The results of evaluation of spring soft wheat grain quality in the conditions of the Southern Urals depending on the means of intensification and meteorological conditions of the vegetation period of the crop are presented. It was found that gluten content in wheat grain was determined by weather conditions of the year by 62%, nitrogen fertilizer application by 24.2%, and the forecrop by 13%. Strong correlation dependence was established between gluten content and average daily temperature on the background without fertilizers in the phase of milk-wax ripeness of wheat by 64%. On the background with mineral fertilizers (N) there was a strong correlation in the phase of tillering – booting with the sum of effective temperatures by 52% and with HTC by 94%. Protein content increased by 12.1% from the fertilization background. Protein content in spring wheat grain was strongly correlated with precipitation and HTC on the background without fertilizers in the phase of milk-wax ripeness of the crop by 55–56%. Strong correlation was observed between the weight of 1000 grains of spring wheat and HTC in the tillering phase by 54–57%, with precipitation in the phase of earing –flowering by 48–55%, in the phase of milk-wax ripeness with average daily temperatures by 67–77%, sums of effective temperatures by 67–75%, with precipitation on the background of N by 66%. Natural weight of spring wheat was in strong correlation with precipitation in the phase of sprouting – tillering by 56–69% and HTC by 93–96%, as well as with the sum of effective temperatures and average air temperature in the phase of milk-wax ripeness by 50–56%. Thus, the formation of quality indicators of spring soft wheat grain was influenced to a greater extent by the temperature regime and the amount of precipitation in the phase of milk-wax ripeness of the crop.

A significant number of valuable species of medicinal plants grow in the Trans-Baikal Territory, one of which is Saposhnikovia divaricata (Turcz.) Schischk. Roots of this plant are in high demand in Asian countries, especially in China. Irregular harvesting of plant roots by the population of the region for sale leads to a reduction in cenopopulations and impoverishment of the species’ gene pool. In this regard, the assessment of the state of the cenopopulations of S. divaricata is a necessary step for developing measures to protect it. The study of the cenopopulation of S. divaricata in the territory of the  Chitino-Ingodinsky Depression was conducted for the first time. Ten cenopopulations of S. divaricata were studied. The number of plants in the studied areas varied widely from 35 to 5750 pcs/ha. The maximum number of the plants was observed, as a rule, in deposits. The average weight of the freshly dug root was 7.3 g and varied on different sites from 4 to 12 g. The average yield of the root mass was as high as 9.9 kg/ha. Differences in the plant development were noted depending on the degree of soil moisture at the place of growth. In the plant communities found in the study area, along with S. divaricata, a number of other valuable medicinal plants were identified, for example, Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch. ex Link) Bunge, Thermopsis lanceolate R. Br., Lespedeza juncea (L. f.) Pers., Sanguisorba officinalis L., Patrinia rupestris (Pall.) Dufr. and other species. It is recommended to take measures to organize the protection of the S. divaricata gene pool from excessive harvesting by the population by developing legislation on licensing the harvesting of medicinal plants, selecting the most valuable natural cenopopulations for conservation in nature and culture for breeding, developing agricultural cultivation techniques taking into account the environmental conditions of the Trans-Baikal Territory.

Improving the quality of winter wheat grain is a complex and multifaceted challenge that requires a comprehensive approach. In 2021–2023, the Agricultural Research Center "Donskoy" conducted studies aimed at identifying source material of winter soft wheat to determine the influence of genetic traits on grain quality. The purpose of the research is to study winter soft wheat lines to identify the accessions that can be used in breeding to improve grain quality. The object of the study was 12 lines of winter soft wheat. The comparison was made with the standard variety Ermak in terms of protein mass fraction, gluten mass fraction and its quality, natural grain weight and SDS-sedimentation. In terms of protein amount, on average, all lines exceeded the standard (12.78%), varying from 13.06 (line 1224/21) to 14.53% (line 1693/21). In terms of the coefficient of variation, average variability was observed in the lines 1420/19 (10.50%) and 1343/19 (11.01%). The other samples, including the variety Ermak, showed variability at an insignificant level – 1,54–8,42%. In terms of gluten quality, the line 1693/21 was assigned to group I, lines 1420/19, 1440/21, 1343/19 to group II. For three years, these samples formed the maximum amount of gluten – 29.1–31.6%, which exceeds the standard by 3.3–5.8% and corresponds to the 2nd class of grain quality. On average, all lines exceeded the standard variety Ermak (764 g/l) in natural weight, the variation was from 802 (line 1729/21) to 836 g/l (line 1053/21), which corresponds to the 1st quality class and allows us to attribute these lines to strong wheat. With an average SDS-sedimentation value of 56–60 ml over the years of the study, the lines 1343/19, 1784/20, 1098/21, 1216/21, 1366/21, 1693/21, 1729/21 were classified as strong wheat, the other lines together with the standard Ermak had an average SDS-sedimentation value of 50–54 ml.

The work is devoted to oats – a common grain crop in agricultural production. Oats occupy the fifth place in the world’s grain production and differ from other cereals in a wide range of uses and increased nutritional value. Every year, Russian breeders create and add to the state cultivar testing new cultivars of spring oats, both filmy and naked forms. Nomenclatural standards are created to confirm the originality of the breeding achievement and the copyright of the right holder. Nomenclatural standards are type herbaria to which the name of a cultivar or group of cultivars is permanently attached after promulgation. Such a herbarium specimen can be used as a reference for genetic expertise. As part of the work, herbariа of the spring oat cultivar ‘Maruchak’ (bred by the Kemerovo Research Institute of Agriculture – branch of the Siberian Federal Scientific Centre of Agro-BioTechnologies of the Russian Academy of Sciences together with the Federal Altai Scientific Center for Agrobiotechnology) and ‘Ofenya’ (bred by the Kemerovo Research Institute of Agriculture – branch of the Siberian Federal Scientific Centre of Agro-BioTechnologies of the Russian Academy of Sciences) are performed. Morphobiological descriptions and economically valuable characteristics of the cultivars and information about the history of oat breeding in Western Siberia are given. The plant material for the mounting of the herbarium was collected in the experimental plots of the "Pushkin and Pavlovsky laboratories of the VIR". The nomenclatural standards of each cultivar are mounted on one herbarium sheet and have three herbarium doublet sheets. All herbarium sheets show plants in the stage of milky ripeness, mature inflorescences and fruits. The samples collected for the herbarium are plants grown from a single seed sample. The herbaria were prepared and mounted in accordance with the recommendations of the International Code of Nomenclatural of Cultivated Plants (ICNCP). The herbarium specimens were registered in the VIR Herbarium database and are stored in the Herbarium of Cultivated Plants of the World, their Wild Relatives and Weeds (WIR), in the National Centre for Plant Genetic Resources.

The purpose of the study was to identify differences in the sensitivity of the spring wheat main soil phytopathogens to fungicide seed treatments at different rates of their application. The objectives of the study included: measuring the diameters of soil micromycete colonies in dynamics and determining the rate of their radial growth, monitoring the growth of micromycete colonies under the influence of spring wheat seed treatments used at maximum and minimum application rates, determining the biological effectiveness of fungicidal preparations and their application rates against individual phytopathogens. The studies were carried out in the laboratory conditions using generally accepted methods. The study of the radial growth rate of phytopathogenic micromycetes isolates colonies Bipolaris sorokiniana, Fusarium poae, F. oxysporum, F. solani, F. equiseti, F. sporotrichioides, isolated from the underground organs of spring wheat showed that the differences reached 4.5 times, the fastest growing was F. equiseti, the slowest was B. sorokiniana. Phytopathogens B. sorokiniana, F. sporotrichioides, F. poae had 100% sensitivity to the treatments Kinto Duo, Dividend Star, Celeste Max, Dividend Supreme, Vibrance Integral, Scenic Combi, regardless of the maximum or minimum rate of their application. Phytopathogens F. equiseti, F. solani and F. oxysporum had shown selectivity towards seed treatments and their application rates, which requires a balanced approach to optimizing treatment technology when these phytopathogens dominate on seeds and/or in the soil.

The lack of technological worms, maximally adapted to the substrate as an object of life activity and raw materials, prevents the wide introduction of environmentally friendly technologies of vermicomposting and vermiremediation. The research on domestication of earthworms of the family Lumbricidae Dendrobaena veneta and Lumbricus terrestris and obtaining their hybrid was carried out on the grounds of the Stavropol Territory. Dendrobaena veneta and Lumbricus terrestris, selected according to the results of morphological speciation for the formation of the breeding stock and hybridization as parental forms, were kept in vermireactors and gullies both separately and jointly. The medium for life activity and vermicomposting was successively highbog peat, litter and semiliquid cattle manure. During the experiment, the worms successively processed the raw materials loaded into the vermicomposting reactor, gradually processed more and more toxic agricultural wastes, mated, and discarded cocoons. Thus, the selection of a new subspecies of worm adapted to the originally planned type of feed, represented by organic wastes of animal and/or plant origin or their complex, took place sequentially. At the same time, the worms did not experience any stress factors, gradually adapting to the changing physical and chemical composition of the feed mixture. The earthworms used in the experiment were successfully domesticated, including in different types of substrates with increasing content of animal waste. The hybrid bred in the course of the experiment demonstrated higher economic performance in vermicomposting of agricultural waste, which allows us to recommend it as a technological worm in the conditions of industrial technology.

Aspects of increasing the productivity and competitiveness of an agricultural enterprise in the field of crop production through information support of production processes using modern digital information technologies are investigated. The purpose of this work is to develop software designed to optimize the management of crop production processes by selecting appropriate agricultural technologies and the effective use of available technical means, taking into account the agroclimatic conditions and production characteristics of a specific farm. The object of the study was the process of selecting technologies and technical means for cultivating grain crops. The research took into account current agricultural technologies used in the Novosibirsk region. The main stages of crop production planning were highlighted, the feasibility of creating web-oriented software was justified, a structural diagram of the software complex for automating the selection of agricultural technologies and technical means was developed. As a result, a web-oriented software package has been implemented consisting of several software components that are combined by a common database and interface, which allows for ease of use and efficiency. This software package automates the process of forming an annual work plan and calculating economic indicators, which greatly simplifies the planning of crop production at all stages. The software package is aimed at application in decision support systems using digital technologies, which opens up new opportunities for increasing productivity and optimizing processes in the field of crop production. The main advantages of the development are improved quality of planning, reduced time spent on data processing and the ability to implement an individual approach to selection technologies depending on the specifics of the production process. 

The results of research of the possibility of improving the performance of diesel engine D-243 (type 4Ch 11/12,5) designed for agricultural tractor at its operation on cooled fuel are presented. The research was carried out on a computer model. Two variants of the external velocity response of the diesel engine are calculated: at a typical fuel temperature in the injector atomizer equal to 380 K; and when the fuel is cooled to 303 K (30 °C). The crankshaft speed of the diesel engine varied from 1000 to 2200 min^–1. The effective power and the operating torque of the diesel engine when operating on cooled fuel were higher by 16.9–17.8%. This result is mainly due to the growth of hourly fuel consumption by 16.4–16.8%. Specific fuel consumption differs within ±1.9 g/(kWh), and at cooling with favorable result in the most demanded speed range: 1800÷2200 min^–1. The main thermodynamic parameter, the internal efficiency, changes by ±1.1% relative to the first variant, which indicates that the quality of the diesel working process is preserved. Smokiness on cooled fuel is higher and has an absolute difference of 1–10%. Emission of nitrogen oxides increases by 0.9–1.4 g/(kWh). Greenhouse gas emissions, on the contrary, decrease by 0–6 g/(kWh). Due to the forced cooling of the fuel supplied it is possible to significantly improve the traction and power properties of the D-243 diesel engine when working on the external speed characteristic in the period of spring-summer operation. Environmental indicators do not change significantly. One should expect an increase in the lubricity of modern low-sulfur diesel fuel when it is cooled and an increase in the reliability of the fuel system during the specified period of the tractor's operation. At the same time, the changes in the fuel system operation are the same as in case of natural fuel cooling in the fall-winter period of operation in the conditions of continental climate of Western Siberia and other regions. Regulating parameters of the fuel system remain unchanged.

One of the ways to replenish antioxidants in the body is to add a share of berry crops rich in antioxidant compounds to the human diet. Garden strawberries are the most grown and consumed berry crop in the world. The restraining factors for increasing the production of garden strawberries are the significant damage of cultivated varieties to a wide range of diseases, the main pathogens of which are fungi. The Russian Federation does not produce technical means for diagnosing diseases available to producers of this berry crop. The purpose of the research is to develop a rational method for assessing several biotic stresses of garden strawberries for a wide range of farmers. Among modern ground-based diagnostic methods, preference is given to the computer vision method, which is capable of detecting the presence of 3 pathogenic fungi: white spot pathogens (Ramularia Tulasnei Sacc), brown spot (Marssonina potentillae Desm) and angular leaf spot (Dendrophoma obscurans). Using deep learning with convolutional neural networks (CNN), this method can be implemented as an application for a smartphone or other gadgets popular among the majority of the population. The most common CNN models were selected for deep learning. A dataset of 2,671 images was generated from the Internet of Things (IoT) network and divided into 4 classes: white spot (544 pcs.); brown spot (1,109 pcs.); angular spot (392 pcs.); unaffected leaves (626 pcs.). The dataset was divided into a training set of 70%, a validation set of 10%, and a test set of 20%. When conducting deep learning and neural network model improvement operations, the MobileNetV2 neural network model showed the best metrics: classification accuracy – 0.99; F-measures from 0.94 to 1.00.  

Modern operating conditions for diesel engines in cold climates require the introduction of efficient preheating technologies, which will ensure reliable engine start and reduce engine wear. One of the promising solutions is the use of thermal accumulators based on phase-change materials (TAPCM). These systems have a high heat capacity and are able to retain heat for a long time and allow functioning autonomously, which is especially important in the absence of external energy sources. The article discusses the development of an autonomous preheating system for the D-243 diesel engine using a thermal accumulator with phase change substances. The basic principle of operation is based on using the properties of phase-change materials, such as sodium crystalline hydrates, to effectively conserve the accumulated heat and transfer it to the engine before starting. The charging process of the system involves heating the phase change capsules from the engine cooling system, and during the discharging process at engine startup, the heat stored by the heat storage material is used to evenly warm up the engine systems and mechanisms. This significantly reduces warm-up time, fuel consumption and engine wear. Calculations confirming the efficiency of thermal accumulators with phase change are presented. It has been found that for the D-243 engine the volume of the heat accumulator should be  10.6 liters, which provides enough heat for preheating. The use of such systems allows minimizing heat losses, reducing the time of engine warm-up to operating temperature and reducing wear and tear of its components and mechanisms

The problem of weed control in modern agriculture is considered. Fire weeding is presented as a promising alternative to herbicide-based methods. An overview is given of the harmful effects of chemicals, including their cumulative effects, adverse effects on beekeeping and animal husbandry, and potential human health risks associated with pesticide residues in food. The advantages of using diffusion-type burners in comparison with injection-type burners for fire weeding are substantiated. The prospect of their use was noted due to safety of application, simplicity of construction and ability to provide uniform heat distribution along the entire length of the fuel combustion flame. The factors affecting the economic efficiency of each method are discussed in detail, including fuel cost, amount of resources needed, labor costs, etc. Special attention is paid to the comparison of the cost of treatment of a unit area using complexes of gas burners and chemical preparations, taking into account the price and availability of both gas fuel and herbicides in specific conditions of the Russian Federation. The comparison presented in this article shows significant economic advantages of fire weeding over the use of herbicides. A generalized conclusion on the great potential of the fire weeding method using diffusion-type burners to reduce the pesticide load on agricultural lands and adjacent territories is given. It is also concluded that the quality of weed control treatment is improved due to the effectiveness of the method in controlling herbicide resistant weeds.

Flooding is one of the most terrible and destructive natural disasters, which can lead to casualties, the destruction of residential and industrial areas and, of course, to a violation of the environmental safety of the region. Flooding can have serious consequences for the population, river ecosystems, flora and fauna, soil. Floods can cause significant damage to animal and plant species and reduce their populations. While humans can evacuate in a flood, animals do not have that option. In the event of flooding, humans should help animals by separating them from the area of destruction and taking them to somewhere safe. Flooding can result in soil erosion, reducing soil fertility and creating difficulties for the agricultural sector. One of the current problems in floods is inundation of livestock burial grounds, especially anthrax burial grounds. In this case, damage will be caused not only to the health of animals, but also to the economy of households in which the outbreak of infectious disease is registered, as well as to the economy of the region as a whole due to the establishment of restrictions on the supply of agricultural products under the conditions of regionalization. In the article on the basis of analysis of statistical data on the number and types of floods in Siberia in 1991–2019, data on the number and types of cattle burial grounds located in a number of regions of Siberia, a set of veterinary-sanitary and anti-epizootic measures implemented in the pre-flood and flood periods, as well as measures taken by the veterinary service in case of fixation of contagious diseases among animals in flooded areas are presented.