Results are given from studies on improving old-aged disused lands in the West Siberian forest steppe, which were conducted in 2011–2014. The SibNIISKhoz 189 variety of smooth bromegrass (Bromopsis inermis (Leyss) Holub.) and Sibirskaya 8 variety of bastard alfalfa (Medicago varia Mart.) were sown. The variants of experiment were as follows: control (old-aged disused land); amelioration + drill sowing of smooth bromegrass and alfalfa; amelioration + skip-row sowing of smooth bromegrass and alfalfa; direct drilling of smooth bromegrass and alfalfa; rotary tillage without overdrilling; rotary tillage + drill sowing of smooth bromegrass and alfalfa; rotary tillage + skip-row sowing of smooth bromegrass and alfalfa. Most of leguminous plants (18.8%) were observed in the variant of ameliorating old-aged disused land + skip-row planting of smooth bromegrass and alfalfa. The proportion of motley grasses in the botanical composition of herbage on old-aged disused land decreased from 27.1 to 11.3–21.1% at different methods for sod plowing and direct drilling of perennial grasses. The variant with amelioration + skip-row sowing of smooth bromegrass and alfalfa turned out to be most productive: the yield of green mass was 5.96 t/ha, that of dry mass 1.75 t/ha. The variant with direct drilling of smooth bromegrass and alfalfa was somewhat inferior to it in productivity: the yields of green and dry mass were 4.46 and 1.29 t/ha, respectively. The amount of digestible protein per fodder unit was 119 g. The control variant of field experiment (old-aged disused land) showed productivity by 1.2–2.9 times lower as compared with the improvement techniques. Direct drilling of smooth bromegrass and alfalfa was found to be the most energy-favorable variant among techniques for ameliorating old-aged disused lands. Rotary tillage of sod without overdrilling of perennial grasses was least energy-favorable.

Results are given from research into impact of soils in micro-depressions within the agrolandscapes of the West Siberian forest steppe on their structure. The research was conducted in areas differing in agrolandscapes: areas near the Ob, Baraba central and southern forest steppe in Novosibirsk Region, subtaiga in Tomsk Region. The contrast range of textural and differentiated soils (Luvisols, Planosols and Epigleyic Phaeozems according to World Reference Base) that occupy the micro-depressions has been determined. These soils are oppositely different from background soils such as arable Greyic Phaeozems and Chernozems. The highest contrast range of micro-depression soils is observed in the central and southern forest steppe areas in Barabinsk, Novosibirsk Region. The contrast range decreases in the direction of east and north owing to increase in proportion of grey soils in the background. Most areas of soils in the micro-depressions within the territory studied are of monolithic structure, except for the Priobskoye plateau, where medium and strongly dissected areas of elongated branched shape are observed. More than 90 percent of micro-depressions have very small area of less 5 ha, and only in the south they reach medium size (more than 10 ha). The greatest part of the territory (27.1 %) is occupied by soil areas of the micro-depressions in the subtaiga agricultural zone of Tomsk Region. Agricultural landscape in question is characterized by complex inner configuration of the fields that makes tillage more complicated. The least complicated agrolandscape is the southern forest steppe. Micro-depressions here occupy only 5.6 percent of total area that defines this territory as most suitable for tillage. The regularities revealed are directly associated with changes in soil formation conditions, in particular, with enhancing climate aridization.

Results are given from assessment of 168 potato samples from the VIR collection and 6 potato hybrids, bred under local conditions, to be grown in the northern forest steppe of Kemerovo Region. Studies were carried out in a laboratory environment (in vitro culture) and under field conditions (collection and minituber nurseries). Resistance of potato samples to diseases was diagnosed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Resulted from the assessment of potato samples in the collection nursery, the following high-yielding potato genotypes have been distinguished, which have complex field resistance to fungoid diseases (late blight, Alternaria blight, Fusarium wilt, Rhizoctonia rot) and viruses: Lazurit, Rogneda, Kemerovchanin, Sudarynya, Russkaya Krasavitsa, Natasha, Bryanskiy Yubileiny, 99–1–3, 117–2. The varieties and hybrids Galaktika, Sudarynya, Bryanskiy Delikates, Ilyinskiy, Rodnik, Mangust and 1–5–12 were found to have a complex of genes resistant to potato virus Y (PVY), golden and pale cyst nematodes of potato. As to a complex of morphometric parameters (height of the plant, number of the internodes, weight of the leaves and stems, length and weight of the roots), Tuleyevskiy cultivar of potato preserved in vitro has been distinguished. In the mini-tuber nursery, high yields were observed in Tanai and Kemerovchanin cultivars, which formed the maximum weights of tubers per plant of 1234 and 1537 g, respectively, owing to big tubers weighing 178.8 and 185.0 g. These cultivars are characterized by the most intensive pubescence of the leaves that indicates high resistance of plants to unfavorable environmental factors.

Results are given from studies on evaluating 17 early-ripening and medium-early varieties and lines of spring common wheat under conditions of the Novosibirsk forest steppe. The studies were carried out in 2010, 2011 and 2014. Insufficient warmth (1164oC) was observed in 2010; 2011 and 2014 were optimal as to the effective temperature sum (1451.5 and 1736oC, respectively). There were precipitation deficits during all the years of experiments; the least amount of precipitation of 126.9 mm was observed in 2010. The evaluation of baking and technological properties of grain indicates its relatively high quality in earlyripening and medium-early varieties and lines of spring common wheat studied when sown after different predecessors (fallow and grain crops). It has been found that higher quality traits of grain are formed when wheat is sown after fallow as compared with cereal predecessors. The gluten content in the varieties studied sown after fallow was 32.43–43.13%, protein content 16.0–20.75%. The varieties Novosibirskaya 15, Prilenskaya 19, Irgina, Novosibirskaya 29 and Novosibirskaya 31 were remarkable for their gluten contents. Novosibirskaya 15, Polyushko and Novosibirskaya 29 sown after fallow were found to possess the best bread-making characteristics. The bread-making qualities of the line Chernyava 13 × Fora and variety Prilenskaya 19 sown after non-fallow predecessor have decreased as compared with fallow. The minimum gluten (25.87%) and protein (14.54%) contents were observed in Novosibirskaya 22 after cereal predecessor. The sample Tuymaad sown after cereal predecessor showed a noticeable decrease in the thousand-kernel weight (30.87 g) and grain-unit (749 g/l) as compared with fallow, while flour strength of 209 BU became higher. A decrease in technological properties of grain in the variety Angara 86 sown after cereal predecessor was observed. As to a complex of baking and technological traits studied, early-ripening varieties Novosibirskaya 15, Pamyati Vavenkova and Iren as well as medium-early variety Novosibirskaya 31 were remarkable among other varieties and lines after both predecessors.

Biometrics and chemical parameters of Ussurian pear fruits cultivated under conditions of the West Siberian forest steppe were investigated. The fruits were harvested at the optimum stage of maturity, evenly from the upper, medium and bottom branches of the trees, from all sides of the crown with respect to cardinal directions. The rounded and oval shapes of fruits prevailed. Color of fruits varied from bright yellow to yellow with reddish patches and dirty-green with yellowish tint. The fruits have an expressed smell, firm skin and rough pulp. The taste is tart, sough-sweet. The average length and diameter of the fruit were 3.4 ± 0.1 cm and 3.7 ± 0.1 cm, respectively. The weight of the fruit varied from very small (22.3 g) to medium (53.5 g), with the average weight of 33.2 ± 1.3 g. The weight of thousand seeds obtained by the method of water flotation is 33.8 g; the average number of seeds in the fruit is 7.6 ± 0.3. The length of the seed is 0.4–0.6 cm; the width is 0.2–0.3 cm. The amount of soluble dry substances in the fruit pulp is 26.6 ± 0.3%. The sum of total sugars is 11.5 ± 0.3%. The mass fraction of arbutin on conversion in initial matter made up 0.59 ± 0.04; the average C vitamin content was 7.6 ± 0.4 mg/100 g; carotene content 2.5 ± 0.1 mg/100 g; the average nitrate content in the Ussurian pear fruits was 8.1 ± 0.2 mg/kg as compared with a maximum allowable value of 60 mg/kg. Titratable acidity (total acidity) was equal to 1.1 ± 0.1%. The Ussurian pear plants introduced to the forest-steppe areas near the Ob are able to form fruits possessing qualities similar to those, which the fruits of this species formed in a natural area have.

Results are given from studies (2009–2011) on productivity of single-crop and joint sowing of maize and sorghum under conditions of the West Siberian forest steppe. The early-ripening maize hybrid Obskiy 140 SV, varieties of saccharine sorghum Volzhskoye 51 and grained sorghum Perspektivnoye 1 were assessed. There were revealed patterns of growth and development of plants depending on a seeding method, component ratio and harvesting time. Productivity of the sowings and protein richness of biomass were evaluated. It has been established that the joint growing of early-ripening maize hybrid Obskiy 140 SV and saccharine sorghum contributes to increasing the amount of digestible protein per fodder unit from 85 to 104 g, when they are harvested at their cob formation stage, and from 70 to 96 g at their milk stage, as compared with the single-crop sowing. The band sowing of maize hybrid Obskiy 140 SV and saccharine sorghum ensured the same productivity as the single-crop sowing of maize does, irrespective of harvesting time (403–407 centners of green mass per ha; 83.0–96.4 centners of dry mass per ha; 68.1–82.6 centners of forage units per ha, and 301–324 centners of silage per ha). As compared with the harvesting of crops at their cob formation stage, that at the milk stage contributed to increasing productivity of the single-crop and joint sowings of maize and saccharine sorghum (for dry mass: from 84.3 to 98.1, and from 83.0 to 96.4 centners per ha; for digestible protein from 579 to 613, and from 692 to 796 kg per ha; for silage: from 311 to 336, and from 301 to 324 centners per ha, respectively).The dry matter content of green mass increased from 19.9 to 23.9 percent.

Results are given from studies (2006–2010) on forming high-yielding perennial legume grasslands using different techniques for degraded sod tillage. The most effective techniques have been established that contribute to increasing yields, fodder quality and productive life of haylands. The content of perennial leguminous grasses in the herbage composition at different techniques was recorded as follows: 91% at sod plowing, 82 at rotary tillage, and 74% at disking. The maximum yields of green and dry mass of 17.3 and 3.64 tons per ha have been obtained in the variant of amelioration (plowing + disking), which is 3.6 times higher than controls. It was found that amelioration of degraded haylands increased the output of fodder units up to 1.74 tons per ha, and that of digestible protein to 0.25 tons per ha. The amount of digestible protein per fodder unit made up 140 g. When disking sod, these parameters were 1.55 t/ha, 0.22 t/ha, and 135 g, respectively. At direct drilling of perennial legumes into degraded grassland, the variant with strips of 60 cm wide was remarkable. The yield of fodder units made up 1.61 t/ha, that of digestible protein 0.18 t/ha. The control variant (degraded hayland) showed the yield of fodder units of 0.38 t/ha, digestible protein of 0.025 t/ha. Economic assessment of techniques for improving degraded haylands has shown that direct drilling of perennial legumes turned out to be most effective for the West Siberian forest steppe. The net income, depending on a direct drilling variant, amounted to 1439–1641 rubles per ha, profitability 71–87%. When ameliorated, the economic indicators were slightly lower – 1520 rubles per ha and 57%, respectively.

There was studied productivity of maize for grain and silage in hybrids Katerina SV, ROSS 191 MV, ROSS 140 SV bred in Russia; NK Kuler, NK Gitago, Delitop F₁, Falcon F₁ bred abroad, under conditions of the Krasnoyarsk forest steppe. Data on the growing period length, yields of green mass and dry matter, chemical composition of green mass and cost-efficiency of cultivation were produced. Dependencies of green mass and dry matter yields in maize hybrids varying in ripeness on sowing dates, seeding rates and cultivation techniques at different harvesting times were revealed. The cultivation of maize hybrids Katerina SV, ROSS 191 MV, NK Kuler, NK Gitago, Delitop F₁ and Falcon F₁ under conditions of the East Siberian forest steppe ensured high biological yields of green and dry mass containing dry matter of not less than 20–21% as well as high nutritive value of green mass. The yields of green mass of hybrids bred in Russia were 580–684 centners per ha, those of foreign hybrids 663–930 centners per ha. The profitability of home hybrids cultivation made up 197–244%, that of foreign hybrids 288–296%. To obtain high and stable yields of green and dry mass with high feeding qualities, the hybrids ROSS 191 MV, NK Kuler and NK Gitago can be recommended. Under conditions of the Krasnoyarsk forest steppe, the early-ripening hybrid Katerina SV would be better sown during the second ten-day period of May, the mid-ripening hybrid ROSS 140 SV during the third ten-day period of May, or the first ten-day period of June, at 70 ths viable seeds per ha seeding rate that provides yields of up to 888 centners per ha of green mass, or 193 centners per ha of dry mass. The application of Gold Star herbicide in a dose of 0.2 L per ha contributed to reducing weeds down to 2% of the harvest with the yields of green mass harvested at the milk-wax and wax stages up to 579–671 centners per ha.

Results are given from research into impacts of different combinations of mineral fertilizers on yield formation in Rhaponticum carthamoides from the herbages of 1 to 6 years of utilization. Variants of an experiment were: no fertilizers (control); P₆₀K₆₀; N₆₀K₆₀; N₆₀P₆₀; N₆₀P₆₀K₆₀. For the years (2011–2016) of study, excellent wintering of the plants was observed. It has been established, when determining the photosynthetic activity in the herbages of 3 to 5 years of utilization, that the plants very quickly (within 10–20 days) form the maximum leaf surface and actively increase the green mass yield. The maximum leaf surface of 181.0 ths square meters per ha is formed at the beginning of flowering. All combinations of nutrition elements applied have provided an increase in the yields of green and dry mass as compared with the treatment without fertilizers. It is especially noticeable when nitrogenous fertilizers are applied. On average for 6 years, the maximum yields of green mass (45.8 tonnes per ha) and dry mass (7.72 tonnes per ha) were obtained in the N₆₀P₆₀ treatment. The minimum yields of green and dry mass (25.2 and 4.51 tonnes per ha, respectively) were obtained in the control (no fertilizers). Rhaponticum grown under conditions of Perm Territory is characterized by high feeding qualities. The contents of dry matter and crude fiber were within the limits of zootechnic optimum for high-producing cows. The concentration of metabolizable energy across all the treatments varied from 11.39 to 12.27 MJ/kg, crude protein content in dry matter was 13.69–15.24%. Energy inputs for cultivating Rhaponticum are quickly paid back by the products obtained. The energy efficiency coefficient across the treatments ranged from 6.0 to 9.9. The maximum profitability of 323% was in the N₆₀K₆₀ treatment.

There was studied an effect of pre-sowing treatment of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) seeds with the microscopic fungi to neutralize the negative influence of heavy metals on the growth and development of tomato plants. The plants of early-ripening, high-yielding tomato cultivar Lakomka of 55–60 cm high were the object of the study. The effect of Trichoderma asperellum strain MG-97 on biophysical parameters of tomato plants grown on media with different zinc concentrations was investigated. The experiment was conducted for 60 days at the air temperature of 25±2oC and in the natural lighting. The luminous intensity at the level of seedlings was 300 µmol photons /m²/s; the relative humidity was 75±3oC. The plants were grown on tap water, and on solutions with Zn concentrations of 1×10^-5 mol/l and 5×10^-5 mol/l. The activity of the photosynthetic apparatus of assimilating tissues was assessed using fluorescence induction rates with PAM (Pulse-Amplitude-Modulation)-fluorometer. The research has shown that zinc inhibited the quantum yield of photosynthesis and electron transport rate; with that, the critical zinc concentration was found to be 5×10^-5 mol/l. Introducing T. asperellum removed the inhibiting effect and increased physio-morphological and biophysical parameters of the plants. A positive effect of T. asperellum has been observed at the early stages of the plant life cycle: on the 25th day, the micromycetes increased the electron transport rate by 40 percent in the tap water treatment, by 50 in the 1×10^-5 mol/l zinc concentration treatment, and by 70 percent in the 5×10^-5 mol/l zinc concentration treatment. Pre-sowing tomato seed treatment with the microscopic fungi has reduced the inhibiting action of zinc on the growth and development of the plants; this positive effect, however, has depended on the age of a plant, and on the period of impact of heavy metals.

The paper offers the analysis of applying robotic systems in agriculture of Russia. A specific character of agriculture, a low level of technical and technological, information and communications, and staff potentials of mediumand small-sized Russian agricultural enterprises explain the slow pace of introduction of agricultural robots. Weather conditions, agrolandscape zoning, seasonal character of work and other specific features of crop production impose restrictions on the development of robotic systems. The existing engineering tools are characterized by a low level of development of speech understanding technologies; they require the creation of modern power sources, bionic systems, as well as the use of microrobots. There are a number of problems to be solved: to provide R&D funding in robotics; to create the normative and methodical base for conducting measurements, tests and monitoring, robot quality and safety assessment; to upgrade and re-equip enterprises producing agricultural machinery; to increase competence of the staff and population in using information and communication technologies and robotic systems; to decrease cost prices for machinery; to create a modern information and communication structure in rural areas; to develop an advanced technology and machinery system with regard to agrolandscape zoning and robot application. Experience of industrially advanced countries in robotics has shown that this process could not pass without government support.

There is given a method and a technology for restoring operating capacity of pump-injectors and individual pumps for diesel engines taking into consideration cost indices of particular spare parts. Studies were conducted on pump-injector kits produced by different foreign companies. The method supposed is based on the evaluation of electromagnetic valve air gap by operating and drop-out currents of this valve without using a fuel test stand. There was practically evaluated the recoverability of starting values of electromagnetic valve stroke and air gap by operating and drop-out currents, and the efficiency of restoring them in pump-injectors and individual pumps for diesel engines. There were found the average values of operating and drop-out currents, and deviations of them from the average parameter, as well as those for valve air gaps for pump-injectors of a kit. The pump-injector tester TNF-1 was used for carrying out this work. Due to the preliminary recovery of the electromagnetic valve operation without using the fuel test stand, the method suggested makes it possible to cut time for repairing a kit of pump-injectors and individual pumps by as much as 3 times. The comparison was made between this method and the generally accepted one, when repair quality is tested on the test stand by measuring fuel cycle deliveries.

Results are given from a three-year (2015–2017) study on productivity of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) varieties Center 70, Akmai, Irkas and flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) varieties Severnyi, Kustanaiskiy Yantar and Karabalykskaya 7 bred in Kazakhstan. Studies were conducted according to the following tillage techniques: zonal (1 subsoil tillage to the depth of 8–10 cm + 2 subsoil tillage to 10–12 cm and loosening to 25–27 cm), minimum (spraying with herbicide + 1 subsoil tillage to the depth of 8– 10 cm and direct seeding) and no-till (spraying with herbicide + direct seeding). The field experiment was conducted on dark-chestnut soils in the North Kazakhstan dry steppe (Akmolinsk Region) with a sharply continental climate. The minimal technique was found to be most effective in growing non-traditional oilseed crops. Among the safflower cultivars, Center 70 exhibited the yield by 1.3–2.7 centners per hectare higher than other cultivars; among the flax cultivars, Severnyi was remarkable for its yields of 0.5–2.8 centners per hectare higher than those of other varieties. The safflower cultivar Center 70 and flax cultivar Severnyi proved to be economically sound, when cultivated according to the minimum tillage technique, with profitability levels of 70.0–134.4 % and 122.7%, respectively, that was 5.3–45.2% and 22.4–71.9 % higher than in other cultivars.