The work presents the results of the study of forms and hybrids of spring triticale by the trait specifi ed as the number of days from shooting to earing carried out in 2012, 2014 and 2017 under the conditions of the forest-steppe of the Novosibirsk region.  From the world collection of The N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Research Institute of Plant Genetic Resources, there were selected 5 sources of early maturity with an average duration of the interphase period of shoots-ears 35-37 days, which are recommended for use in further breeding work to create early varieties of wheat-rye amphiploids in the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia. The results of the study demonstrated that in 2012, 2014 and 2017 the samples Presto/ /2*Tesmo 1 (к-3883), IRA-M2A (к-688), Skory (к-3745), Fahad 8-2*2//PTR... (k-3878) and POP-WG (к-3882) had the shortest interphase period. Among new samples there were marked Trl-216-78-01 (к-3991), LT-F6-540-4 (к-3992), LT-F6-544-4 (к-3993), LT-F6-544-6 (к-3994), LT-F6-546-2 (к-3995) and LT-F6-546-3 (к-3996), whose period from shooting to earing was 36-38 days in 2017. In the hybrid populations of the third generation of winter triticale, variety Sirs 57, and two spring collection samples, IRA-M2A (к-688) and Arsenal (к-3874), plants reaching the duration of the shoots-earing interphase period of the spring parental forms were not found. Spring triticale obtained in the offspring of spontaneous mutant spring plants isolated from populations of winter forms of amphiploids were characterized by a longer interphase period of shoots-earing (51-56 days) than the studied spring hexaploid samples. Four families of octaploid triticale had the longest period (62-72 days).

The work presents the results of studying resistance of hulless oats to internal seed infection. The research was carried out by using 34 samples of the world collection of The N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Research Institute of Plant Genetic Resources and locally-bred varieties from the harvest of 2013–2015 in the conditions of Northern forest-steppe of Western Siberia. Contamination of hulless oat seeds with helmintosporium, fusarium, alternaria and bacteriosis was revealed by the method of moist chamber with the use of paper rolls. The study showed the dependence of the infection intensity on the prevailing meteorological conditions during the growth and development of hulless oat plants. It was registered that at low air temperatures and high humidity of vegetation period, seed contamination rate with fungal and bacterial infections increases. It was revealed that hulless oat varieties are more susceptible to the fungi of the genus Alternaria sp. from 18.6 to 46.7% and bacterial diseases from 6.3 to 24.1%. Seed infection with Helmintosporium avenae Eidam and Fusarium sp. did not exceed 15%. Distribution of samples by groups of resistance to seminal infection showed that 55 to 76% of samples have practical resistance (less than 10% of infection) or weak susceptibility (10–25% of infection) to pathogens. On average, over the years of testing the seed infection of any variety of hulless oats did not exceed 35%, indicating the presence of unique resistant mechanisms in the naked forms of oats that protect the grain against the penetration of phytopathogens. Of all the samples analyzed, varieties Gavroche (Kemerovo), k-7776 (USA) and Nakota (USA) displayed practical resistance to fungal and bacterial diseases. Thus, they can be used in the process of creating varieties of hulless oats as sources of resistance to internal infection of seeds.

Selecting parents for hybridization is the key problem in wheat breeding. The study assessed the infl uence of the traits of 32 parental varieties on the breeding value of their segregating populations from biparental mating. Investigations were carried out in the wheat breeding nurseries of the fi rst and second years at the Federal Altai Scientifi c Centre of Agro-BioTechnologies, in 2008–2016. The object of the study was spring bread wheat. The main productivity traits of parental varieties were studied. Midparent yield, yield difference, midparent productivity traits, productivity traits difference, presence of at least one low-yield variety in a cross, mutual addition from the fi rst variety to the second variety by spike productivity traits (grain per spike and grain weight 1000 grains) were measured. The relative merit of the population breeding value was assessed by the number of lines in the breeding nursery of the second year. Crosses were divided into two groups: the ordinary one, giving less than 4 lines in the breeding nursery over two years (44 crosses), and the outstanding one, giving more than 4 lines in the breeding nursery over two years (12 crosses). Outstanding crosses were Saratovskaya 70 × Altajskaya zhnica, Tobol’skaya stepnaya × Altajskaya zhnica, Altajskaya zhnica × Omskaya 36, Dueht × Omskaya 36, Sibirskaya 99 × Saratovskaya 68, Omskaya 28 × Stepnaya volna, Tol’kyn × Saratovskaya 70, Lyutescens 16/s × Stepnaya volna, Stepnaya niva × Altajskaya 50, Tuleevskaya × Saratovskaya 70, Stepnaya volna × Altajskaya zhnica, Omskaya 28 × Saratovskaya 71. Outstanding crosses had a higher midparent yield and higher midparent number of spikelets per spike than ordinary crosses (246 g/m² against 229 g/m2 and 12.6 spikelets per spike against 12.2 respectively). Low-yield varieties occurred among parents of outstanding crosses in 42% of all cases and among parents of ordinary crosses in 64% of all cases. Differences in yield and differences in spike productivity traits of parental varieties do not affect the breeding value of segregating population.

The work presents the results of research into the effect of biologization (intercropping legume component with grain crops) and chemicalization (use of mineral fertilizers) applied in each fi eld of fodder crop rotation on the moisture content of leached chernozem in the conditions of the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia. Water consumption and crop productivity in six-fi eld fodder crop rotations over four years of the second rotation were studied. Only recognized locally-bred crop varieties were cultivated in the experiment, such as Krasnoobsky oat, Acha barley, pea Novosibirets, vetch Priobskaya 25, alfalfa Flora, awnless brome Rassvet, hybrid maize Obsky 140 SV and fodder bean Sibirskiye. It was established that intercropping of the legume component caused the increase in the consumption of productive moisture reserves from the soil by fodder agrocenoses from 66 mm to 84 mm and the application of mineral fertilizers resulted in the moisture consumption increase of up to 74 mm. The use of methods for fodder crop rotation improvement led to the increase in the total water consumption of fodder crops. As a result of mineral fertilizer input it increased from 244 mm to 252 mm, and due to the intercropping of legume component it rose up to 262 mm. With regard to increasing the consumption of productive moisture reserves from the soil layer of 0-100 cm, crops ranked in the following order: perennial grasses – silos – fodder-grain crops – cover crops, whereas with regard to increasing the total water consumption they ranked in reverse order. The use of chemical agents increased the yield of dry matter by 1.6 times, while water consumption coeffi cient decreased by an average of 2.2 times in the crop rotation. Application of biologization led to the yield increase by 1.4 times, reducing water consumption coeffi cient by 1.9 times. In the control crop rotation, maize consumed the least amount of moisture (346 m³/ton of dry weight), and the most moisture was consumed by the grain part of barley (2933 m³/t of dry weight). When applying mineral fertilizers, the maximum and minimum water consumption fell on the same crops – 290 m³/t and 1087 m³/t dry weight respectively. When the legume component was sowed in each crop rotation fi eld, the minimum moisture consumption was in the fi elds with awnless brome intercropped with alfalfa, namely 384 m³/t dry weight, while the maximum consumption was in the fi elds with barley and pea grains – 1199 m³/t dry weight.

The results of long-term observations of disease development in crops of different varieties of red clover in forest-steppe of Western Siberia are presented. The research was conducted in 2003-2017 in the experimental fi elds of Novosibirsk region and in the laboratory. To study the phytosanitary situation, the methods for determining the prevalence and development of diseases in the fi eld by means of using standard scales were applied. During the years of research, the weather varied to a large extent and covered the entire range of climatic conditions typical of the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia. It was found that red clover was affected by a wide range of diseases of different etiology, among which the prevailing ones were yellow mosaic virus, Cercospora, Stemphylium, Anthracnose, Fusarium root rot, dwarfi sm, and powdery mildew. In dry conditions the most severe diseases were Fusarium root rot and mosaic virus, which is confi rmed by the close positive strong correlation coeffi cient (r = 0.76 and r = 0.73 respectively). In years with suffi cient and excessive moisture, red clover was affected by the whole range of fungal spots: Cercospora, Stemphylium, Anthracnose, etc. It was also shown that the intensity and range of diseases depend on the age of the plant. In the fi rst year of use, prevailing diseases were Fusarium wilt, powdery mildew, rust, and brown spots, in the second year – yellow mosaic virus, Cercospora, Stemphylium, Anthracnose, Fusarium root rot and dwarfi sm. The study of seasonal dynamics of disease development of red clover varieties with different resistance made it possible to fi nd out that the development and prevalence of diseases depended both on weather conditions and on varietal characteristics of the crop. Cultivar Meteor, which is more hardy and quickly-ripening, was more effective in impeding the spread of diseases compared to the more susceptible late-maturing cultivar of SibNiik 10.

The article presents some results of multi-year research (from 2006 to 2016) into group (n=3934) and individual (n=57) age-related antler velvet yield of stags of Altai-Sayan maral breed. The research was performed at six maral-breeding entities, which are breed livestock farms for Altai-Sayan maral breed and its two types “Shebalinsky” and “Tenginsky”. The age-related velvet weight gain during 10 years and onwards is shown. The maximum age-related gain is reported at the ages of 3 and 4 years old (1.5 and 2 kg respectively). By the start of the rutting time at the age of 6, the age-related velvet gain accounts for 63.2–67.0% depending on the breed line, and at the age of 8-10 years old the velvet yield is stabilized with further decrease. The number of elite breeding strains and fi rst class marals varies at the ages of 4, 6 and 10 years old, depending on objective (rutting time) and subjective (culling) factors, which are not considered in the current judging scale. In order to predict the future yield more accurately, we recommend that culling of marals is done not at the ages of 1.5 years old (young deer) or 2.5 years old (fi rst horns), but at the age of 4 years old following the results of the fi rst three yields (cuttings), which is economically proved, as this period shows the peak of meat and antler velvet yield. Animal management until the age of 4 allows to gain at least 50.0 kg of meat and 5.0 kg of velvet per head additionally. The results of practical work and calculations presented in this work show that the correct assessment of marals is of high priority, as premature slaughter of misjudged animal causes signifi cant losses: during ten years every elite stag yields velvet worth 579.6 thousand roubles, fi rst class stag yields velvet worth 461.2 thousands roubles, second class stag yields velvet worth 385.6 thousand roubles and third class stag yields velvet worth 267.1 thousand roubles.

The results are given from the studies on lactation performance of fi rst-calf cows belonging to different sire lines. The research was conducted in 2017 in Novosibirsk region into 42 fi rst-calf cows of black-andwhite Holstein breed, belonging to the sire lines of Wis Ideal and Refl ection Sovereign, during 150 days of lactation. The pipe-line milking of cows was performed by DeLaval milking machines with adjustable pumping. Monitoring of lactation performance, intensity of milk fl ow, content of fat and protein was carried out monthly. The largest daily milk yield of cows of both lines was noted in the second month of lactation. In the fourth and fi fth months of lactation an average daily milk yield of cows belonging to the Refl ection Sovereign line was higher than that of cows of Wis Ideal line. However, in general, there were no signifi cant differences in lactation performance of cows of these lines. In the second and third months of lactation, cows of both lines had a decrease in the content of fat, protein and intensity of milk fl ow with a gradual increase in these indices in the fourth and fi fth months of lactation. First-calf cows with an average daily yield of 22.9 kg of milk had a higher content of fat and protein (by 0.98 and 0.40% respectively) than cows with an average milk yield of 36.6 kg. It was also noted that with the increase in the level of milk yield there was a tendency for the decrease in the latent period of milk ejection refl ex.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of strains of salmonellae resistant to antibiotics of fl uoroquinolone series. The occurrence of Salmonella resistant to enrofl oxacin was assessed at poultry farms of the Russian Federation in 2007 and 2017. In 2007 sensitivity of 23 salmonella cultures to enrofl oxacin was studied and in 2017 the same study was done with 15 salmonella cultures isolated from agricultural birds. Antibiotic resistance was determined by the disc-diffusion method in compliance with the generally accepted requirements. From 2007 to 2017 the frequency of salmonella isolation resistant to enrofl oxacin increased from 0 to 23.08%. Evaluation of the effl ux (active removal of antimicrobial substances by a bacterial cell) was carried out using a classical test with ethidium bromide. It was established that the presence of effl ux in Salmonella cultures was associated with an insignifi cant increase in resistance to enrofl oxacin, trimethoprim with sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim with sulfadimezine. The effect of amlodipine on the sensitivity of salmonella to enrofl oxacin was evaluated by cultivation of Salmonella in the presence of various concentrations of amlodipine. It was revealed that the specifi c proportion of strains of salmonella with higher sensitivity to enrofl oxacin increased with the simultaneous rise in concentrations of amlodipine (Pearson correlation, r = 0.9). Administration of amlodipine in concentration of 250 μg/ml to Salmonella enterica cultures, in the presence of subinhibitory concentrations of enrofl oxacin, increased their sensitivity to enrofl oxacin in 87.5% of cases.

The ways of improving performance of the harvesting-transportation system for harvesting grain crops by applying means for positioning and monitoring vehicles in the fi eld were identifi ed. The studies were conducted in agricultural enterprises of the forest-steppe zone of Novosibirsk region from 2007 to 2017 during eleven harvesting periods. The grain yields amounted to 4.2 tonnes per ha, the distance of transportation was up to 25 km. Taking into account the peculiarities of the harvesting-transportation system due to remoteness of the fi elds, the time for moving from one harvester to the next, unloading a harvester and a heavy-duty trailer-loader, an expression was obtained to determine the time cycle of the trailer reload scheme for handling the transport service with the use of positioning and monitoring means. It was established that when performing harvesting and transporting in the reloading scheme with the application of positioning systems and monitoring technical means and the use of heavy-duty trailer-loader for transporting distances of over 12 km and yields of over 2 tonnes per ha, the idle time of harvesters and vehicles decreased. The need in vehicles was also reduced; effi ciency of high-performance combine harvesters increased by 10-25%; the coeffi cient of threading ε = 0.92; performance of harvesting-transportation system as a whole increased by 9-18 %.

Commercial production of horticultural produce requires instrumental control means of physical properties of plants and technological methods. One of the most important parameters of high quality harvest of fruit and berries is their maturity. The main maturity assessment methods existing in Russia and other countries are analyzed.  It is established that the method of impedance spectroscopy is preferable in the use of portable means for berry maturity determination in the fi eld conditions. Research on maturity of blackcurrant berry Altai late and sea buckthorn Altai was conducted. The sample number of the chosen varieties of berries was 1000 pieces for each variety. They were harvested in accordance with their ripening stage. To determine the maturity of berries the dispersion coeffi cient of berry tissue polarization was taken as an informative parameter, which is the relation of modules of electric impedances measured at two frequencies. The assessment method of berry maturity degree consisting of construction and analysis of coeffi cient distribution hodograph was proposed. Distribution was carried out on a uniform range of harmonic frequencies of 100 to 106 Hz. The results of the research showed that maturity assessment is possible after 1-2 weeks from the beginning of berry ripening. The insignifi cant difference in dynamic changes of dispersion coeffi cient of berry tissue polarization is explained by specifi c content and disintegration of sugars and acids in sea buckthorn and currant. The assessment method of berry maturity allows to create portable devices that would reduce their losses during mechanical harvesting and storage.

The problem of combined stress resistance of plants due to climate change in Siberia is analyzed on the basis of the literature data. According to the research of the Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring and as a result of climate monitoring of the World Meteorological Organization, it is clearly concluded that regional climate changes in Russia are more signifi cant than in other regions of the world and have a pronounced character. The effects of the climate change have the most signifi cant impact on agriculture, which, to a large extent, depends on weather and climate conditions. In crop breeding, adaptation measures include increasing of the stress resistance of plants by changing the species composition of cultivated plants, introducing new varieties, developing new technologies and protection methods and other measures. It is shown that due to the climate change, there is a need to develop regional landscape complex programs, and to model joint action of stressors in laboratory conditions taking into account the increase of the stress tolerance in fi eld conditions. The most intensive combinations of stressors by their damaging action on crop productivity are considered. Different combinations of stressors require new types of plant responses, which are formed at the molecular, cellular and organismic levels. The attention is focused on the need for the application of innovative approaches that take into account information about the microbial community of a habitat (metagenomic technologies) and the use of modern molecular biological methods based on the transcriptomic, metabolomic and proteomic analysis of plants.

The work presents modelling of feed protein supplement from regional raw material compliant with requirements for organic animal husbandry feed and zoostandard content of lysine and energy in complete feed formulas for growing and fattening organic pigs of Siberia. During the study, recommendations of Siberian Research and Technological Design Institute of Animal Husbandry were used. These included a list of regional feed raw material containing protein and determination of specifi c content of the grain component in complete combined feed for pigs. A sample feed formula for growing pigs is given. It was observed that barley, wheat and oat may be used for organic pig breeding on condition that they are cultivated in compliance with all the necessary requirements. The work substantiates the use of wheat for producing protein supplement by means of biochemical fractionation. It also presents formulas for calculation of effi cient lysine content and metabolizable energy in the protein supplement modelled from wheat in the composition of complete combined feed for growing pigs compliant with the standards of organic animal husbandry. It was determined that this content in theory amounts to 12.9 g of lysine and 11.9 MJ of metabolizable energy per 1 kg of dry matter for pigs with the live weight of 40-70 kg and 10.6 g and 14.2 MJ respectively for pigs with the live weight of 70-120 kg. This content of lysine and metabolizable energy is hypothetically achievable. The results obtained allow to predict the possibility of organic pig production by Siberian farms using their own raw material.

We studied wheat and rape residue mineralization and its impact on nitrogen content in soil to adjust fertilizer application in crop rotation. Comparative evaluation was carried out by measuring carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from soil by the absorption method under laboratory conditions. The soil was southern chernozem of heavy loamy granulometric composition. A laboratory experiment was laid three times in seven replications during two months. Results indicated that more than 50% of carbon dioxide was released from plant residues when decomposed for the fi rst 20 days of the experiment. The CO2 production in wheat and rape residue treatments was observed to be three times more intensive than that in the treatment without plant residues. No difference was found in CO2 emission between wheat straw and rape treatments for 60 days of the experiment. Rape residues were observed to decompose more intensively for the fi rst 20 days of the experiment in comparison with wheat straw. Addition of mineral nitrogen in a dose of 50 mg/kg to soil increased wheat straw mineralization by 11 percent during the fi rst 20 days, and contributed to intensifying CO2 emission. Incubating soil without residues increased the nitrate-N content 3 times for 20 days of the experiment, 5 times for 40 days, and 7 times for 60 days as compared to the initial amount. Incorporation of wheat and rape residues to soil resulted in nitrogen immobilization. The nitrate-N content in the soil with wheat and rape residues reached a level of the treatment without plant residues after 2 months’ incubation.