A methodical approach to classification of erodible lands based on using a neural expert system integrated with GIS has been suggested. Classification of erodible lands is realized by selecting operational-territorial units from satellite imagery, developing particular rating scales, forming knowledge bases to teach a neural expert system, teaching a network, and imaging results in the GIS map. The use of irregular geotop network as operational-territorial units allows more precisely determining the bounds of elementary plots of the Earth surface possessing a number of similar characteristics. Integration of morphometric characteristics and the plasticity method made it possible to more objectively select structural lines of the relief to draw a map of elementary surfaces.

In a long-term (33 years) stationary experiment were studied features of seasonal dynamics of labile phosphorus in leached chernozem without applying mineral fertilizers under reduced tillage operations. There was found its differentiation in the upper horizons of the soil profile in grain/fallow rotation in the forest steppe zone of Western Siberia. It was established that fallowing contributed to increasing the phosphorus content in the 0-20 cm soil layer in all the variants of plowing from medium availability (0.55-0.64 mg/kg) in spring to higher availability (0.70-0.95 mg/kg) by autumn. For the period of fallowing, the most favorable conditions for soil phosphate accumulation were formed under black fallow with deep nonmoldboard cultivation: the P2O5 amount increased by 73%. The P2O5 content has increased by 45% under black fallow with reduced tillage, by 16% under early minimum fallow, and by 21% under black fallow with plowing. With that, under black fallow with soil conservation tillage and early minimum fallow was observed differentiation in the upper horizons of the soil profile as to phosphorus availability: its greatest amount was concentrated in the 10 cm soil layer.

The materials are presented about root rot propagation and development in spring wheat in three-course grain-fallow rotation depending on species of green manure crops and ways of their embedding in the soil. Pea-oats mixture, rape, clover and embedding techniques by plowing to the depth of 20-22 cm and by disking to the depth of 10-12 cm were assessed. On the average for 2 years, the seeds used in the trial were infected by a complex of pathogens: to a greater degree by fungi Alternaria sp. (70.4 %), to the least degree by Bipolaris sp. (4.2), Fusarium sp. (1.7), Penicillium sp. (0.2), and Mucor sp. (0.5%). Total affection of wheat seedlings was 77.3%. Disking green manure crops to the depth of 10-12 cm contributes to reduced root rot propagation in spring wheat at the seedling stage as compared with plowing to the depth of 20-22 cm after pea-oats mixture, rape, and clover by 5.1, 5.4, and 7.8%, respectively, and to increased yields by 0.5-0.6 t/ha. The best plant ameliorant against root rot is rape, when it is disked to the depth of 10-12 cm. Meanwhile, the increase in spring wheat productivity reached 0.45 t/ha on the average for 2 years. Clover as a soil improver against the background of disking its green mass significantly reduces root rot propagation at the seedling and flowering stages of wheat by 4.0 and 8.6%, respectively, and provides the increase in wheat grain yield by 0.6 t/ha.

There is presented the history of potato breeding development under severe conditions of Narym. Work on studying field management for cultivating and variety trialing potato began in 1912 in the Tiskinskoe Experimental Field. The further study of potato was carried out in the experimental fields of the Siberian Taiga Station. Potato breeding work has been done since 1939 at the Narym State Breeding Station, and since 2006 at the Siberian Research Institute of Agriculture and Peat (SibNIISKHIT). As a result, 15 potato varieties have been developed and included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements. In the paper are given archival documents and reports of the Siberian Taiga Station, Tiskinskoe and Chainskoe Experimental Fields, Comprehensive Agricultural Station of the Narym North, Narym State Breeding Station (nowadays, Narym Department of Breeding and Seed Production, SibNIISKHIT).

There were studied 40 accessions from collection of winter rye of different ecological and geographical origin bred home and abroad. Investigations were carried out in 2010-2013. Experiments were laid down on plots of 1 sq m area with a seeding rate of 300 seeds per plot in two replications. The standard cultivar Petrovna was sown in 10 numbers. Samples of 10 plants from each plot were selected for structural analysis. Breeding values of the samples studied were defined. As to a complex of economic characters, breeding material was selected to be used in subsequent breeding programs. As sources of valuable traits to be involved in the crossing process were selected the most adaptive varieties such as Volkhova 2, Voskhod 1, Immunnaya 6, Narymchanka, Novozybkovskaya 2, Sarumros 5, Snezhana, Othello 2, Estsepan 415, which demonstrated sufficient winter hardiness, high thousand-kernel weight and seed productivity under conditions of the northern taiga zone.

Results are given from experiments conducted in 2005-2006 to study the effect of different backgrounds of mineral fertilizers on yields and quality of brewer’s barley varieties in the Northern Trans-Ural. The most high-producing varieties were revealed to be Acha and Danuta with 39.1 to 48.7 centner per ha. The average yield for the period of study made up 43.3 centner per ha against the background of N60P60K60, 42.0 with N60P60, 41.9 with N60, and 41.5 centner per ha with N60K60. The maximum values of such a quality indicator as thousand-kernel weight were shown by Sonet and Danuta varieties (47.8-53.8 g). It was established that chaff in all the varieties studied made up from 7.37 to 9.2 % with the State’s Standard value of not more than 9 %, and grain-unit from 625 to 685 g/l with the State’s Standard value beginning from 610 g/l. The best plump condition of kernel was in Sonet and Danuta varieties (88.3-91.2 %) that corresponded to the class I. The highest protein content was in Annabel (9.57-10.54 %) and Acha (9.67-11.49 %) varieties. The maximum extract content was in Sonet, Annabel, and Danuta (79.3-81.6 %). As for a number of characters were distinguished the varieties Acha, Danuta, Annabel, and Sonet. The grain of these varieties corresponds to the requirements of State’s Standard, and can be proposed as raw material for brewing.

Results are given from cluster analysis of oat (Avena sativa L.) as to a complex of agronomic traits in initial breeding material of 1999-2007 collection nurseries of 162 accessions. Based on cluster analysis as to the maximum correlation coefficient (rmax = 0.63-0.94) were selected the samples having a close positive relationship with local oat varieties Pokrovsky and Yakutsk-1708 bred at the Yakut Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture. There are presented data of three dendrograms showing clustering as to the maximum correlation coefficient between accessions of 1999-2007 collection nurseries under conditions of permafrost-taiga pale-yellow light-loam soils of Yakutia. There were selected parental forms from 4 to 7 clusters, which included samples from Ivanovo, Tomsk and Omsk Regions, Altai Territory, Finland, Australia, Germany and Hungary to create new varieties of oat fit for rigorous conditions of Yakutia.

Material is given from a review of foreign literature data on using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDRS) in plant protection. Currently, the main method for accounting for the degree of infestation by plant pathogens is that of visual determination based on visual assessment of infection symptoms on different scales. It is shown that for early detection of pathogens and evidence of involvement in the pathogenesis is possible to use different variations of the EDRS. The preliminary studies carried out at the Siberian Research Institute of Fodder Crops with the use of this method have confirmed this possibility. It is shown that herbarium specimens of affected plants can be used in research for comparison with healthy ones. Quantitative and qualitative differences have been revealed in the composition of elements: thus, the potassium content in affected tissues is significantly higher than that in healthy plants.

There is considered a possibility to obtain transplant seedlings with protective soil-root structures in ground greenhouses not equipped with bridge systems. There were established limit parameters of the protective zone for such operations on forming soil-root structures of transplants as cutting the root system in horizontal plane, and slotting it in vertical plane. The complex developed allows us to use technological capabilities of bridge systems while growing transplants with protective soil-root structures on the principally new base (without rigid guide track). It has been established that operations on forming protective soil-root structures while growing transplants under conditions of size-limited protective zone round the root system provide higher dynamics of plant development. The rate of root weight gain in the experimental variants reached 0.57-0.86 g/day (0.20 g/day in the control), the rate of stem-and-leaf apparatus up to 1.95-2.8652 g/day (1.15 g/day in the control). It is shown that 3 cm decrease in size of the protective zone does not significantly influence root weight gains that has allowed us to build allowance for source requirements to developing mobile complex. With that, transplants are formed more compact in volume and shape that is important for mechanized planting.

There was conducted an analysis of the most common methods for assessing ecological plasticity in wheat varieties and lines proposed by R.A. Udachin, S. Eberhart and B. Russell, G.Tai, S.P. Martynov. It has been found that the use of methods proposed by Eberhart and Russell as well as by Tai requires a great set of varieties and long cycle of assessing ecological plasticity. These methods can not establish a tendency towards forming plasticity in the step breeding. The Martynov’s assessment method allows evaluating a tendency towards plasticity formation in a variety developed but only as to such an index as “variety stability”. It has been established that the Udachin’s methods are most efficient in practice. This technique allows evaluating ecological plasticity in samples at different stages of the breeding process by testing them against two agricultural backgrounds, as a minimum, with the use of the random repetition method, and uses indices of intensity and stability. A new variant of analytical expression for stability index has been suggested. The use of the index suggested was shown to be efficient for assessing a variety; certain values of the index typical for West Siberian conditions are given. An approach allowing us to expand information facilities for assessing variety responses to improvement of the environment has been ground.

There was conducted a search for environmentally friendly regulators of malting barley, which allowed reducing time of germination and weight losses with quality of malt maintained. Laboratory experiments have proved that the growth regulators prepared from plant material by mechanochemical activation (nanobiocomposites) have a significant impact on malting of Acha cultivar of brewer’s barley. It has been established that germination of seeds at 20 °C during 5 days is accompanied by the rapid growth of roots and shoots (malt weight loss reaches 26-29%); 3-day germination decreases losses down to 1.6-7.6%, but remains malting unfinished. The composite CL-06 prepared from larch bark stimulates starch and protein fermentation as evidenced by increased glucoamylase activity as well as glucose and formol nitrogen content rising as compared to the control. Malting mode at the room temperature with CL-06 addition at 10 mg/g dose makes it possible to reduce germination time and cut costs for cooling grain comparably to the standard technology. It has been proved that the composites studied enhance the fermentation activity at low temperature (14-15 °C) that allows obtaining malt of good or satisfactory quality during 4 to 5 days. The CL-06 composite of larch bark at 10mg/g dose was demonstrated as the most stable and promising regulator for reduced malting period.

Results are given from experiments on using the nanostructured drug Sky-Force given to broiler chickens with drinking water to prevent and treat intestinal diseases of bacterial etiology. Systemic condition of a broiler, its body weight at the age of 36 days, safety, clinical signs of the disease and timing of recovery were taken into account in the experiments. It was proved that Sky-Force in doses of 25 and 100 mg/kg b.w. contributed to the recovery of the chickens from colibacteriosis, and increased the average daily liveweight gains as compared with the other chemotherapeutic agents. Its efficacy is higher than that of pentacycline and chemotherapeutic agents used at farms. Higher rates of liveweight gains and safety in chickens were observed in all the experiments against the background of using Sky-Force. Any side effects on the chicken’s organism have not been detected. It has been concluded that Sky-Force is of interest to veterinary practice as a chemotherapeutic agent and substitute for antibiotics, to which resistant strains of pathogenic bacteria have already formed.

There was studied the action of photosensitizer methylene blue in concentrations of 0.02, 0.1, and 1.0%, and exposure time of optical radiation of 15 minutes on the protozoa Paramecium caudatum. A light-emitting diode with output power of 3500 milliwatts and wavelength of 620 nanometers was used as a light source. In the first experiment, methylene blue dye solution in the concentrations stated above was added to paramecium suspension in the same proportion; optical irradiation was not performed; mobility of paramecia and time to death were evaluated. It was found that survival times of paramecia made up 15, 10, and 3 minutes as influenced by photosensitizer solutions in concentrations of 0.02, 0.1, and 1.0%, respectively. In the control group, mobility of paramecia did not change. In the second experiment, paramecia were irradiated for 15 minutes. The control group of paramecia was irradiated without photosensitizer. Survival times of paramecia in the second experiment made up 5, 2, and 1 minutes in solutions with photosensitizer concentrations of 0.02, 0.1, and 1.0%, respectively. Mobility of paramecia of the control group did not change. It has been found that the impact of optical radiation on the photosensitizer solution 2-5 times accelerates the death of paramecia, and the magnitude of the antimicrobial action is in direct proportion to the solution concentration and exposure time of optical radiation. This method is promising for the treatment of infectious diseases caused by antibiotic-resistant microorganisms.

There was studied the incidence rate for infecting sheep with gastrointestinal and respiratory helminths. The work was done in the Republic of Altai. By the long-term (2003-2013) investigations were revealed insignificant annual fluctuations in infestation of sheep. Indices of invasion extensiveness varied from 63.4 to 85.8 % including those on certain helminthoses, and averaged 78.9 %. Dominant elements in helminth complex of sheep were found to be Strongylata, subdominant Protostrongylidae. The average rates for infections by helminths and helminth complex structure are stable enough that is indicative of the dynamic equilibrium of the parasitogenic system. It is shown that scheduled dehelmintization measures, even with the use of high-efficacious anthelmintics reducing intensity of the epizootic process, do not influence its extensiveness on the whole that is indicative only of their regulatory role in regard to the magnitude of vermin population. The total pressure of anthropogenic factors (dehelmintization, pascual prophylaxis, stock-raising technology, and other) aimed at reducing helminth populations is compensated by adaptive accommodations of parasites that allows them to restore the magnitude of population and helminth complex structure.

Results are given from investigations into the cytomictic activity in the microspore mother cells in smooth bromegrass samples of natural populations, and in material subjected to such breeding technologies as hybridization and polyploidy. There was revealed the frequency of occurrence of the cytomixis at the two levels of organization of biological systems: population and cell. The cytomixis in smooth bromegrass populations occurs with the frequency of 8.9%. It is shown that breeding material and cultivars are more genetically unstable than natural populations. It has been established that the frequency of occurrence of the cytomixis among plants of breeding populations is much higher than in wild: 16.76 and 1.34%, respectively. A similar pattern is observed in cellular systems as well: 10.30 and 1.08, respectively. It has been concluded that wild flora of Siberia can be widely used in breeding.

The yields and main agronomic characters of oat varieties bred at the Narym State Breeding Station (since 2006, the Narym Department of the Siberian Research Institute of Agriculture and Peat) were analyzed to determine ones most adaptable to local conditions. Results revealed that air temperature and precipitation have a complex impact on the development and formation of economic traits in oats. As to the duration of the growing season, the varieties studied are related to four maturity groups: early ripening (Tayozhnik), medium-early (Metis, Megion, Mustang), mid-ripening (Narymsky, Togurchanin), and medium-late (Talisman). Warmth deficit and excess rainfall increased the length of the growing period, especially in the second half of the vegetation season. Excess rainfall reduces resistance of oats to lodging. Oats productivity increases, when weather conditions are close to the long-term norm. The highly productive varieties are Talisman and Togurchanin (4.21-4.01 t/ha), less productive one is Narymsky 943 (3.40 t/ha). As to grain size, Narymsky 943 is a leader: its average thousand-kernel weight has made up 40.2 g. Talisman variety has the smallest grain of 36.7 g. Oats generates high chaff under unfavorable conditions of warm and moisture availability. All the varieties studied, except Narymsky 943, are low chaffy, and are proved to be valuable as to grain quality.

The results of five-year research have shown that hydrothermal conditions of the growing season, especially, the amount of precipitation in July, play a crucial role in canola yield formation on southern chernozem in Northern Kazakhstan. In dry years (hydrothermic coefficient by Selyaninov in July < 0.4), oilseed gains from fertilizers did not exceed 0.15 t/ha, and as a result, only the use of nitroammophos in a dose of N20P20 was paid off without subsidies. In moderately wet years (hydrothermic coefficient in July is 1.0-1.5), oilseed gains increased up to 0.5-0.6 t/ha, and the use of phosphorus and nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers was profitable regardless of a level of subsidies. The application of nitrogen fertilizer was ineffective regardless of the hydrothermal conditions of the growing season. It was established that moderately wet year’s water consumption by canola, as influenced by phosphorus and nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers, decreased from 35 mm to 17-19 mm per 0.1 t of oilseeds.

Results are given from investigations into the influence of seed potato mass and planting density on productivity and quality of Latona cultivar of early potato under conditions of the south of Kyrgyzstan. It was established that the yield of early potato significantly depended on the factors studied. The optimum density for planting medium and large tubers was revealed to be 65.4 ths per ha. In these variants, potato productivity after deduction of seeds was high. Marketability of tubers from seed potatoes weighing 80-100 g was 4.25-9.2 % higher as compared with that from small and medium seeds. The yield structure and marketability of early potato was analyzed depending on seed potato mass and planting density. As planting density increased, the average weight of tubers decreased with a part of small fractions in the harvest increased, and large ones decreased.

Morphological traits of the vegetative and reproductive organs of Catawba rhododendron cultivated in the arboretum of the V.L. Komarov Mountain-Taiga Station are described. An investigation into the rhythm of seasonal development has shown that Catawba rhododendron under conditions of the arboretum belongs to a group of plants with late beginning and late end of vegetation. Blossoming begins at the effective temperature sum of 412-505 °C and lasts 12 days depending on weather conditions of a year. The success of introduction and acclimatization was evaluated by the N.A. Kohno method. It has been established that Catawba rhododendron is related to plants with the full degree of acclimatization. It demonstrates the success of adaptation of the plant to local environmental and climatic conditions and the practicability of further work on reproduction and cultivation of the plant. Complex evaluation of ornamental qualities by 10 criteria has revealed high degree of Catawba rhododendron ornamentality.