Relevance. In modern vegetable growing in the southern and central regions of Russia, new scientific developments are widely used, including the use of new varieties and hybrids, a drip irrigation system, fertigation with soluble fertilizers with microelements. All these agricultural practices make it possible to increase the yield of vegetable crops by several times, as well as to significantly increase the efficiency of applied fertilizers. The purpose of our work was to establish the effectiveness of the use of calculated doses of mineral fertilizers for tomato with the main application and top dressing under drip irrigation.Methodology. Research in 2019-2021 on ordinary heavy loamy chernozem of the experimental field of the Birutchecutskaya Vegetable Experimental Station – branch of FSBSI Federal Scientific Vegetable Center (Rostov Region, Novocherkassk) with a new variety of tomato Krasny banker.Results. It was revealed that without fertilization, the yield of tomatoes was at the level of 32-35 t/ha; the use of the recommended dose of N120P120K120 in the main application increased the yield to 64- 72 t/ha; the use of the estimated dose of mineral fertilizers (for a yield of 100 t/ha) increased the yield of tomatoes to 95 t/ha. The use of three-fold root feeding of plants with drip irrigation increased the yield by 21%, and with foliar feeding – by 2-8%. As a root top dressing for drip irrigation, a solution of microcrystalline water-soluble fertilizer "Master" with a different ratio of nutrients was used, and for foliar top dressing, an organomineral nanofertilizer with growth-stimulating activity "Arksoil KKR" was used. In general, a set of agrochemical practices made it possible to increase the tomato yield under drip irrigation from 33.7 to 102.8 t/ha, more than 3 times, without reducing the dry matter content in fruits and without nitrate contamination of products.

Relevance. Fertigation is the application of fertilizers, in which nutrients are dissolved in water for irrigation. This method is relevant when growing eggplant in the Rostov region, allowing effective use of fertilizers, since nutrients enter directly into the roots of plants, which eliminates their loss to evaporation or weathering. During fertigation, there is no need to carry out separate procedures for fertilization and irrigation, operations are combined into one, which reduces time and costs. The Rostov region is characterized by variable climatic conditions, including drought and strong winds. Fertigation ensures uniform and constant nutrition of plants, allowing them to better adapt to weather conditions, and can help increase yields by optimizing plant growth and development conditions.Material and methodology. In the conditions of the Rostov region, on ordinary heavy loamy chernozems, studies were conducted on the cultivation of eggplant on different backgrounds of the main application of mineral fertilizers in calculated doses before planting and using root fertilizing with complex fertilizers with trace elements with irrigation (fertigation), as well as leaf fertilizing with organomineral fertilizer Arksoil during the growing season.Results. It was revealed that mineral fertilizers and top dressing accelerated the growth and development of plants, and in the best case, the increase in indicators was 2 times higher compared with the control, while the height of the main stem, the number of lateral shoots and the number of ovaries on the plant, as well as the average weight of the fruit, significantly increased, which ensured an increase in plant productivity. The combined use of basic fertilizer and complex soluble fertilizers in the drip irrigation system has significantly increased plant productivity and increased yields to 77.82 t/ha. The application of high doses of fertilizers in combination with fertigation with water-soluble fertilizers did not actually affect the quality of fruits. The content of dry matter and nitrates remained at an optimal level.

Relevance. Irrigation of agricultural crops plays a key role not only in increasing the yield of these crops, but also in preserving it, especially under stressful temperature conditions. One of the effective methods of water conservation during irrigation is drip irrigation. Drip irrigation technology allows you to accurately dose water, taking into account the needs of specific crops and maintaining an optimal level of soil moisture. It is important to note that this technology helps save water and reduce the risk of soil overmoistening. In addition to drip irrigation, there is also aerosol irrigation. This irrigation technology allows more efficient use of water resources and provides optimal conditions for the ground air layer for the growth and development of plants under stressful temperature conditions.Methods. The objectives of the study are to study the technologies and technical means of irrigation of a young cherry orchard to maintain optimal modes through the use of drip irrigation with aerosol irrigation in the Central part of the Non-Chernozem zone of Russia. During the research, two factors were analyzed: studying the impact of various irrigation methods and moistening volumes on the formation of trees of the Gostinets and Zhukovskaya varieties of sweet cherry.Results. The field experiment is conducted on the territory of «Kolomenskaya Yagoda» LLC in the Moscow Region. The conducted studies have shown that the selected irrigation method using a combined irrigation system on sod-podzolic soils in the central part of the Non-Chernozem zone of Russia for growing a young cherry orchard of the Gostinets and Zhukovskaya cherry varieties meets the criteria of environmental safety and economic efficiency.Conclusion. From the point of view of profitability, it is most effective to grow a young cherry orchard by maintaining humidity in the root zone of the soil within 80-100% of the lowest moisture capacity and relative humidity of the ground air layer in the range of 55-70%.

Relevance. The year-round provision of the population of our country with fresh vegetable products remainsis relevant. The creation and widespread implementation of high-tech automated phytotechnological complexes based on innovative technologies for growing plants in intensive light culture, including the development of new-generation root-dwelling environments, low-volume and thin-layer analogs of soil and systems for providing plants with water and mineral nutrition elements, is one of the promising ways to solve this problem.The purpose. Assessment of the influence of root environment conditions on the production process of cucumber plants in intensive light culture is the aim of our work.Methods. The research was carried out under controlled conditions of intensive artificial-light culture, when growing a hybrid of cucumber Tristan F1 by using of low-volume and thin-layer analogs of soil with the supply of a nutrient solution to the plant roots through a slit capillary and by drip irrigation with the use of plant growing light equipment developed at Agrophysical Institute.Results. Evaluation of the influence of the conditions of the root environment - alow-volume analogue of the soil based on high-moor peat – agrophyte and a thin-layer analog of the soil based on a clay suspension with a feed of nutrient solution through a slit capillary, on the production process of cucumber plants showed that in comparison with the control – a low-volume analog of the soil-agrophyte with a feed of nutrient solution by drip irrigation, there is growth acceleration of the cucumber hybrid Tristan F1 in the form of a positive trend and reliable values; as well as a significant increase in the number of fruits by 38-43%, the weight of fruits by 52-53% from the plant; an increase in the accumulation of raw by 38-40% and dry weight by 27-32% by cucumber leaves; an increase in the leaf surface area by 38-40%, leaf water content by 7.3- 9.6%; a significant or positive trend increase in the content of calcium in cucumber fruits by 18-29%, magnesium by 20-29%, iron by 5-16%, vitamin C by 17-23%, while the content of heavy metals and nitrates does not exceed exceeded the MPC in all variants. Methods of growing plants on low-volume and thin - layer analogs of soil with the supply of a nutrient solution to the roots through a slit capillary can be recommended for any cultivation facilities in conditions of intensive light culture.

Relevance. Currently, there is a problem of satisfying the demand in the domestic market for fruit and berry products in accordance with current recommendations. One of the ways to intensify agricultural production is the use of resource-saving technologies, which include drip irrigation. The issues of regulating the water balance of the soil when growing planting material for fruit crops in modern conditions require experimental studies aimed at studying the biological characteristics of economically important plants and their reactions to the complex of external environmental factors.Methods. Field studies were conducted on the territory of the educational experimental farm of the Michurinsky Garden fruit growing laboratory of the Russian State Agrarian University - Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy. A two-factor experience in the study of different ranges of moisture for the formation of varietal plum seedlings grafted on plum tree stock was laid in the spring of 2018. The first factor included options for maintaining soil moisture in the range of: 1) 60-80% of the lowest moisture capacity; 2) 70-90% of the lowest moisture capacity; 3) 80-100% of the lowest moisture capacity; 4) control (without irrigation). Plum varieties “Mashenka” and “Utro” were the second factor.Results. Constructed humidification contours according to the years of research and experimental options showed that drip irrigation contributes to the optimum moisture concentration in the soil for seedlings. The most developed root system compared with the control was obtained on irrigated options with maintaining humidity in the range of 70-90 and 80-100% of the lowest moisture capacity. Here, the maximum values of the volume of the root system, the number of roots and the average root length are obtained. It was revealed that in the variants with irrigation, the root system of seedlings spreads in the upper layer (mainly 20-30 cm) and stretches along the line with droppers.

Relevanse. An important condition for the effectiveness of gardening is the systematic replacement of old plantings with new ones. The supply of planting material to the industry is important. Imported planting material does not always meet quality requirements and is not always adapted to the soil and climatic conditions of the region in which fruit and berry plantings are planted. Despite the spread of low-volume irrigation, for the regions of the Central Non-Black Earth Region (Central NonChernozem region) of Russia, only a few studies have been carried out to study drip irrigation regimes for fruit and berry nurseries, therefore, issues related to the development of rational irrigation regimes are of particular relevance.Methods. Field research was carried out on the territory of the educational and experimental farm of the Michurinsky Garden fruit growing laboratory of the Russian State Agrarian University Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy from 2011 to 2022. Field experiments on growing one-year-old, twoyear-old and three-year-old seedlings were carried out in triplicate according to the following options: 1) control (without irrigation), 2) maintaining the moisture content of the root layer in the range of 60-80 %, 3) 70-90% and 4) 80-100% of the lowest moisture capacity. The obtained experimental data were processed using regression analysis methods.Results. The resulting mathematical and statistical models make it possible to calculate the bioclimatic coefficients of plum, cherry, raspberry, pear and apple seedlings depending on pre-irrigation soil moisture and the sum of average daily temperatures for the conditions of the Central NonChernozem Zone of Russia. All the fruit and berry crops under consideration are characterized by a general pattern that, depending on the sum of average daily temperatures, bioclimatic coefficients change according to a parabolic dependence, and have minimum values at the beginning of the growing season, reach maximum values during the period of intensive growth of seedlings and gradually decrease towards the end of the growing season.

Relevance and methods. In the dry steppe zone of flat Dagestan, the beneficial effect of drip irrigation in combination with organic fertilizers on the yield and quality of Almaz eggplant fruits has been proven. Results. It was established that out of the three studied soil moisture thresholds (70, 80 and 90% HB), the best conditions for plant growth and development, optimization of their photosynthetic activity are created at a moisture threshold of 80% HB in combination with the introduction of 40 t / ha manure + N320P120K210. The combination of factors under study makes it possible to increase the leaf surface index by an average of 24.3%, which contributes to an increase in the photosynthetic potential by 15.7% and an increase in the efficiency of the use of photosynthetically active radiation by crops by 2.5 times in comparison with the unfertilized background by 90% НВ. In conditions of a shortage of irrigation water, drip irrigation in combination with fertigation in the form of three root fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers increases the efficiency of its use by reducing the water consumption for the formation of a unit of production from on average with 164.8 to 66.4 m3 /t. It has been proven that the best combination of yield-forming factors ensuring the highest eggplant yield - 62.3…63,6 t / ha, is the use of drip irrigation with the maintenance of soil moisture in the active 0.5 m layer during the growing season within 80...100% HB in the complex with the introduction of 40 t / ha of manure and N320P120K210.

Relevance. The use of irrigation is one of the directions of intensification of fruit growing. Drip irrigation is considered one of the promising methods of irrigation, which provides the creation of the most favorable conditions for the growth and development of plants, makes it possible to supply irrigation water directly to their roots and allows the use of automation tools in the irrigation process. The results of ongoing scientific research show that changes in the water-physical and agrochemical properties of soils can be observed on irrigated lands. For the Central Region of the Non-Chernozem Zone of Russia, studies on the influence of drip irrigation on soil properties are fragmentary.Methods. Field studies were conducted on the territory of the educational experimental farm of the Michurinsky Garden fruit growing laboratory of the Russian State Agrarian University - Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy. A two-factor experience in the study of different ranges of moisture for the formation of varietal plum seedlings grafted on plum tree stock was laid in the spring of 2018. Before setting up the experiment, organic fertilizers were introduced in the form of horse manure with sawdust in the amount of 100 t/ha. Soil moisture was controlled using tensiometers, calibrated based on the data of the thermostat-weight method. Irrigation rates were set in such a way as to increase the moisture content by 20% of the lowest moisture capacity. The identification of the main agrochemical and water-physical properties of the soil in the experimental plot was carried out according to generally accepted methods and techniques.Results. The data obtained on the characteristics of the water-physical and agrochemical properties of sod-podzolic soil make it possible to reasonably design the irrigation regime, reclamation and agrotechnical measures. The results of the study show that the local irrigation of soils with sparing irrigation rates with the application has led to certain changes in some soil parameters. However, the obtained research results suggest that in quantitative terms, these changes are not yet significant.

Humic compounds occupy the important place in the chain plant – water. Their application in technologies for vegetable plant growing with the use of drip irrigation enables to increase the coefficient of nutrient compound assimilation from soil with applied fertilizers. The preparation ‘Lighohumate’ presented in the article is integrated fertilizer, possessing the properties of anti-stress, immunomodulator and sticking agent. This preparation has the highest content of humic acids to 20% for liquid and to 90% for dried, consequently it has a powerful influence on plant organism, opening hidden biological  reserves, and improving  the crop  productivity.  The experimental tests showed that ‘Lighohumate’ application trough drip irrigation system together with foliage fertilizers had given significant yield augmentation; 5-20% depending on medium and technology in vegetable crops cultivated with different agricultural techniques. The permanent speeding-up from 3 to 12 days was noticed in the course of plant development with increase of early yield outcome. ‘Lighohumate’  can be used as seed treatment agent as well as foliage fertilizer and already applied giving a result in many vegetable production enterprises.

Dagestan is the largest region with irrigation system of agriculture in Russia. Irrigated lands provide 70% of total plant production. The field cultivation is carried on arable land in plain region of the republic. The drip irrigation as an ecologically safe technology for watering is regarded as major means for vegetable production farming. This approach maintains the propitious level of water and air in the soil without surface and deep drainage of irrigating water. These irrigated lands are expected to be used first of all for valuable and profitable crops such as tomato that is a leading crop in Dagestan. The experimental work was carried out at OOO ‘Dagagrocomplex’, Aleksandro-Nevskoye, in Tarumovskiy region. The aim of the study was to determinate the optimal dose of mineral fertilizers and the way of their application to improve the productivity without quality loss. The complex analysis of the technology for tomato production under drip irrigation through nontransplanting culture showed its high efficiency, because volume and quality of yield directly depended on soil moisture and precise supporting of mineral nutrition rates. The maximal yield of tomato fruits, 88.7-94.5 t/ha was observed with once mineral fertilizer application at a dose of N180P135K60 with soil humidity 70-80% (field moisture capacity), and also at the dose of N180P135K60 with basic application of N100 in nutrition rate. The result of the study showed that the optimization of two factors, namely soil water rate and mineral nutrition, enabled to produce additionally 39.2 t/ha. It was shown the tight connection between yielding and its quality; when yielding 95 t/ha, the increased contents of dry matter to 7.01%, sugar to 3.8% vitamin C to 18.46% were noticed. The high quality of produced output was supported by pre-watering threshold of moisture at 75-80% (field moisture capacity), when once fertilizer application at a dose of N180P135K60.