This article describes the history of the industrial development of the essential oil industry and the prospects for cultivating such essential oil crops as dill and coriander, including in the territory of Transbaikalia. Data are provided on the volume of essential oil production in Russia in different years. The noted morphobiological features of dill and coriander suggest the possibility of obtaining a high yield of fruits when they are cultivated by agricultural producers in the dry steppe zone of Transbaikalia. For the first time, in the conditions of the dry steppe zone of Transbaikalia, field research was carried out to study the effectiveness of some agricultural practices for cultivating zoned varieties of dill and coriander. The results of three years of research (2021-2023) on the formation of fruit yield of plants of the Umbrella family with a one-year development cycle - dill (Gribovsky, Lesnogorodsky varieties) and coriander (Karibe variety) in the driest soil-climatic zone of Transbaikalia are summarized. It was revealed that the heat supply of the growing season affects the formation of the fruit yield of the studied crops. The highest fruit yield was obtained from the Gribovsky dill variety at an average sowing time, and from the Lesnogorodsky variety when sowing early. At the same time, the Gribovsky variety is superior in yield to the Lesnogorodsky variety. The coriander variety Caribe provided the maximum fruit yield at a late sowing time in all years of research. In general, the soil and climatic conditions of the dry steppe zone of Transbaikalia make it possible to obtain a harvest of aromatic dill and coriander at the level of other regions of Russia, which determines the future development of essential oil crop production in our region.

Relevance. The use of chemical fungicides in protecting plants from pathogens is the most common way, despite the proven danger of pesticides. The use of biofungicides based on essential oils of medicinal plants, which also have phytoncidal properties, can be a suitable alternative to chemical preparations. In the years favorable for the development of alternariosis or cladosporiosis, spots appear on the plants, leading to necrosis and significant loss of seed productivity. Therefore, the search for new effective and safe means of combating fungal phytopathogens becomes relevant.Methods. Alternaria alternata (2018-1.1) and Cladosporium cladosporioides (2019-11.4) strains were isolated from leaves with signs of alternariosis and cladosporiosis, on which the essential oils Abies alba, Artemisia vulgaris, Caryophyllus aromaticus, Coriandrum sativum, Lavandula officinalis, Ocimum basilicum, Pimpinella anisum, Rosmarinus officinalis, Salvia sclarea, Thymus vulgaris. The antifungal activity of essential oils was evaluated by comparing the diameter of the experimental (with the addition of essential oil to the Petri dish) and control colonies using the author’s scale.Results. All studied essential oils had antifungal properties, but species-specificity was observed. Essential oils of basil, coriander and thyme showed a fungicidal effect on C. cladosporioides and A. alternata. Lavender oil proved to be a fungicide for A. alternata and a strong fungistatic for C. cladosporioides. To create biological products for plant protection against alternariosis, sage essential oil (moderate fungistatic effect) may also be of interest, and cladosporiosis - anise and rosemary oils.

Essential oil crops and their essential oils are widely used in perfumery, cosmetic and food industries, traditional and folk medicine. The most important qualitative characteristic of essential oil crops is the content, component and enantiomeric composition of essential oils. Basil (Ocimum basilicum L. and Ocimum tenuiflorum L.) and hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis L.) belong to the promising essential oil crops for cultivation in the soil and climatic conditions of the Republic of Belarus. In the Belarusian State Agricultural Academy has created a number of varieties of essential oil crops, including 3 varieties of basil Ocimum basilicum L., 1 variety of basil Ocimum tenuiflorum L.) and 1 variety of hyssop Hyssopus officinalis L. The new varieties of basil and hyssop are characterized by a complex of morphometric, morphological and phenological sings.In the studies of the Belarusian State Agricultural Academy and the Belarusian State Technological University, the yield and content of essential oils of new zoned varieties of basil and common hyssop were analyzed. Using the method of enantioselective gas chromatography, the component and enantiomeric composition of essential oils of the studied varieties was determined. As a result of the research, it was determined that each variety has its own characteristic component and enantiomeric composition of essential oils. The studied varieties of basil and common hyssop contained up to 20 and 18 different components of essential oils respectively. The features of the component and enantiomeric composition of essential oils allow identifying the already created varieties of essential oil crops, as well as carrying out their selection to create varieties with certain properties.