In recent years, the technology of weed mapping using unmanned aerial vehicles has been actively developing. Determining the location of weeds makes it possible to create task maps for herbicide treatments. This helps to reduce the amount of herbicides used and reduce the environmental load. However, to select the optimal control strategy, it is necessary to identify the species composition, quantitative abundance and growth phases of weeds in a particular field. The development of deep learning methods based on convolutional neural networks helps in solving this problem. In particular, the trained algorithm is able to automatically extract information from images, detect and classify weeds. The article discusses the construction of image classifiers using the ResNet-18, ResNet-34 and ResNet-50 architecture. The results of phytosanitary monitoring of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) crops and photographs of survey sites are used as initial information. The crops were dominated by annual monocotyledonous weeds – wild oat (Avena fatua L.), barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv.) and field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis L.). According to the quantitative assessment of the weeds in the study sites, each species was assigned an identifier of 0 – for those exceeding the economic threshold of harmfulness and 1 – for those not exceeding it. The task of the classifier is to recognize these weeds in the photograph and determine one of two gradations of weediness of the site (low or high). The efficiency of the proposed approach is confirmed by a sufficiently high quality of the classifier predictions (the number of correct classifications for the original set of 24 images varies from 83 to 88%) and the construction of a Confusion matrix. 

Research data on the evaluation of three chemical methods for soil diagnostics of phosphorus nutrition of grain crops on leached chernozem is presented. In small-plot field experiments (9 m2 ) in the Iskitimsky (soil 1) and Ordynsky (soil 2) districts of the Novosibirsk region, against the background of N60K60, different doses of ammophos were applied to spring wheat – 30, 60 and 90 kg a.i./ha. The initial content of mobile phosphorus in the soils according to the Chirikov method showed that there was no need for grain crops to additionally apply phosphorus fertilizers, while according to the methods of Karpinsky-Zamyatina and Nikolov, their insufficient supply of phosphorus was clearly visible. Field studies indicate the high effect of phosphorus-containing fertilizers. On soil 1, grain yield from 30 kg P2 O5 increased by 0.28 t/ha, or 11% compared to the control. The maximum efficiency of the fertilizer was observed when applying 60 kg of P2 O5 . In experiment on soil 2, where the supply of P2 O5 is noticeably lower, the positive effect of ammophos is most pronounced. The maximum increase in grain was obtained from 90 kg of P2 O5 – 0.82 t/ha (50% higher than in the control). When applying 90 kg of phosphorus fertilizers per hectare, a significant increase in the tillering coefficient of plants was observed. The increase in grain yield from additional phosphorus occurred due to an increase in the weight of the wheat ear. So on soil 2, the weight of the ear in the P60 and P90 variants was 23 and 36% higher, respectively, than in the control. Data on the dynamics of the content of mobile phosphorus in the soil made it possible to preliminary assess the objectivity of the three studied chemical methods for diagnosing the conditions of phosphorus nutrition. The inadequacy of the standard Chirikov me-thod for the purposes of soil diagnostics on leached chernozem of the Novosibirsk Ob region has been confirmed. The actual supply of grain crops with phosphorus was reflected by chemical methods of soil analysis according to Karpinsky-Zamyatina and Nikolov. 

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is one of the most important food crops in the world. World potato market requires new varieties that meet the needs of a growing population and food industry. In this regard, genetic resource assessment for identifying new potato varieties and hybrids using effective and reliable methods is required. SSR markers are currently widely used for genotyping potato breeding material. They are chosen due to their high allelic diversity, reproducibility, and availability. In this article the advantages of using SSR markers and the experience of using various sets of SSR markers to assess the diversity of potato genetic collections in the Russian Federation are discussed. Information on the SSR markers most frequently used in potato genotyping is also presented. These markers are mainly included in the Potato genetic identity kit (PGI) developed in 2006 and widely used in many studies. It has been shown that the kits for assessing the diversity of Russian potato varieties include from 8 to 14 SSR markers. Their use allows getting unique profiles for each variety, whereas matching markers allow comparing the results from different laboratories. All SSR markers used to assess the genetic diversity of world potato collections were identified in the early 90s and published in several research works. Currently, due to the availability of complete potato genome sequences data, a search for new SSR markers is possible. However, such markers are still not widely used for genotyping, as they require validation. 

The results of the tests of parental lines of corn hybrids to determine the optimal schemes of placement and plant density are presented. The research was conducted in the forest-steppe zone of the Voronezh region in 2022–2023. The parental lines of the early maturing corn hybrids Voronezhsky 130 MV, Voronezhsky 135 SV, Voronezhsky 145 MV, Voronezhsky 150 SV, Voronezhsky 171 SV, Voronezhsky 182 MV served as the objects of experiments. Agronomic measures were in line with generally accepted norms for the zone. The results of analysis of variance showed that year conditions, genotype, placement pattern and stand density influenced the yield of the female parent components (p = 0.001). Grain moisture at harvest was determined by the same experimental factors, with environmental conditions affecting the values only for the second sowing date group (p = 0.001), while no significant effect of ratios was observed. Thickening of crops to 70,000 plants/ha led to an increase in the yield (0.36–0.75 t/ha) and grain moisture at harvest (0.3–1.2%) compared to the plant density of 50,000 plants/ha. The placement pattern 6 : 2 increased female parent components performance (0.44–0.66 t/ha) unlike the scheme 4 : 2. The combined effect of the parameters identified during the study was determined to be optimal for the parental components of the hybrids and recommended for use in commercial seed production.

Intact rowan seeds are characterized by deep physiological dormancy due to the physiological mechanism of germination inhibition, which is regulated by the balance of phytohormones. The depth of dormancy depends on individual characteristics, pollinator plant, storage conditions and other factors. Long cold stratification at low positive temperatures is necessary to overcome dormancy. Combination of such stratification with treatment with exogenous phytoregulators (kinetin, gibberellic acid) allows reducing the duration of pre-sowing treatment, but does not eliminate the diversity of seeds by this indicator. When experimenting with seeds in the laboratory, in addition to stimulating germination, methods of retarding germination must be employed to fine-tune it. It was revealed that ethyl alcohol is an effective regulator of Siberian mountain ash (Sorbus sibirica Hedl.) seed germination. Ethanol is a natural metabolite of plants and is involved in the regulation of ethylene signaling pathways, and can compete for hydrogen bonding sites on the surface of lipids and proteins. Fully matured seeds collected in October, stored at room temperature for 150 days, were used for the experiment. The seeds were stratified at 1-4 °C in Petri dishes. The effect of ethanol at concentrations of 1–10% in 1% increments was investigated. A pronounced inhibitory effect of ethyl alcohol on the germination of Siberian mountain ash seeds at concentrations above 2% was revealed. When the seeds were cold stratified (3 ºC) on a substrate containing 5% ethanol, complete inhibition of germination was observed after 150 days of stratification compared to the control, where about 50% of the seeds germinated; about 20% of the seeds germinated at a concentration of 2%. The seeds remained viable and after increasing the duration of stratification to 200 days on substrate containing 5% alcohol germination was 21%, and it was 43% compared to the control where 65% of the seeds germinated containing 2%. Seed treatment with ethanol can be used as an alternative economical technique to regulate germination of Siberian mountain ash seeds. 

Barley net blotch is an economically significant disease of global importance that leads to 10–40% yield loss. The pathogen, Pyrenophora teres, is a pathogen with a high risk of developing multiple resistance to several chemical fungicides at once. Therefore, the development of the methods of biological control of this pathogen is an urgent task. The antagonistic and protective effect of Bacillus velezensis strains BZR 336 g, BZR 517 and Pseudomonas chlororaphis BZR 245 F on two winter barley varieties with different resistance to the net blotch pathogen was investigated. It was found that the strains reduced the growth of P. teres mycelium by an average of 70%, while the pathogen mycelium had various signs of degradation at the microscopic level – deformation, twisting, "vacuolisation". Application of the strains on two varieties of barley for treatment of plants before sowing and during vegetation provided on average suppression of infection penetration into plant tissue by 38.4% and reduction of the development of already penetrated pathogen in plant tissue by 23.2%. When treating only vegetative plants, these values were lower by 3–37%. The susceptible variety Romance showed more effective suppression of infection penetration into plant tissues than suppression of infection spread in already infected plants. The opposite was true on the resistant variety Iosif. The obtained data allow us to conclude that biological methods of controlling barley net blotch have the potential of efficiency and reduce the development of P. teres. The application of biological control of plant diseases will contribute to the production of environmentally safe products in conjunction with the reduction of pesticide pressure on agrocenoses. For a more objective assessment, it is necessary to conduct field studies to evaluate the protective potential of strains on the natural infection background under changing environmental conditions. 

Detoxification of salts of heavy metals at rational introduction of adsorbents in combination with a number of biologically active additives in the formulation of mixed fodders of meat poultry first of all with vitamins and antioxidants has been studied. At cultivation of broiler chickens in conditions of technogenic zone for increase of their meat productivity, nutritional value and ecological safety of meat in composition of mixed fodders of wheat-corn-rapeseed type with increased level of salts of heavy metals the adsorbent Evosorb in a dose of 1000 g/t and vitamin C in a dose of 500 g/t of feed should be jointly introduced. The research and production experiment was conducted in 2024 according to the generally accepted methodology. Four experimental groups of 100-day-old chickens of “Ross-308” cross in each group were formed for the research. Broilers of the 4th experimental group had the best slaughter performance, exceeding the control in terms of semieviscerated carcass weight by 10.29% (p < 0.05), eviscerated carcass weight by 10.35% (p < 0.05) and slaughter yield by 0.67% (p < 0.05). There was a significant (p < 0.05) increase in dry matter in the femoral and pectoral muscles of poultry by 1.08 and 1.12% and protein by 1.10 and 1.08% in broilers of the 4th experimental group against the control, accompanied by a decrease in fat by 0.54% (p < 0.05) and 0.55% (p < 0.05). Meat of broilers of the 4th experimental group was characterized by the highest biological value of protein, which surpassed the value of protein-quality index of pectoral muscle of the control by 15.48% (p < 0.05). Due to the joint feeding of the adsorbent and vitamin C compared to the control in the samples of the femoral and pectoral muscles of poultry the content of zinc was significantly (p < 0.05) lower by 3.06 and 3.46 times, lead by 3.12 and 3.18 times and cadmium by 3.07 and 3.18 times. There were no exceedances of the maximum permissible concentrations of these elements in the meat of broilers of the 4th experimental group in any case. 

The bovine leukosis virus (BLV) causes a disease that results in reduced quality of life for animals and economic losses for businesses. The prevalence of BLV is high both globally and in the Russian Federation. Therefore, the question of the methods of controlling this disease, including for the formation of a healthy herd, becomes relevant. The purpose of the study is to form a herd of cattle free from BLV infection on the example of the work of a farm in the Novosibirsk region. Cattle blood samples were collected in a total of 434 samples from the calves not more than 3 months of age from March to August 2023. The phenol-chloroform method was used to isolate total DNA from peripheral blood of cattle. A commercial test system RealBest-Vet DNA of cattle leukosis virus V-5441 (VectorBest, Russian Federation) and a self-developed test system were used for PCR-diagnostics of the samples for the presence of BLV. A portion of the positive samples were sequenced by Sanger sequencing using the commercial BigDye Terminator v3.1 kit. Out of 434 samples, 44 samples were positive for the presence of BLV. For the first 15 samples out of 44, amplification of the env BLV gene fragment was performed followed by sequencing: 11 virus samples belonged to genotype 4, 4 samples belonged to genotype 7. Based on the obtained veterinary epidemiological data, a set of measures aimed at formation of a healthy herd was started: improvement of qualification of the enterprise employees, timely and qualitative diagnostics of animals, isolation, tagging and transfer of calves with negative test results to the base of healthy animals, repeated blood sampling in 3–6 months to confirm the results of the previous testing. The farm has adopted a plan of stage-by-stage modernization, including creation of conditions for separate housing of cattle tested for leukosis; a set of requirements for the work of personnel, rules of disinfection and the use of tools, etc. have been developed. 

The effect of biological preparations based on bacteria of the genus Bacillus on productivity and nutritive value of pea and oat mixture was studied. In the course of the experiment, the effect of the preparations containing live strains of microorganisms Bacillus subtilis and B. megaterium was investigated. The studies were conducted in the Vologda region in 2020 and 2023. The silage experiment was carried out under laboratory conditions. The results showed that the use of the above-mentioned preparations resulted in a slight increase in the productivity of pea-oat mixture in microplot field experiments of 2020 and 2023. The maximum difference was observed in 2023 using the preparation containing B. subtilis. Application of the biological preparations under consideration leads to improvement of the nutritive value of pea-oat mixture green mass up to 12% depending on the specific indicator. Analysis of the nutritive value of the obtained silage from green mass confirms the positive effect of biopreparations on the content of feed units in dry matter (increase by 4–20%) and exchangeable energy (increase by 3–14%). Silage produced from the grass mixture of experimental variants in the laboratory experiment was characterized by lower values of pH and butyric acid content, while an increase in lactic acid concentration was noted. Higher productivity and nutritive value of green mass were achieved in the experiments with the use of preparation with B. subtilis, while the best results in terms of physical and chemical parameters and nutritive value of harvested forage were observed in the variant with treatment with the preparation based on B. megaterium. According to the standard GOST R 55986-2014, the quality of silage, the grass mass of which was exposed to the action of bacteria of the genus Bacillus, was generally superior to the control in terms of forage grade. 

Simmental cows are adapted to the mountainous terrain and have high cheesemaking ability of milk, which is especially important for the cheese-making zone. To improve milk productivity and udder shape of local Simmental cows, bulls of Austrian and German selection are used in breeding. Studies on genetic traits, cheesemaking ability and lipid metabolism of local Simmentals and improved Austrian and German bulls are presented. It was found that the use of imported producers did not lead to changes in the genotype and allele frequencies of CSN3, LEP, SCD, OLR1, genes and population genetic parameters. Herd homozygosity (SH) ranged from 6.83–8.15%, number of effective alleles (Naj) was 1.59–1.69, coefficient of variability (V) was 37.9–41.7%, and information polymorphism (PIC) value was 0.37–0.41. Genetic balance in the herds was not disturbed, χ2 was 0,060–0,825. However, it was noted that the cheesemaking ability of milk from cows descended from Austrian and German bulls was slightly lower than that of local Simmentals. The coagulation and gelation rates of milk from local Simmental cows were higher by 4.81 and 3.13 min compared to the Simmentals improved by the bulls of Austrian and German selection. Stall-pasture housing of cows with a long period on pasture strengthens the immunity of cows and ensures normal digestion. The content of cholesterol and lipoproteins corresponded to reference values and was within the following limits: total cholesterol – 5.02–5.51; triglycerides – 0.24–0.46; high-density lipoproteins – 3.85–3.80; low-density lipoproteins – 1.05–1.49; very low-density lipoproteins – 0.11–0.21; atherogenicity coefficient – 0.32– 0.44. Further research will focus on identifying cows with desirable genotypes related to milk productivity, milk quality parameters (fat, protein), cheesemaking ability and lipid metabolism monitoring. 

The content of trace elements in soil, water and fodder was analyzed in the sheep breeding area in Kuzbass. The content of heavy metals in the obtained samples did not exceed MAC. Concentrations of lead, cadmium, copper and zinc were determined using atomic emission and atomic absorption spectrometry methods. A total of 125 organ and tissue samples were taken from the animals after slaughter at 7-8 months of age. The research materials were processed using Microsoft Office Excel, RStudio version 2022.07+S76 programs. Selectivity in the accumulation of essential elements in organs and tissues was revealed. The highest level of copper was in liver (5.38 mg/kg) and zinc in wool (77.5 mg/kg). A successively decreasing series of organs and tissues in terms of copper content is presented in the form of liver > kidneys > heart = muscle = wool. The ranked series for zinc concentration differed significantly: wool > liver > muscle > heart > kidney. Phenotypic variability in copper content was higher in liver and zinc in wool. In dendrograms, clusters were distinguished by the similarity of copper and zinc content in organs and tissues. In the dendrogram, two clusters were identified by similarity of copper concentration and three clusters by zinc concentration, which separately included wool, kidney and heart, muscle and liver. The highest integrated accumulation ratios of heavy metals were in liver and wool. Correlations for heavy metal levels varied within limits between individual organs and tissues, both in magnitude and direction. 

One of the complex problems facing veterinary science and practice is the control of associated respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases of young cattle. Improvement of the system of measures to reduce morbidity involves, among other things, the development and use of new therapeutic and prophylactic drugs. Trametin Plus, created on the basis of a modified biologically active substance obtained by liquid-phase fermentation of the xylotroph fungus Trametes pubescens (Shumach. Fr.) Pilat (strain 0663), can be used as such a preparation. The development of new drugs requires careful toxicological and biological substantiation of safety of their use both in veterinary medicine and in medicine according to the criteria of general toxic effect, remote and specific consequences. As a result of the conducted studies, it was revealed that according to the parameter of the average lethal dose (DL50) the tested drug at intragastric route of intake is characterized as a substance with low danger of acute toxicity and belongs to the V class of danger (DL50 > 2000 mg/kg). The magnitudes of the average lethal doses indicate that there are no differences in the sex sensitivity of the animals to this drug. During the study of cumulative properties in the subchronic toxicity test, no cases of animal death and signs of intoxication in white rats were observed, the cumulation coefficient could not be determined, which allows us to attribute the investigated veterinary drug to the group of substances that do not have cumulative properties. When evaluating the sensitizing properties of the drug by intradermal sensitization of guinea pigs, it was shown that Trametin Plus has weakly expressed allergenic properties. The study concluded that the studied drug is non-toxic and safe and can be used for further veterinary studies on farm animals. 

The article presents the results of scientific research to determine the influence of complex phytobiotic feed additive in the composition of complete mixed fodders on zootechnical indicators of meat quails. The paper presents the results of a scientific study on the effect of a complex phytobiotic feed additive in complete feed on the zootechnical performance of growing meat quails. The studied complex phytobiotic feed additive consists of turkey fat, pumpkin paste, celery paste, cereal sprouts and perlite. The experiment was conducted according to the standard methodology in the vivarium of the Krasnodar Research Centre for Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine on young quails of the Texas White breed. In the process of the study, three groups were formed from day-old chicks by the pair-analogy method. For the first 10 days all birds received the same feed without additives. From the 11th to the 42nd day, the representatives of the control group received complete mixed fodder without any supplement, the diet for the 1st experimental group included 4.0% CPhFA, the 2nd – 6.0%. The obtained results indicate that the inclusion of the studied complex phytobiotic feed additive in the diets for young quails contributes to the increase in live weight of birds: by 2.0% – according to the 1st experimental group, by 0.7% – according to the 2nd group. Poultry of the experimental groups consumed 14.6% less feed during the experiment compared to the control index (807.0 g/head). At the same time, feed costs per 1 kg of live weight gain in the 1st and 2nd experimental groups decreased by 16.9 and 15.3%, respectively, relative to the control. The analysis of economic efficiency indicates a decrease in the cost of production in the experimental groups by 7.3 and 6.0% compared to the control. It was found that feeding meat quails with 4.0 and 6.0% by feed weight of the studied complex phytobiotic feed additive increased profitability by 8.6 and 6.9%, respectively, relative to the control. 

The bactericidal activity of Siberian fir essential oil (Abies sibirica) was studied by aerosol method. Siberian fir essential oil was dissolved in 96° ethyl alcohol with addition of 0.01 % aqueous solution of DMSO, TWIN-80 and distilled water. The concentration of essential oil in the solution was 0.045 g/cm3 . Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli which were isolated from pathological material of respiratory tract of turkeys and possessing high resistance to antibacterial drugs were used as test cultures. S. aureus and E.coli test cultures were sprayed inside a sterile test chamber with a volume of 0.62 m3 creating concentration in the air of (6,2 ± 0,06) × 104 CFU/m3 and (4,6 ± 0,02) × 104 respectively. A fan with a capacity of 25 m3 per hour was used for prevention of rapid settling of microorganisms inside the chamber. After that 4 cm3 of the solution of Siberian fir essential oil was sprayed using the spraying equipment. During the experiment, control of the air contamination inside the test chamber was carried out by the sedimentation method. Sampling was carried out before con tamination by the test cultures, immediately after spraying the microbial suspensions, 30, 60, 90, 120 minutes and 24 hours after spraying the solution of Siberian fir essential oil. The seeds were cultured in a thermostat at the temperature of of 37,0 °C. The test results were recorded after 24 hours. The calculation of air contamination by bacteria per 1 m3 was carried out by the Omelyansky method. The results of the studies showed that the concentration of Staphylococcus aureus in the air environment of the test chamber decreased 31 times in 30 min after atomization of fir essential oil aerosol, 103 times in 60 min, 147 times in 90 min, and 248 times in 120 min. Also, aerosolized application of fir oil reduced the concentration of Escherichia coli in the air environment 5.3–fold after 30 min, 16.4–fold after 60 min, 82.1–fold after 90 min, and 242.1–fold after 120 min. It was noted that with increasing exposure time, the number of the test microorganisms in the air environment of the test chamber decreased. 

Beef cattle breeding in the Novosibirsk region is currently represented by four pedigree breeding units in which Hereford and Aberdeen-Angus cattle are bred. The article analyzes the state of the herd over four years on the basis of a comprehensive assessment (evaluation) of the Hereford breed at the pedigree breeding unit in the Novosibirsk region. Indicators such as the age and class composition of the herd, live weight, growth and development, and the calving interval of different age-sex groups were analyzed. It has been established that during the period under consideration, the animals meet the requirements for breeding livestock by all indicators. During the study period, the number of the breeding stock increased 2.6 times, the age of cows is 4–5 years on average. The live weight of the first heifers according to the results of the last evaluation is 504 kg, it became possible to obtain heavier cows through the use of stud bulls of new related groups. The milking capacity of cows at 205 days increased from 198 to 209 kg. Targeted work with young animals made it possible to inseminate heifers at 15 months with a live weight of 352 kg. The farm annually sells bulls and heifers to other farms in the Novosibirsk region. During the reporting period, 15 heads of bulls were sold: elite-record and elite, first class – 5 heads and heifers – 13 heads – elite-record and elite, first class – 6 heads. Selective breeding work in the herd is aimed at obtaining tall, elongated animals with high growth energy, which in the future will make it possible to obtain a new highly competitive type of Hereford cattle.