The study was conducted in the agricultural belt of West Siberian plain. It has been found that a system of agrolandscape resource potential assessment consists of several basic stages: assessments of agrolandscape bio-productivity and man impact levels, detection of soil sustainability factors, and development of the visualization system using GIS technologies. Parameters of the resource potential of the three agrolandscape types - placor, erosion and solonetz - were studied by way of example of Novosibirsk Region. The extent of arable areas, proportion of perennial grasses in the structure of sown areas, rate of change in certain soil properties resulting from the intensive use of soils in the agricultural production were studied. It has been found that the proportion of cultivated lands in the northern and central forest-steppe agrolandscape areas (placor and erosion lands) is excessive, and makes up 63.8 and 64.3%, respectively; in the Baraba southern forest-steppe and Karasuk northern forest-steppe areas (solonetz lands), it is allowable, 42.2 and 46.2%, and optimal in the southern taiga forest (wetlands) and Baraba central forest-steppe areas (solonetz lands) of 35.4 and 29.4%, respectively. The proportion of perennial grasses in the structure of sown areas in the all agrolandscape areas is insufficient, 12.6-22.6%. The certain properties of soils in placor agrolandscapes significantly changed for the last 50 years of being used as arable lands: the humus content in leached chernozem soils and total absorbed bases decreased, the depth of humus horizon in arable land of erosion agrolandscapes decreased by 36%, and soil density increased by 10.5%. The resource potential of placor agrolandscapes is realized in tillage by 60-70%, in natural grasslands by 10-15%, the potential of solonetz agrolandscapes by 50-60 and 16-20%, respectively. There is suggested a method for visualization of the resource potential of agrolandscapes in the form of a package of electronic maps by using MapInfoProfessional graphics program.

There was studied the efficiency of Stellar herbicide in sowing grain maize, tolerance for it, and aftereffect to buckwheat and soybean. Experiments were carried out in Primorsky Territory in 2014 and 2015 against two backgrounds: weedy, and hand weeding during the growing season. It was shown that Stellar herbicide at consumption rates of 1.5 and 2.0 liters per hectare reduced weed infestation of the maize sowings by 64-68% and buildup of weed tops by 90%. This made it possible to yield 5.08-5.70 tonnes of maize grain per hectare (10.4 t/ha in the control). Hand weeding against the background of herbicide applied earlier allowed eliminating a negative impact of remained weeds. It was found that Stellar herbicide had a growth-promoting impact on the maize plants, when used at consumption rates of 1.5 and 2.0 liters per hectare, and inhibited the growth and development of plants at 3.0 liters per ha (twice as big as recommended dose). The tolerance indices were 1.04 and 0.98, respectively. This gives reason to think that the crop is not tolerant to Stellar herbicide at a consumption rate of 3 liters per ha. When sown buckwheat and soybean in the experimental plot treated with Stellar herbicide next year, aftereffects for plants and yields of these crops were not observed. The soybean seed yield made up 1.81-1.86 tonnes per hectare that was at a level of the control (1.84 t/ha), and the green mass yield of buckwheat 5.64-5.86 t/ha that was 0.32-0.54 t/ha more than in the herbicide-free variant (5.32 t/ha).

The use of road vehicles for cargo transportation under conditions of Siberia was analyzed. The main problems associated with the operation of vehicles in cold weather were revealed. A study was carried out in January 2015 under conditions of Novosibirsk Region. Two experimental setups were made. The first setup was a truck KAMAZ equipped with a complex of measurement instrumentation to record temperature changes in hydraulic fluid during different modes of operation. The second setup allowed simulating the process of functioning of the hydraulic shock absorber under operating conditions. It has been determined that when a vehicle is moving at negative ambient temperatures, a slight increase in the temperature of the shock absorbers takes place. When the ambient temperature decreases, and the vehicle’s speed increases from 20 to 60 km/h, the shock absorber is cooled down to the ambient temperature. When the ambient temperature reaches -27°C, the further vehicle’s operation is impossible because the rebound and compression damping forces increases almost 4 times at temperatures from -20 to -30 °C. The dumping force for rebound in this case exceeds 4022 N, for compression 1226 N, which are the maximum values permitted by manufacturer for the standard design of this type of shock absorbers. The range of temperatures, at which these hydraulic shock absorbers can be used, has been determined. At higher operating temperatures of up to -20 °C and -10 °C, the dumping force for rebound (3000 N) and for compression (800 N) are within the normative values that indicates their normal performance at low temperatures (-20 °C and above).

There is grounded a need to determine physical-mechanical properties of berries when harvested: tearaway force, crushing force, tensile strength of the berry skin, and relative skin strength factor. The tensile strength of the berry skin can not be determined by the existing instruments because the contact area between the plunger and the skin surface is unknown in this case. At the moment of tearing away and crushing of a berry, the force measured sharply decreases and unloads the device for berry capture and crushing, which makes free oscillations due to its elastic properties and weight, and creates parasitic forces perceived by the sensor. A special force-measuring stand was developed to determine features of measuring mechanical properties of berries. There is given the method for studying the crushing force and tensile strength of the berry skin depending on the diameter and the contact area between the plunger and the skin surface. The dependences between the crushing force and tensile strength of the berry skin and the diameter and the area of crushing plunger were obtained from berries of Altaiskaya cultivar of sea buckthorn and Zdorovye cultivar of black currant that were ripe and uniform in their sizes. The dependences are well approximated by linear, polynomial and power functions that allow determining the tensile strength of the berry skin when the contact area between the plunger and the berry is unknown. The research results obtained by means of the force-measuring stand were used for developing a pilot microprocessor-based device PLODTEST-2 to measure tearaway force, crushing force, tensile strength of the berry skin, and relative skin strength factor. The tests of the device in a force measurement range from 0.10 to 6.00 N have shown the high accuracy of measurement. The limits of the systematic component and the mean square deviation of the random component of the main absolute error in force measurements are ±0.008 and ±0.009 N, respectively.

There are considered the matters of stabilizing fluid consumption under low (down to 0.025 MPa) pressures in the system when applied growth-regulating preparations simultaneously with sowing. A low pressure regulator included in the hydraulic fluid dispensing system allows receiving excess pressure above fluid in the closed tank. This increases the performance of the metering device, and the mounting of fluid consumption stabilizer at the supply tap provides stabilization of fluid flow over time. Results are given from investigations into the distribution of liquid growth regulators in the space under the hoe of seeding unit; basic dependences of their distribution using deflecting elements are presented. The distribution of hydraulic fluid of growth regulators is determined by limited geometrical sizes of seeding unit. Experiments with the purpose of confirmation of theoretically grounded findings were carried out using a specially developed pilot plant with a device for determining spray angle of hydraulic fluid. Results from the evaluation of spraying quality have shown that the discrepancy between theoretical and experimental values of the spray angle makes up from 2.3 to 6.7% at different heads of water. The suggested technical solution for spraying hydraulic fluids of bacterial preparations in the space under the hoe of seeding unit provides high-quality distribution along the entire crop sowing strip.

In producing semi-finished products in the form of filling for dough pieces, quality of finished produce depends on not only formula and raw material but also a technology for their forming. The technology maximally close to home conditions is considered to be most promising. The development and operation of a supercharger for filling dumplings with minced meat in a dumpling apparatus requires an improvement to re-adjust it for a wide range of products. The main problem of these superchargers is the buildups of fat on the walls of the minced meat pipeline resulting in a reduction in the flow section, followed by irregular feeding of minced meat to the forming area as well as heating and grinding of the product. There is suggested and substantiated the device to eliminate this problem due to heating the wall of the minced meat pipeline and maintaining its temperature as well as using a pin tooth, which has a lesser flow resistance as compared with analog apparatuses. Results of experimental and production tests are given. There were determined theoretical dependences of rheological properties of minced meat on its temperature in the range of 2 to 40°C, with increasing of which shear stresses, adhesion, toughness decrease. The optimum temperature of wall heating was found to be 26°C, at which the temperature of minced meat at the output does not exceed the maximum allowable value of 12 °C. The introduction of the minced meat supply system allows reducing the buildups of fat resulting in the production of uniform products. The deviation of weight from the preset value in finished products made up ± 1 g.

Results are given from studies on quality of soil tilled by hoes of different sizes, from 130 to 410 mm. Experiments were carried out in Novosibirsk Region. It has been found that the hoe’s size does not influence quality of soil crumbling during tillage. When soil with moisture content of 15 to 20 % is tilled by hoes of 260, 370 and 410 mm in size, the amount of soil aggregates larger than 50 mm decreases, and the amount of soil aggregates lesser than 10 mm increases with increasing the unit’s operating speed from 1.78 to 2.94 m/c. When topsoil moisture decreases down to 5-10% with formation of soil crust, the amount of aggregates larger than 50 mm increases. . As the soil moisture decreases, a tendency towards an increase in the amount of aggregates larger than 50 mm and a reduction in the amount of aggregates lesser than 10 mm has been observed. With soil crust formed, the amount of aggregates larger than 50 mm rises dramatically as the speed of the plowing unit increases. The size of soil aggregates is significantly impacted by rollers. There were carried out comparative tests between cultivators Leader-4 with hoe of 410 cm in size equipped with ring rollers of 500 mm in diameter, and KSO-3 with hoe of 130 mm in size equipped with double bar rollers of 300 mm in diameter. It has been found that ring rollers crush soil aggregates better than bar rollers do. The amount of aggregates larger than 50 mm provided by cultivator KSO-3 is 30% more than that by Leader-4.

Results are given from studies on polymorphisms in the milk protein genes CSN3 and BLG in a Simmental herd and their changes as influenced by the crossing of Simmental with Holstein. Investigations were carried out on two herds in the JSC Ivanovskoe: first herd was represented by uneven-aged purebred Simmental cows, second was formed from first-calf cows obtained from the crossing of Simmentals with Red-and-White Holstein bulls. The frequency of the CSN3 BB genotype desirable from the point of view of the fitness of milk for cheese making decreased in the cows of the second group by 6% and the frequency of the BLG BB genotype by 11.7% as compared with the Simmental cows. Studies on associative connections between the genotypes of these genes and production traits have shown that purebred Simmental cows having the BB genotype are with age tended to produce increased milk yields as compared with alternative genotypes, especially with the AA genotype. The difference in milk yield between them made up 96.6 kg for first lactation, 166 kg for third, 301.2 kg for forth and later. No correlation between genotypes and economic characters was found in the second group. The k-casein BB genotype influenced the fitness of milk for cheese making. Milk of the cows with this gene is characterized by better coagulation, which is 1.88 minutes higher as compared with the AA genotype of this gene. The milk clot density was highest in the BB-genotype cows; the quantity of separated liquid in them was 0.78 ml higher than that in the AA-genotype cows. No associative connections between the в-lactoglobulin genotypes and cheese-making qualities of milk were revealed. Thermostability in milk was high; milk had no significant differences as to the alcohol test.

There was determined the blood-group characteristic of Tuvinian rough-wool short-fat-tailed sheep and Tuvinian rough-wool goats raised under conditions of the Republic of Tuva. The work was done in 2013-2015. The examined animals developed by the method of people’s breeding possess high livability and adaptability to severe conditions of sharply continental climate to live in. To improve native breeds, maintain their preservation and further rational use, their genetic structure including allelic status of their genes was studied. The method of immunogenetic analysis has been used due to its availability, wide polymorphism, and relatively easy definition of blood group antigens. The conducted comparative analysis of immunogenetic blood parameters in Tuvinian rough-wool short-fat-tailed sheep and Tuvinian rough-wool goats has revealed specific distinctions. In relation to goats, sheep were observed to have higher frequency of occurrence of antigens Aa, Bd, Be, Rr (p < 0.001), Ca, Da (p < 0.01), and Bg (p < 0.05). There was observed the very low frequency of occurrence of antigen Oo in sheep, which made up 0.20 ± 0.089 (p < 0.001). The antigen Ab was not revealed in goats. No significant distinctions in the frequencies of the other antigens between sheep and goats have been found. Tuvinian rough-wool short-fat-tailed sheep and Tuvinian rough-wool goats kept on pasture all year round have their own gene pool, as evidenced by the genetic similarity parameter, which is calculated by the frequency of occurrence of blood antigens, 0.5596 ± 0.133.

Results are given from investigations into the biochemical composition of milk in grunting cows and cows of Tuvinian population. Experiments were carried out in the Tuvinian highlands in 2010-2015. There were formed two groups of animals: grunting cows and cows, which were under the same keeping and feeding conditions. Biochemical analyses were carried out in a laboratory. Contents of macro and trace elements were determined by the method of atomic absorption: amino acids by amino acid analyzer, vitamins by the method of infrared spectroscopy. It has been found that milk of grunting cows is characterized by higher nutritive value and biological activity. As compared with cow’s milk, it contains more fat, protein and vitamin E by 3.1%, 1.7%, and 1.53 mg/l, respectively. A distinction in the amino acid composition in favor of grunting cows has been found. Essential amino acids played a special role in this regard: as compared with cow’s milk, milk of grunting cows was 0.13% higher in lysine, 0.08% in phenylalanine, and 0.11% in valine. The mineral composition of milk of grunting cows was different from that of cow’s milk, too: the contents of calcium and zinc were 0.13% and 1.75 mg/kg higher, respectively. With that, milk of grunting cows yielded to cow’s milk in the contents of vitamins B6 and B12 by 0.36 mg/l and 0.9 micrograms/l; glutamine was 1.1 times lesser, iron and manganese by 1.73 and 1.21 micrograms per kg, respectively.

There is given the assessment of physiological response of the domestic yak’s organism and adaptive qualities of grunting cows at 3 years of age weighing 200 kg, which were imported from East Sayan highlands to the forest-steppe area of the Republic of Buryatia. Experiments were carried out during 30 summer (July) days. The animals of the experimental groups were kept on pasture under different climatic conditions: first group in a cool and damp climate, and second in a warm and damp climate. The control group was reference. It was found that rates of pulse and breathing, rectal temperature, the amount of water intake were significantly higher in warm and damp conditions. All changes are regarded as a compensatory phenomenon to save the thermal equilibrium of the body. A comparison of breathing rates in the experimental animals showed that a warm, damp weather resulted in the double enhancement of respiration (second experimental group), and the rate was within the normal range in a cool, dump weather (first group). The enhancement of the heart rate and rectal temperature in the second experimental group were more significant than those in the first group. These changes indicated adaptive possibilities of East Sayan domestic yak by transforming the metabolism and regulation of hematopoiesis. The effectiveness of the experimental data provides a scientific justification for seasonal movements of yaks for the summer to pastures with favorable ambient temperature and air mobility, the presence of mountainous springs and the absence of blood-sucking insects.

The effectiveness of feed additives based on organic acids and their salts in reducing bacterial contamination of combined feed for poultry was assessed. The subjects of the study were five samples of commercial feed additives. The study involved a sample of feed for broiler chickens containing the feed additives studied in concentrations according to manufacturer’s instructions. Two samples, with PFA in a concentration of 300 g per tonne of feed and without additives, were a reference. A sample for the study was PK-3 feed characterized by the high metabolizable energy level and fat content. To assess the effectiveness of feed additives were used data obtained from the analysis of dynamics of total bacteria count (TBC) of combined feed during its maximum storage period in a production environment. It was found, while analyzing the data of dynamics of total bacteria count (TBC) of combined feed in third and sixth days after the introduction of the feed additives tested and storing of the treated feed at the room temperature and relative humidity of 40-60%, that the bacteriostatic effect is weak and short-term, and in some cases the growth stimulating effect was observed. The TBC of combined feed in the experimental groups decreased by 1 lg and increased in sixth day in the half of the groups, whereas it remained stable in the negative control and decreased by 1.5 lg in the positive control in third day, and became sterile in sixth day. Thus, the tested feed additives based on organic acids and their salts are found to have a weak and short-term effect in reducing bacterial contamination of combined feed.

There were carried out investigations on determining the hormonal status of cows of the Irmenskiy type with the annual milk production of 8000-10000 liters per cow. During the cows’ blood serum examination for the contents of major hormones (progesterone, estradiol, cortisol) affecting the reproductive function, a hormonal imbalance in the levels of progesterone and estradiol was revealed in 100% of cows. The results obtained were significantly different from the standard values according to the literature. The levels of progesterone and estradiol did not match the dynamics of physiological delivery flow and postnatal processes that has indicated the subinvolution of the uterus and ovarian hypofunction. The estradiol levels in the blood serums examined were extremely low during both delivery and 30-day period after delivery. In 30 days, the estradiol content corresponded to the average parameters of this physiological period. The dynamics of cortisol content in the blood serum was consistent with the known physiological laws for the period. The analysis of the delivery flow pattern and postnatal period in the cows examined showed that postnatal pathologies were observed in 88.5% of cows; the average service period was 169.6 days. The findings of investigations into the estradiol content in the cows’ blood serum during the delivery and the first few days after that and the progesterone content during the 15-20-day period before delivery and 1-2 after that could be a predictor of postnatal pathologies. The diagnostic criterion of the reproductive ability is a progesterone level by 45 to 60 days after delivery.

Results are given from long-term research on collecting, studying, developing and preserving genetic resources of fodder plants in Siberia. There is shown the history of fodder crops cultivation in Siberia from the beginning of the 20th century to the present. There are presented the cultivars of fodder crops developed in Siberia and included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements Permitted for Utilization in West and East Siberian regions. Characteristics of economic traits of the new generation of cultivars are given. Based on the local and foreign variety samples of changeable alfalfa, the cultivars Tulunskaya Gibridnaya, Sibirskaya 8 and Demetra were developed by the methods of heterosis and recombination breeding. The use of local cultivars in the heterosis breeding of red clover allowed developing high-yielding, winter-hardy, late-ripening, diploid-based cultivars, such as SibNIIK-10, Rodnik Sibiri, Atlant. As a result of the combination of the mutagenesis, polyploidy, hybridization and selection methods, the early-ripening, two-cut, tetraploid-based cultivar Meteor was developed for the first time in Siberia. The green mass yield of Meteor for two cuts is up to 70 t/ha. By the method of selections from wild populations were developed the winter-hardy, drought-resistant, high-yielding Mikhailovskiy 5 and Mikhailovskiy 10 cultivars of Hungarian sainfoin, with yields of dry matter up to 10.3 t/ha and seeds up to 1.65 t/ha. By the methods of hybridization, inbreeding and selection was developed a series of 00-type spring rapeseed cultivars differing in maturity: Dubravinskiy Skorospely, SibNIIK-198, Nadezhny 92, and SibNIIK-21. The interspecific hybridization involving light-seeded species of the genus Brassica is an effective method for developing the initial material of yellow-seeded spring rapeseed. The conclusion has been drawn on the need for maintenance and expansion of the genetic resource collections of Siberia to be effectively used in breeding.

Questions of rendering additional government support to regions taking into account natural-climatic and socio-economic conditions were considered. It has been revealed that the methods proposed by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation for classifying territories as unfavorable for agriculture with the purpose of their further subsidization do not completely reflect the condition of the agricultural production. To adjust parameters, a retrospective review of research studies on territorial heterogeneity in agriculture is given, which has allowed forming a complex of factors and criteria for typing of areas. It is proposed to replace the index of the farmland location height by warmth availability of crops, to clarify criteria for social status of a territory by the indicator of wage level of agricultural workers as well as to introduce four indicators of the economic development level: profit per employee, profitability of the agricultural production, government support per agricultural enterprise, profit per ruble of government support. The typing model was developed and tested in Krasnoyarsk Territory, where three types of areas have been identified in terms of natural-climatic conditions and socio-economic development: areas with high, medium and low levels of performance. It is proposed to attract additional subsidies to the regions of the second and third types for sustained development of agricultural production. In this regard, these territories need to make changes to socio-economic development programs in order to reduce risks of farming.

An overview is given from home and foreign literature on the current methods of biological plant protection from diseases. High yield losses due to plant diseases and the need for ecologically pure products make this area of research urgent. Special emphasis is placed on Bacillus thuringiensis, about 90 subspecies of which has been identified. Almost 90 per cent of the world’s bio-insecticides are currently produced from Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. kurstaki, aizawai, israelensis strains. There are considered data on capabilities of Bacillus thuringiensis strains related to various subspecies to produce substances, which protect plants from not only phytophages but also phytopathogenic infections. There is highlighted the role of Bacillus thuringiensis in controlling plant diseases, which is bound up with the discovery of broad-spectrum antibiotics. Antibiotics of a new structure class with the high antagonistic activity against not only prokaryotes but also eukaryotes have been discovered. The effective bacteriocin concentration to stimulate the growth of plants and increase their yielding capacity is only some nanomoles that make its application economically sound. Polyfunctional properties of Bacillus thuringiensis due to a variety of substances produced by strains of different subspecies allow us to forecast the development of new microbiological preparations for plant health management. Preparations based on Bacillus thuringiensis could be an addition or alternative to chemical disease control means used in plant production.