acid 0.2 mg/l, indo-lil-3-butyric acid (IBA) 0.2 mg/l in a nutrient medium and an experimental diode pulsed phytoirradiator in the last proliferation passage activated the proliferation of micro-shoots, increasing the reproduction coefficient of stone crops in 6 passages by an average of 0.9 pcs/explant; the addition of 1.0 mg/l (IBA ) to the nutrient medium provided an increase in the rooting capacity of micro-shoots of stone crops by an average of 9.6 %. The treatment of micro-plants of stone crops at the stage of adaptation by spraying with an 8 % solution of the extract of the products of the larvae of the large wax moth and the use of an experimental LED pulsed phytoirradiator with a mixed spectrum contributed to an increase in their survival rate by an average of 12.4 %. Compliance with the proposed improved methods of clonal micropropagation of stone crops using growth regulators and an experimental LED pulse phytoirradiator with a mixed spectrum made it possible to increase the yield of standard adapted micro-plants by 2 times. At the same time, the cost of one adapted micro-plant decreased by an average of 11.4 rubles, and the profitability of obtaining improved stone crop material increased by 33.7 % and amounted to 160.7 %.

The article presents the laboratory and field tests results for the effectiveness of the fungicide Protazox SC (suspension concentrate) against anthracnose and other lupin diseases. The tests have been done in Bryansk region in 2020–2022. The study objects were seedlings and vegetative plants of the narrow-leaved lupin Vityaz variety. The effectiveness of protective and curative properties of the fungicide Protazox SC (azoxistrobine + protioconazole + dipheconazole, 200 + 125 + 60 g/l) was tested for 0.5; 1.0 and 1.5 l/ha consumption rates under laboratory conditions. The biological effectiveness was evaluated according to the number of infected seedlings grown in paper-and-plastic rolls compared to the control variant (fungicide free). The maximal rate of the fungicide – 1.5 l/ha – had the highest biological effectiveness of protective and curative properties (98.7 and 97.4 %); this corresponds to the effectiveness of the reference fungicide Kolosal Pro with the using rate of 0.4 l/ha. In a field test the fungicide Protazox at using rate of 1.5 l/ha was applied for lupin crops at the growing stages of “1-2 pairs of true leaves” and “bud formation” of lupin. The fungicide effectiveness was evaluated compared to the control without treatment. Biological effectiveness of the tested fungicide against anthracnose made 95.8 %, it was 4.5 % higher than of the reference fungicide Kolosal Pro. To the stage of “shiny pod” the number of anthracnose infected pods treated with the fungicide Protazox decreased to 1.5 % compared to 26.5 % in the control variant. Fusarium infection of plants decreased from 24.6 % in the control to 12.0 % in the variant with the fungicide. The spread of gray and white rot on beans decreased by 5.0 and 6.7 times, respectively. The viability of productive plants by the harvesting period increased by 41.3 %. Thanks to the application of the fungicide Protazox SC (1.5 l/ha) the significant narrow-leaved lupin seed yield rise of 0.91 t/ha was obtained (LSD05 = 0.04); the cost recovery was 2.56 rubles.

The research was carried out in the conditions of the Perm Region on sod-podzolic heavy loamy soils in a long stationary plot trial, laid down in 1977. The purpose of the research is to study the effect of various types of fallow on crop rotation productivity and humus content in the soil. The data are given for two rotations (2009–2022) of fallow-grain–grass crop rotations with various types of fallow – with manurial, sown with clover, sown with melilot, sideral with clover and sideral with melilot – without mineral fertilizers and with fertilizers (N60P30K60). It was found that in the sown fallows, the mass of root and mowing plant residues of meadow clover and yellow melilot, depending on the nutrition background, reaches 4.08–4.36 t/ha with a nitrogen content of 41.8–46.9 kg/ha, phosphorus 16.7–18.6 kg/ha and potassium 42.7–69.6 kg/ha. In sideral fallow with clover and clover biomass, 6.99–9.04 t/ha and 6.83–8.53 t/ha of dry matter with a content of 133.5–148.1 kg/ha of nitrogen, 34.3–41.2 phosphorus and 121.2–148.9 potassium were supplied to the soil, respectively. The application of organic fertilizers in the fallow field contributed to an increase in the humus content by 0.19 abs.% to the initial (2.04 %) in the variant without mineral fertilizers and by 0.69 abs.% in the variant with the introduction of mineral fertilizers to the initial (2.08 %) Clover sideral fallow also contributed to an increase in the humus content in the soil by – 0.38–0.52 abs.%. There was an increased productivity of crop rotation with sideral melilot fallow (2.22–2.25 t/ha of grain units per year) relative to the traditional crop rotation with pure fallow (2.08–2.11 t/ha of grain units per year). Cultivation of crops in all studied crop rotations was energetically efficient, the energy efficiency coefficient was 3.63...4.48 in the variants without mineral fertilizers, against the background of NRK – 2.38...3.21.

The research was carried out to identify the optimal dose of bedding bulk poultry manure on the influence of the crop structure and the yield of spring rape seeds of Lunedi variety. The work was carried out in 2022-2023 in the forest-steppe zone of the Nizhny Novgorod region. Poultry manure loose (GOST 31461-2012) was applied in doses of 4, 6 and 8 t/ha (control - without fertilizers). The experiment was conducted on light gray forest loamy soil with low humus content, neutral reaction and mobile forms of phosphorus and potassium. Statistically proven changes in the structure of rape yield were noticed on the manured variants: the increase in length of the fruit (pod) was 0.40–0.67 cm, in pod weight – 0.04–0.12 g, the number of pods per plant increased by 1.4–2.1 times, the number of seeds in a pod increased by 2.5–4.6 seeds, seed productivity of a single plant increased by 1.9–3.0 times, the weight of 1000 seeds exceeded by 0.66–0.94 g. The application of poultry manure on all variants revealed a reliable increase in the yield of above-ground phytomass and seeds, the increase in rape biomass was 6.03–8.70 t/ha (LSD05 = 1.30), seeds – 0.94–1.26 t/ha (LSD05 = 0.46). The maximum increase in the biomass of rapeseed and seeds (6.03 and 0.94 t/ha) was established in the variant with a manure dose of 4 t/ha, since with an increase in the manure dose (6 and 8 t/ha) in excess of the minimum increase by 1.42–2.67 t/ha of plant biomass and 0.22–0.32 t/ha of seeds. The obtained results suggest that the optimum dose of poultry manure application to spring rapeseed on light grey forest soil (Alfisol) is 4 t/ha.

The purpose of the research was the assessment of feed productivity and nutritional value of 13 new varieties of meadow timothy, meadow fescue and awnless brome when cultivated for green mass in the Middle Cis-Urals. The research was carried out in 2018–2022 on sod-podzolic medium loamy soil of the Udmurt Republic. Meteorological conditions of the growing seasons during the years of the research were different: 2018, 2021 and 2022 were arid (hydrothermal coefficient – 0.89, 0.78 and 0.91, respectively), 2020 – slightly arid (HTC – 1.04), 2019 – waterlogged (HTC – 1.73). The beginning of regrowth of the studied varieties of perennial cereal grasses was noted in the third ten days of April; the grass reached mowing ripeness in 44–60 days. The yield of meadow timothy varieties on average for three years of using the grass stand was at the level of 3.5–3.9 t/ha of dry weight, meadow fescue – 2.3–2.4 t/ha, awnless brome – 4.5–4.7 t/ha. The “year conditions” factor had a primary influence on the variation in yield, density and height of the grass stand – 92.4…97.4 %, 62.9…79.2, 80.3…82.6 %, respectively. The “genotype x year” factor also influenced the number of shoots and their height. Fescue varieties were distinguished by a relatively high content of crude fat (2.5–3.1 %), sugars (15.6–17.7 %), and calcium (0.31–0.36 %). High content of crude fat (2.3–2.6 %), phosphorus (0.68–0.71 %), potassium (2.45–2.52 %), calcium (0.31–0.39 %) noted in plant samples of awnless brome varieties. A positive strong correlation between the yield of dry mass of cereal grasses and the content of phosphorus (r = 0.87…0.96) and potassium (r = 0.69…0.85) in it was revealed. Some varieties of perennial cereal grasses were distinguished by their nutritional value: meadow timothy varieties Sleipnir (Finland), Aturo (Germany) and Tamiza (Germany) with a yield per 1 hectare of metabolic energy of 32.3–34.4 GJ, digestible protein – 0.14–0.16 tons, feed units – 2.41–2.60 thousand; meadow fescue variety Karpatchi (Netherlands) – 21.2 GJ, 0.09 tons, 1.57 thousand; awnless brome variety Gvardeets (Russia) – 35.7 GJ, 0.25 tons and 2.58 thousand, respectively. Cultivation of Karpatchi fescue, Sleipnir timothy and Gvardeets brome is energetically and economically profitable: energy efficiency coefficient – 1.9; 3.0 and 3.6, profitability level – 65; 101 and 161 %, respectively.

The article presents the results of a search for genome-wide associations with phenotypic traits characterizing the growth and development of sheep from a crossbred population obtained from crossing Romanov sheep and F1 hybrid rams (Romanov sheep x Katahdin). The phenotype database included ten body measurements (withers height, sacral height, back height, chest depth, chest width, ischial tuberosity width, body length, oblique body length, chest girth, pastern girth) recorded at the age of 6 days, 3, 6 and 9 months. Genotyping of sheep was carried out using high-density DNA chips containing about 600,000 SNP markers. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed using regression analysis in the STATISTICA 10 program. The search for candidate genes localized in the SNP region was performed using Ensembl genome browser 110. There was carried out an analysis of the matches of the identified SNPs with known quantitative trait loci (QTLs) described in the Sheep Quantitative Trait Locus Database. There were found SNPs that were significantly associated with the studied phenotypic traits overlapped with the QTLs, among which the most common categories were “Body weight (slaughter)”, “Muscle weight in carcass”, “Body weight (live)” and “Bone weight in carcass”. There has been established that SNPs significantly associated with exterior traits were localized within or in the immediate vicinity of 64 genes. There were found potential candidates regulating the growth of muscle (FOXO3, PRKAG3, MYOZ2, and ANKRD1) and cartilage tissues FGF12) and involved in metabolic processes, which were critical for the growth of lambs (CLDN, ALB, and MRC1). Along with the known in sheep functional candidates (CAST and SCD5) , there were identified genes that were not previously described in sheep, but regulated growth and development processes in other livestock species including genes RAB28, PRKAG3 and  FOXO3. The identified SNPs can be recommended for inclusion in marker-guided selection programs in sheep breeding.

The article provides the results of the use of dried Origanum vulgare mass as an additional component of bedding material in chickens of the Hubbard Redbro M meat-and-egg cross. Origanum vulgare dried mass was added at the rate of 0.5 kg per experimental group daily from the age of 45 days after the transfer of chickens to floor management. The number of heads for each group was 35. The live weight advantage at the age of 2 months of the experimental group of chickens over the control group is 102.5 g, at 75 days of age is 216.5 g, at 90 days of age is 326.0 g and at the age of 105 days is 403.0 g. The SBA increased at the background of the S. aureus test culture: there was a significant suppression of colonies in the first five hours of exposure, and at the background of the E. coli test culture there was a suppression throughout the entire study period. The intensification of metabolic processes was noted in chickens of the experimental group, due to increased protein metabolism, liver and kidney enzymes of blood serum, which was also associated with an increased concentration of thyroid hormones. All these factors made it possible to raise significantly the gain in live weight by an average of 0.11 kg, which increased the slaughter weight by 8.4 %. Almost all indicators of the development of internal organs in chickens of group II are within significant limits of the difference compared with the control group.

Purpose of the research: to study the effect of a phytobiotic additive on some clinical and physiological parameters of the body of calves during the dairy period (biochemical and morphological blood parameters, live weight gain and disease resistance). The subject of the study was a phytobiotic with the code name Fitostim, which is based on an extract of meadow-sweet (Filipendula ulmaria (L.) Maxim.) and a lyophilized culture of lactic acid microorganisms. The experiment used Holstein calves, divided into experimental (Fitostim + traditional diet) and control (traditional diet) groups of 12 animals each. Starting from 4 days of age, calves in the experimental group were administered Fitostim daily, individually, orally for 30 days at a dose of 3 grams per head, after dilution in milk. Blood tests for morphological (erythrocytes, leukocytes, hemoglobin, leukoformula) and biochemical parameters (IgG, total protein, albumin, ALT, AST, creatinine) were carried out on the 10th and 30th days of the experiment. By the end of the experiment, in the experimental group of calves, compared with the control, there was an increase in ALT (8.0±0.01 units/l) by 19.4 %, total protein (51.4±0.07 g/l) by 14.7 %, albumin (44.0±0.01 g/l) by 15.4 %, creatinine (41.5±0.001 µmol/l) by 10.9 %, immunoglobulin G (5.9±0.01g /l) by 18 %, leukocytes (7.1±0.02×109/l) by 31 %. The studied morphological blood parameters (leukocytes, erythrocytes, hemoglobin, leukoformula) did not go beyond the reference values. Recovery from enteritis in calves in the experimental group occurred earlier by 1.8±0.3 days than in calves in the control group. Safety of calves is 100 %. The average daily increase in body weight in calves in the experimental group was 0.811±0.12 kg, which was 17.1 % higher than the result in the control.

For the effective use of sod seeders SDK in conditions of degraded forage lands, it is necessary to modernize the design of their coulter group to work in conditions of high soil moisture and increased content of plant residues in it. A method of strip sowing is proposed, which is based on the removal of the sowing working elements from under the casing of a milling furrow opener, and a design and technological scheme of the coulter group with a shoe opener mounted on a suspension mechanism in the form of torsion springs. The coulter group includes a mounting bracket on a seeder, a suspension mechanism, shoe openers, rollers, mechanisms for adjusting the position of coulters in the vertical and horizontal planes and the forces of deepening coulters and the pressure of rollers on the soil. Compared to the coulter group of SDK seeders, its weight (19.6 kg) is reduced by 3.8 kg while the total length of the seeder increases by 0.12 m. To assess the efficiency of the modernized coulter group of the sod seeder, experimental studies were carried out in the field, during which the quality indicators of seed placement were determined when using a serial coulter group of SDK seeders and a prototype coulter group. Comparative studies of coulter groups of a sod seeder showed that when sowing Eastern galega, the depth of seed placement complies with agrotechnical requirements and is: for the coulter group of SDK seeder – 19.4...22.4 mm, for the prototype - 18.6...19.5 mm, and for the prototype the value of the standard deviation is almost two times lower. The uniformity of the distribution of seeds over the width of the strip for the coulter group of the SDK seeder is 20.2...26.1 mm, for the prototype – 8.4...10.1 mm.

The article is devoted to studying the possibility of using the WaveLetNN artificial neural network to analyze the results of remote phytosanitary monitoring of early detection of plants in potato plantings affected by late blight. Various methods for analyzing the spectral characteristics of plant reflection are considered, including the classification method. To detect plants infected with late blight, the WaveLetNN neural network analyzes the light reflective characteristics of potato plants obtained as a result of research (in the range of 300–1100 nm) and calculates the cognitive significance index (CSI = 0...10), which characterizes the intensity of biochemical processes inside plants aimed at countering phytopathogenic microflora. It was found that a significant increase in the CSI index signals infection of plants by phytopathogenic microflora and activation of protective biochemical processes on the part of plants. To reliably indicate infected plants, the WaveLetNN neural network underwent test training on a large number of light reflectance spectra of uninfected plants and plants artificially infected with late blight. The spectral reflectance characteristics of infected and uninfected plants were measured during 3, 4, 7 and 8 days after infection. Processing the obtained spectra using the WaveLetNN neural network made it possible to identify significant differences between the second- and third-order spectral characteristics of uninfected and late blight infected plants on the third day after infection. Moreover, for infected plants the CSI index values were 6.1...6.7, and CSI for healthy plants – 1.9...2.5. The Wave-LetNN neural network eliminates the influence on the light reflectance spectra of the spatial arrangement of plant leaves, unevenness of the soil surface and shading of individual sections of the field, normalizing the spectra to the total intensity of light reflected from the leaves. Thus, the WaveLetNN neural network can be used as the software core of online systems for remote phytosanitary monitoring of potato plants.

The quality of the compound feeds for animals and poultry directly depends not only on the components included in it but also on the type of mixer used. Horizontal mixers as compared to the vertical ones allow for a shorter period of time to obtain high-quality mixtures due to the intensification of the process of material movement by belt working bodies. The aim of the research is to determine optimal technological parameters of a horizontal mixer with a 0.3 m³ mixing chamber with a belt working body. The mixer is designed to produce mixed compound feeds of high uniformity in production lines, workshops or can be used as an independent machine for mixing loose components. The research was carried through multifactorial experiment. As the result, mathematical models of the mixer working process were obtained, two-dimensional cross sections of the response surfaces were built. The obtained mathematical models make it possible at the design stage to identify the dependence of qualitative and energy indicators on factors at the considered levels of variation. According to the results of the multifactorial experiment, it has been established that the best mixing quality of 94.8 % is achieved when the mixing chamber is loaded by 58 % at a speed of rotation of the mixer shaft of 30 min^-1, mixing time of 6 minutes with simultaneous supply of the control and the main components. At the same time, the throughput is 0.78 t/h, and the specific energy consumption is 2.04 kWh/t.

The study aimed to look into how dairy cattle rearing in Russia and the USSR got technical and technological support in the first half of the twentieth century. At the start of the 20th century, two-thirds of Russian agriculture were small peasant farms. They used manual labor and did not need the costly machines. The consolidation of farms was very slow. Yet it laid the foundation for a shift to mechanized livestock production. The First World War, which began in 1914, followed by the Revolution and the Civil War halted for years the technical development of Russia's agricultural production. In late 20s, the Soviet Union already faced the challenge of producing more agricultural goods. This increase could be possible by starting highly mechanized agricultural enterprises. By 1931, “Soyuzselstroy”, an All-Union Agricultural Construction Association, had prepared standard designs of dairy cattle farms for 100 and 200 heads. They provided for mechanization of main processes of cow housing and care. In 1930-1940, scientists and engineers of the All-Union Institute of Mechanization (VIM) and its branches undertook the creation of cattle farming machinery. This period saw the development and manufacture of a number of machines that made livestock farmers labor easier. The work on setting standards for designing the cow barns started. By 1939, VIM had designed a system of machines and test edit in collective farms. The need for specialized organizations to help collective farms to install and put into operation the livestock equipment became evident. At the same time, training of agricultural engineers started in Leningrad, Moscow and other USSR cities. A Decree by the Council of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union dated July 8, 1939, set a delivery plan of machines and units for livestock farming in 1940. Thus, by 1941 the conditions were created for integrated mechanization of main labor-intensive processes in national animal husbandry. Those days agricultural ecology was not in the focus. With no widespread production of mineral fertilizers in place, application of all manure to soil posed no environmental risk.