Relevance. Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) is an economically important vegetable crop grown all over the world. This is an annual, cold-resistant and early-ripening crop, cultivated both in protected and open ground. Therefore, there is a need for a wide diversity of varieties and hybrids adapted to specific conditions. The State Register of Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation contains 67 varieties and hybrids of spinach, of which 66% are foreign hybrid selection. The creation of domestic spinach hybrids is complicated by the lack of well-studied initial material: aligned genotypes of the gynoecic type, combining high yield, early maturity and rich biochemical composition.Materials and Methods. Genetic diversity of crops – potential for breeding and active study in the light of modern knowledge and technologies. The spinach collection collected at the Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR), which has a 90- year history, includes 744 samples and is the largest in the world. It is unique in the diversity and origin of its accessions.Results. The collection contains high-yielding, early-ripening, late-blooming genotypes; lines with a predominance of the female type of flowering, polyploids are being created. Characteristic groups have been created based on plasticity and high content of valuable biochemicals. As a result of many years of comprehensive study of the spinach collection, the genotypes recommended for inclusion in breeding schemes were identified.Conclusion. The diverse, well-studied gene pool of spinach preserved at the institute is capable of providing unlimited opportunities for breeding and meeting the needs of the country's population, enriching the diet with leafy crop rich in pigments, lutein and protein, with a high content of phenolic elements and antioxidant activity.

Relevance. Integrated methods of field analysis and PCR diagnostics of potato varieties allow us to evaluate genotypes suitable for breeding in the Western Siberia zone. The paper presents the results of the study carried out at the Omsk Agrarian Scientific Center in 2021- 2023. The purpose of the study is to conduct an integrated assessment using laboratory and field diagnostics to identify potato varieties with a set of economically useful traits.Material and Methods. A collection of 23 potato samples was studied in the experiments. The cultivation technology is adopted for the zone. The predecessor is spring wheat. Observations and records were carried out in accordance with the "Methodological recommendations of the All-Russian Research Institute of Potato Growing", "Guidelines for specialized assessment of potato varieties" and the "Modern methods of pathogen diagnostics.". Statistical data processing was carried out according to the method of B.A. Dospekhov. Determination of starch content was carried out by specific gravity in combination with molecular diagnostics, including a primer for determining the starch content gene, and a polymerase chain reaction was also carried out using SSR markers that determine resistance to viruses X, Y, S, L and late blight.Results. As a result of the combination of approaches, samples with a complex of features were isolated, namely, Khozayushka – yield – 24.3 t / ha, a complex of genes for resistance to viruses X / L / S, starch content – 18.6%, no wateriness, flouriness and high taste. Vecherniy Omsk – yield – 24.7 t/ha, presence of genes for resistance to late blight. Spectr – yield – 24.4 t/ha, complex of genes for resistance to X/L/S viruses, starch content – 17.3%. Sample 52-17 – yield – 23.6 t/ha, presence of genes for resistance to late blight, complex of genes for resistance to Y/L/S viruses. Gala – yield – 25.3 t/ha, presence of genes for resistance to late blight, no darkening of cooked pulp.

Purpose. To obtain and evaluate breeding forms of interspecific allium hybrids based on econom- ically useful characteristics and resistance to downy mildew to replenish the bioresource collection of the genus Allium L.Material and Methods. The studies were carried out on plants of progeny I1-5 from BC1 interspecif- ic allium hybrids of crossing combinations F5 (A. cepa × A. vavilovii) and F5 (A. cepa × A. fistulosum). Morphological assessment was carried out according to the signs of the bulb. Plants in the field were grown using the technology of onion cultivation for this soil and climatic zone. The phytopathological assessment included identifying the nature of onion plants resistance to downy mildew.Results. In a combination of crossing species of A. cepa × A. fistulosum and A. cepa × A. vavilovii, the plants formed bulbs weighing 54.4-100.0 g. The maximum bulb weight is more than 85.0 g in plants, I5BC1(F5(A. cepa × A. vavilovii)). Onion plants mainly showed splitting into yellow and red bulbs. Among the crossing combinations species of A. cepa × A. fistulosum and A. cepa × A. vavilovii, the red coloration of the bulb ranged from 44.0 to 97.0%. In the combination species of A. cepa × A. fistulosum, the broadly elliptical bulb shape prevailed (15-85%). In a combination species crossing of A. cepa × A. vavlovii, plants I3BC1(F5(A. cepa × A. vavilovii)) 95.0% formed elliptical bulbs, and 5.0% formed round bulbs. In plants of the crossing combination species A. cepa × A. fistulosum, the number of plants resistant to downy mildew varied in inbred generations from 42.0 to 49.0%. In combination with the crossing species of A. cepa × A. vavilovii, with an increase in the inbred generation from I1 to I5, the number of plants resistant to downy mildew increased from 50.0 to 74.0%. In the control, 90.0% of unstable plants were noted, as well as their death.Conclusion. The analysis of plants of interspecific allium hybrids from inbred progeny of I1-5 combinations of crosses species of A. cepa × A. vavilovii and A. cepa × A. fistulosum showed the pos- sibility of increasing onion biological resources due to interspecific hybridization, saturating crosses and inbreeding of breeding forms. A morphological assessment of the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the onion plants obtained made it possible to identify promising breeding forms from the progeny of I3BC1(F5(A. cepa × A. fistulosum)) the weight of the bulb is about 100.0 g of elliptical and broadly elliptical shape. Based on a phytopathological assessment, recombinant Allium forms as a genetic source were isolated in the progeny of I5BC1(F5(A. cepa × A. vavilovii)) with 74.0% of plants resistant to downy mildew.

Production and utilization of Allium cepa is the basis of nutritional value and the human health maintainance. The review discusses the main onion biologically active compounds, determining the biological activity of this vegetable, peculiarities of antioxidant and carbohydrate distribution between inner and outer scales, changes in the content and distribution of biologically active compounds and chemical elements in conditions of various abiotic stresses: high temperature, drought, flooding and heavy metal loading. Factors affecting onion pungency and natural antioxidant distribution are included. Special attention is payed to sulphur derivative alkenyl cysteine sulphoxides, and polyphenols and flavonoids, sterols, fructoolygosaccharides, organic acids, amino acids, and minerals. Onion selection on tolerance to the unfavorable environmental factors is discussed. The presented data may be the basis for the direct production of Allium cepa with high yield and valuable nutritional characteristics.

Purpose: to analyze the prospects of using the drip irrigation method for carrot growing and the scientific justification for its improvement.Discussion. Carrots are a vegetable crop necessary for a healthy human diet. Irrigation is an important aspect of the agricultural sector, which affects the yield of vegetable crops, including carrots. In modern conditions of water scarcity, the volume of irrigation water is significantly reduced, which requires the use of water-saving irrigation methods, one of which is drip irrigation. The article presents an overview of the research works of domestic and foreign scientists on the use of drip irrigation in carrot cultivation.Conclusions. The study of drip irrigation technology is an urgent and promising direction in the development of agricultural industry in our country, especially in the south of Russia in conditions of arid climate and water scarcity. Thus, the use of drip irrigation is very effective in growing carrots, when the quantity and quality of the resulting crop directly depend on soil preparation, timely watering and application of mineral fertilizers.

Relevance and research material. In 2023, it was 100 years since the beginning of the collection, study and preservation of the world doublet collection of potatoes (UNU, registration USU_505851) at the Polar Experimental Station of the VIR branch. This is one of the oldest and unique potato collections, the preservation of which is carried out in the field. The first potato samples began to enter the collection in 1923. Now the potato doublet collection has 3200 samples. It includes breeding varieties, hybrids, cultivated South American potato species Solanum andigenum Juz. et Buk, Solanum chilotanum Hawkes.Results. The collection is a unique genetic material that is of high importance in solving issues of improving the efficiency of agriculture in the country. As part of the field collection of potatoes, the source material for dangerous quarantine objects is quite widely presented: potato cancer (Synchytrium endobioticum (Schilb.) Persiva) and globoderosis (Globodera rostochiensis Woll.). There are donors of late blight resistance (Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary.). There is a source material in the collection that has economically valuable characteristics: precocity, frost resistance, yield, marketability. Varieties with a high amount of phenolic compounds in the tuber pulp are also included in the field doublet collection. Such varieties are suitable for dietary nutrition and can be used in the prevention of a number of diseases.Conclusion. The collection of the collection is of great importance for applied research and for ensuring food security of the region and the country as a whole.

Tomato is one of the most important and widely grown vegetables in the world. The aim is to review the key challenges on tomato production and marketing in Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, tomato production is concentrated in river, valleys and lakes, especially in Awash Valley and around Lake Ziway for favorable growing conditions, good access to market outlets and better infrastructure. Tomato production is commercially important for fresh fruit market and processing. Some of tomato varieties that have been in use by farmers are used for processing and for fresh marketing. However, several constraints caused inconsistent of tomato production and low yielding’s are; the shortages of improved varieties, inadequate transport, poor marketing system, poor cultural practices, unreliable rainfall, price fluctuation, product nature (perishability), post-harvest losses, pest and diseases. Lack of market linkages, post-harvest losses, low institutional support, lack inputs and transportation are the key challenges. Small-scale producers are struggling to gain market access, but due to listed challenges the farmers are not selling their produce in an organized system and not getting the right shares. Therefore, critical attentions in harvesting and postharvest operations are very important to reduce losses, to keep quality and market standards. Moreover, addressing both production and market-related challenges are essential to minimize the losses, to access quality goods and to ensure the right shares for producers, distributors, processors and traders.

Relevance. In the “Strategy for Socio-Economic Development of the Republic of Dagestan for the Period until 2030,” one of the main tasks of developing an effective agro-industrial complex and ensuring food security is the rational use of agricultural lands, conducting an inventory and bringing unused lands into circulation. The sandy lands of the republic used for transhumance livestock farming; farming is local in nature. The experience of a number of regions of Russia indicates that sandy lands, with proper development and the availability of water resources, can contribute to the development of irrigated agriculture and their involvement in agricultural use.The purpose of the research was to scientifically substantiating onion agricultural techniques on the sandy lands of flat Dagestan, ensuring a profitable harvest based on a drip irrigation system and the use of growth stimulants.Methods. In the conditions of the flat zone of the Republic of Dagestan, in the conditions of the Makhachkala Educational and Experimental Farm OJSC (Open Joint Stock Company), in 2020, a model experiment launched with the Terek-Kuma sands for growing onions at different crop densities, with different layouts of drip lines and droppers and with the use foliar fertilizing with organomineral fertilizer Biostim universal during the growing season. "Educational and Experimental Farm"Results. It has been established that on sandy lands, sparse sowing of onion seeds is most preferable – 425 thousand plants/ha with plants placed every 0.1 m in a row with a drip line placement pattern of 0.3×0.2 m and the use of a growth stimulator Biostim Universal. This combination of studied agro-technical techniques ensures the production of up to 30 t/ha of marketable products. The calculation of economic efficiency showed a profitability of 163%.

Relevance. Ethiopians have a long history of planting trees, and they have embraced the idea of keeping natural trees with many uses as a distinctive feature of their agricultural landscapes. Farmers use agroforestry practices to maintain a number of species of multipurpose trees. The selection of tree species, their intended benefits, and ecological services are inconsistent due to variability in agroecological conditions. The main problems with Ethiopia's multifunctional agroforestry tree species were also related to management approaches.Therefore, the purpose of this article is to examine the multipurpose agroforestry tree species in Ethiopia, their management methods, and their ecological benefits. In southern Ethiopia, Cordia africana, Millettia ferruginea, Erythrina brucei, and Olea capensis are the main multifunctional tree species used. The northern part of Ethiopia hosts Croton macrostachus, Vernonia amygdalina, Faidherbia albida, Acacia nilotica, Acacia seyal, and Grewia bicolor. The central highlands of Ethiopia are also home to Albizia gummifera, Cordia africana, Croton macrostachus, Ficus vasta, and Vernonia amygdalina. Farmers use coppicing, pollarding, and pruning tree management techniques to balance their survival with integrated crops because trees regenerate naturally. Multipurpose trees offer a range of agro-ecological services, such as improving soil fertility, mitigating erosion, mitigating the impacts of climate change, and maintaining biological diversity.

Relevance. The modern direction of bean breeding is focused on increasing the protein content in seeds and green beans, as well as vitamins, folic acid, biologically active substances and antioxidants, improving organoleptic properties and reducing the content of anti-nutritional substances. When creating the initial material for breeding, the following traits are important: resistance to biotic and abiotic factors, stable high yield, technological effectiveness, bush type and upright form, high symbiotic activity. An effective approach to increasing the genetic diversity of the initial material is radiation mutagenesis.Purpose of research. To study the effect of γ-irradiation of seeds on germination, morphometric parameters and duration of phenophases of Russian bean varieties and to determine the optimal dose of γ-radiation for the radiation mutagenesis protocol.Materials and Methods. Objects of the study – 3 bean varieties bred by Omsk State Agrarian University. The seeds were γ-irradiated (source – 60Co) at doses of 50–200 Gy (dose rate 60 Gy/hour). The seeds were germinated under controlled conditions; germination energy and germination were assessed. The hypocotyl length, number and length of roots were measured in seedlings. The duration of development phases and productivity of plants were assessed. Statistical analysis was performed in R (ver. 4.3.3) and MS Office Excel 2019.Results. Hormesis effect was noted for 50 Gy γ-irradiation dose, which was manifested in higher values of germination energy and seed germination (variety Pamyati Ryzhkova), hypocotyl length (variety Marusya and Pamyati Ryzhkova) and in a decrease in the phenophases duration (variety Omskiy Rubin). Gamma irradiation at all applicable doses statistically significantly inhibited root development. Root length, as the most sensitive parameter to radiation, was chosen to calculate the dose causing a 50% growth reduction (RD50). For the Marusya variety, RD50 was 40 Gy, for the Pamyati Ryzhkova and Omsky Rubin varieties - 60 Gy.Conclusion. Variety specificity was established in the reaction to seed irradiation. Doses of 50 Gy or less (10-50 Gy) can be used to study the hormetic effects of γ-irradiation of bean seeds. Doses of 100 and 200 Gy turned out to be lethal. Starting doses of 40-60 Gy are recommended for the radiation mutagenesis protocols of Russian bean varieties.