Relevance.Medicinal sage is a pharmacopoeial species, a valuable essential oil plant. The method of plantation establishment is predominantly seed-based, and the seed material can retain pathogenic microbiota, so the purpose of the study was to identify mycosis pathogens in the seeds of medicinal sage.Materials and methods. The study was carried out on samples from the biological collection of Salvia officinalis seeds (as part of the Unique Scientific Installation “Biological Collections of the All-Russian Research Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants”). Seeds of the 1st–5th and 9th years of storage were collected from the nurseries of the Experimental Field of the All-Russian Research Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants. Research to identify mycoses of sage seeds was carried out at the All-Russian Research Institute of Phytopathology in the innovative laboratory of microbiology. To study the phytopathogens of Salvia officinalis seeds, the method of artificial nutrient media was used.Results. From the study conducted, the effect of predominant pathogen was established. Fungi of the genus Alternaria, when seeds are stored in conditions with a temperature regime of +20...+22℃, have a negative effect on the sowing quality of seeds. Laboratory germination and germination energy of seeds stored in the cold room (0...+5℃) were affected by yeast, a significant decrease in sowing qualities was observed. When seeds were stored in -18℃, the inhibitory effect of temperature on pathogens was found. The dependence of total pathogen infestation on the conditions and term of seed storage was established. The highest percentage of infestation in seeds stored at room temperature was observed in the first 2 years from the time of collection. The development of pathogenic fungi of Alternaria, Phoma and Rhizopus genus was significantly reduced in seeds stored for 5 to 9 years with temperature conditions of 0...+5℃ and -18℃. Rhizopus, Cladosporium cladosporioides and Clonostachys rosea were found in the sample stored for 38 years in the freezer. The dependence of the set of pathogenic microbiota of seeds on the predecessor in the crop rotation was established. The plots from which seeds were collected, except for the sample from the Crimean zonal experimental station of VILR, have different predecessors. The seeds from the first plot showed the highest percentage of fungal infestation with similar pathogen composition. Total infestation and pathogen composition decreased in the second plot. The sample from the third plot was stored for 5 years in the freezer and no seed mycoses were detected in it.

Relevanse. To reduce the negative impact of drought on the production process of agrocenoses of field crops, the entire complex of agrotechnical and reclamation measures should be used to ensure increased drought resistance of crops in the structure of crop rotations for various purposes.The purpose of our research was to study the dynamics of the growth of the raw mass of root crops and the collection of dry matter by the periods of growth and development of fodder and semi-sugar beet at different moisture levels of the root layer of the soil.Material and methodology. The research was carried out in a specially built arid zone, which is a 3x20 m plot, isolated from soil moisture to a depth of 1.5 m by a clay castle along the periphery and a dense reinforced polyethylene film between the variants. The arid area was divided into four plots, each with an area of 15 m2 (3x5 m), in which a different level of moisture supply was maintained throughout the growing season. The variety of fodder beet Eckendorf yellow and semi–sugar beet – Semi-sugar pink variety were used as the object of research.Results. It has been established that at all values of humidity, the maximum accumulation of the raw mass of root crops in both varieties was noted in the second period of growth and development of plants, which lasts an average of 60 days and lasts from the beginning of closing of crops in rows to the beginning of opening in row spacing. Among the studied irrigation regimes, the option should be recognized as optimal, where during the growing season the relative humidity of the root layer at a depth of 1 m is maintained at the level of 70-75% of the WPV. With such moisture, the yield of root crops for fodder beet is 855 centners/ha, for semi-sugar beet – 679 centners/ha, and the collection of dry matter – 120.54 and 156.33 centners/ha, respectively. With a further increase in humidity to 75-80% of the FPV, the increase in yield and collection of dry matter per 1 ha of crops for both beet varieties is within the statistical error of the experiment, however, the cost of irrigation water for the formation of 1 q of dry matter increases by an average of 2.2 times, which negatively affects the cost of grown products. It has been proven that the optimal regime of soil moisture is provided by the irrigation scheme according to the periods of growth and development of plants 1 3 1; irrigation rate – 400 m3/ha, irrigation rate – 2000 m3/ha.

Relevance. The priority direction in vegetable growing is the scientifically justified use of types and doses of micronutrients that can increase the yield of watermelon fruits and improve their quality. Due to the large number of different types of fertilizers currently appearing on the market, it is necessary to choose the right ones and study them in optimal doses for growing high-quality melon products.Material and methodology. Objects of research: watermelon varieties Meteor, Zemlyanin, Kholodok and preparations: iron chelate, zinc chelate, vegetable Aquarin. Options using these fertilizers for double foliar treatment of plants during the growing season have been studied. The research was carried out during 2019-2021 at the Bykovskaya melon breeding experimental station.Results. During the study, a positive effect of the tested drugs on the quantitative and qualitative indicators of products was established. As a result of foliar treatments of plants in all variants, the yield exceeded the control variant (without treatments). A comparative analysis of biochemical data showed that the dry matter content was at a fairly high level. As a result of the use of zinc chelate in the Meteor and Kholodok cv., the dry matter content increased by 0.4%. A similar increase in the indicator was obtained when using the drug Aquarin vegetable on the Zemlyanin and Kholodok cv. The content of total sugar in the Meteor and Kholodok cv. was higher than the control (without treatments), and in the Zemlyanin cv. it was at the control level. The fructose content in the tested variants of all varieties exceeded the control. As a result of the use of water-soluble fertilizers for plant treatment, the content of ascorbic acid increased in the variants with treatment in the Meteor cv. – by 1-1.5 mg%, in the Zemlyanin cv. – by 0.8-1.1 mg%, in the Kholodok cv. – by 0 .1-0.7 mg% compared to control (without treatments). Nitrate levels in watermelon fruits of different ripening periods did not exceed the maximum permissible concentration (60 mg/kg).

Relevance. To meet the demand of the domestic consumer and the effective import substitution of for- eign breeding varieties, Garden phlox (Phlox paniculata L.) needs to breed new varieties with high decorative properties, stability and unpretentiousness. A prerequisite for successful generative reproduction of flowering plants to obtain new forms and varieties is the production of fertile, morphologically complete pollen.Methodology. The purpose of this work is to study the biological features of garden phlox flowering and pollination as part of the breeding process optimization and selecting promising parent pairs. The research was carried out for 2 years (2022-2023) in open ground conditions on the basis of the garden phlox domestic varieties bioresource collection on the territory of the Tsitsin’s Main Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The peculiarities of the varieties flowering and pollination biology, by assessing the viability of pollen, were studied during the mass flowering phase in 11 varieties selected for their prospects for breeding using methods for assessing pollen viability by staining pollen with acetocarmine and using the M. Alexander method.Results. During the research, a number of garden phlox economically valuable features were established: variability structure of the inflorescence and flower morphology; duration of flowering (35 days or more); different periods of flowering (from mid-June to the end of August); the ability of some varieties to bloom again. It was found that the Alexander’s pollen staining method is more sensitive than acetocarmine staining, and allows for more accurate differentiation of colored pollen grains according to their fertility degree. For artificial pollination and hybridization in phlox, it is recommended to use fresh pollen collected from blooming and fading flowers, since it is in these phases that the pollen fertility index in some varieties exceeded 50% of the total weight. According to the results of the conducted research, the most promising pollinator varieties with a high level of pollen fertility were identified: Skazka (71.2%), Olenka (63.2%) and Gegery (66.7%). The prospect of using the Manon variety as a source of male sterility has been established.

Relevance. Potatoes are one of the most popular agricultural crops in Russia. The unique chemical composition characterizes potatoes as a valuable food product in the diet of the population. One of the important factors for increasing and stable potato yields is the selection of the optimal assortment for each region of the Russian Federation. Therefore, the varieties most adapted to local growing conditions should be used in production. The world potato collection allows solving various issues of modern breeding, such as: early maturity, resistance of tubers to various diseases, seed quality, adaptation to climatic stresses, history and systematics. The study and evaluation of new potato breeding varieties makes it possible to identify promising source material for the creation of future varieties suitable for cultivation in the northern regions of the country.The purpose of this study is to characterize the studied potato samples in extreme climate conditions.Material and methodology. In 2013-2023, 543 potato samples from the World Collection of VIR were studied at the experimental field of the Polar Experimental Station VIR branch according to the main biological and economically valuable characteristics. For a comprehensive assessment of the varieties according to the main economic and biological characteristics, phenological observations were carried out, the harvest was taken into account during early and final harvesting, including the structure of the crop. Visual assessment of diseases was carried out in the field and during storage. Starch was determined in the laboratory. All basic accounting is performed according to the VIR methodology.Results and discussion. Over the years, 15 potato varieties with the best characteristics of economically valuable traits have been identified. According to the results of the final harvest, 6 varieties had a stable harvest – Favorit, Meteor, Tekes, Severny, Gusar, Lingonberry. The yield of these varieties was 1034-1409 g/bush.

Relevance. Rhodiola rosea L. is a perennial herbaceous plant from the Crassulaceae family. The roots and rhizomes of R. rosea contain a range of biologically active compounds. This species is included in the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation. Medicinal preparations derived from them are widely used as adaptogens, general tonic and anti-stress agents. While the roots have been extensively studied, less attention has been given to the biologically active compounds found in the leaves of R. rosea. An introduced population of R. rosea grows on the territory of the botanical garden of medicinal plants of the All-Russian scientific research Institute of medicinal and aromatic plants (VILAR). The possibility of cultivating this species in the conditions of the Moscow region is being studied.Material and Methodology. The objective of this study was to investigate the composition of phenolic compounds in R. rosea leaves from VILAR biocollection using ultra-efficient liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry. Extraction was carried out with 80% acetone. An ultra-high performance liquid chromatographic system with a photodiode array detector and mass spectrometer was used for the analysis of phenolic compounds. Identification was carried out using UV- and mass spectrometry data.Results. As a result of UPLC-DD-MS analysis, peaks of 20 phenolic compounds were detected in R. rosea leaves, of which 19 compounds were tentatively identified. The leaf extract contained eight phenolic compounds from the group of galloyl-glucoses (three isomers of monogalloyl-glucose, trigalloyl-glucose, two isomers of tetragalloyl-glucose, two isomers of pentagalloyl-glucose), two gallotannins (isomers of hexagalloyl-glucose), five flavonoids (four herbacetin derivatives and one gossypetin), phenolic acids (caffeoyl-malic and ferulic acids), arbutin and esculetin. It has been shown that the biologically active substances of R. rosea provide prospects for the use of leaves as raw materials for the development of herbal preparations with anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antitumor effects.

Originality/Value: Farmers must use sprinkler irrigation and avoid surface irrigation because it harms the soil and increases its salinity, also represents a waste of water resources.Research limitations: Limited availability of sufficient numbers of sprinkler irrigation devices in Iraq, their high prices, and the lack of experience of farmers to use them.The Purpose of the research is to evaluate the effect of the appropriate irrigation method and the amount of fertilizer specified for urea fertilizer that achieves the best growth for the plant and increase its productivity while avoiding a negative impact on soil properties.Research Method: Two types of irrigation: spraying and flooding, and four mineral fertilization treatments (0. 50.100. 150) kg.ha-1 were used in the work to study the apparent characteristics of wheat and the amount of productivity, using statistical analysis (Gen Stat) and simple correlation coefficient to find strength of association between variables. The experiment was carried out in 2023 at Al-Khatib Farm, located in Al-Numaniyah District, it is bordered to the south by Wasit Governorate, 50 km away, and to the north by Baghdad Governorate,160 km away (Iraq).Results and Discussion. Sprinkler irrigation showed significant differences with the surface irrigation in the length of the spike, number of seed per spike,1000 seed weight, number of spikes per square meter, grain yield kg .ha-1 and the harvest index, while the plant height was not significant. The study also showed that the correlation coefficient between the apparent characteristics of the plants was stronger in the case of using sprinkler irrigation compared to the surface irrigation.

Seed storage of agricultural crops in the conditions of International Space Station (ISS) is an effective method of quick plant breeding aimed to enhance the adaptability, and improve the biologically active compound accumulation and crop yield. Biochemical and mineral composition (ICP-MS) of lettuce grown in greenhouse from seeds stored for one year at the ISS was assessed. High varietal differences in lettuce tolerance to the effect of micro-gravity and radiation were evaluated using the values of yield, biometrical parameters, antioxidant status and plant mineral composition. Among the cultivars studied, i.e. Petrovich, Synthesis, Moskovsky parnikovy, Picnic, Cavalier and Bouquet, only the cvs. Retrovich, Synthesis, Moskovsky parnikovy and Picnik retained seed viability. Significant yield increase was recorded for the cv. Moskovsky parnikovy, while the cvs. Petrovich, Synthesis and Picnic demonstrated a tendency to the yield decrease. Improvement of photosynthetic pigment accumulation due to seed space storage was recorded for the cv. Moskovsky parnikovy and, particularly, the latter cultivar differed from the other cvs. due to the significantly higher proline level and lower MDA levels in leaves. Though space stress did not cause any significant decrease in antioxidant accumulation of plants, the latter demonstrated valuable changes in mineral composition. Among the 23 elements tested, V, Se. Fe and Cr showed higher concentrations compared to those in the control plants. Positive correlations between Ca, Sr, Cd, Cp, Mg, Mo and Pb were recorded (r > 0.9; p < 0.001).

Relevance. In the transition to highly productive and environmentally friendly, in particular, organic agriculture and production of safe and high-quality products, which is a priority direction of strategies of scientific and technological development of the Russian Federation, one of the necessary links is the creation and control of optimal conditions of plant nutrition, i.e. provision of plants with nutrients in the right combination throughout the vegetation. Achievement of such conditions is possible through soil and plant nutrition diagnostics, which in turn allows to establish the ability of crops to assimilate nutrients from the soil and adjust the doses of mineral fertilisers as top dressings.Material and Methods. On alluvial meadow soil in the conditions of the non-Black Earth region of Russia, the effectiveness of root feeding with macronutrients (NPK) was studied according to the results of plant and soil diagnostics of table root crops nutrition when grown on organic and mineral fertiliser systems. Plant and soil diagnostics of mineral nutrition was carried out according to the methods of Zerling V.V. (1990) and Magnitsky K.P. (1972). Two crops were tested during the experiment: red beet variety Mulatka and garden carrot variety Losinoostrovskaya 13.Results and Discussion. Root fertilizers on the basis of nutrition diagnostics on the basis of soil and leaf petiole analysis made significant changes in the dynamics of basic nutrients in the soil, there was an increase in nitrate nitrogen and mobile potassium in comparison with the control variant, with natural soil supply of mobile phosphorus (more than 250 mg/kg), which had a positive effect on the root nutrition of plants. At the main application of mineral and organic (biocompost BIUD) fertilizers, root fertilizers according to nutrition diagnostics the carrot yield 51,2-63,9 t/ha with standard 87,4- 94,6%, red beet 41,7-54,2 t/ha with standard 80,7-92,3% were obtained. Root feeding of carrots by soil diagnostics N52K14 on the background of biocompost gave 24.9% increase to the control, by plant diagnostics N17 gave 16.6%; red beet by soil diagnostics N65K45 – 30% increase, by plant diagnostics N54K30 – 23.7%

Relevanse. A significant influence on the processes of growth, plant development and accumulation of tubers of potato varieties is a scientifically based and rational planting density, which allows the fullest use of the factors of light, air and mineral nutrition available in the field. The establishment of optimal planting density for new zoned potato varieties should be considered in close connection with other agricultural practices, as well as taking into account the purpose of growing products in specific soil and climatic conditions.Methodology. The research was conducted in 2018–2020 at the experimental base "Korenevo" of the Russian Potato Research Centre (Moscow region). The aim of research was to determine the optimal planting density for the new potato varieties of domestic selection: Gulliver (early), Azart (medium early) and Grand (medium ripe). Three planting densities were studied – 44 thousand tubers/ha (control); 50 and 56 thousand tubers/ha. Planting was carried out on May 4-6 with local application of mineral fertilizers at a dose of N90P90K135 two strings per ridge.Results. It was revealed that with the increase of planting density by 6 and 12 thousand tubers per 1 ha, the height of plants raised by 2-4 cm, depending on the variety on average over 3 years. The weight of the tops and the assimilation surface area of leaves increased, respectively, by 1.0-4.4 t/ha and 1.1-3.4 thousand m2/ha. The number of stems and tubers decreased, respectively, by 0.2-0.7 and 0.6-1.0 per bush. Increase of harvest due to higher plant density for the cultivar Gulliver was 2,2 and 3,1 t/ha, or up to 7,3%; for the Azart variety 2,8 and 3,3 t/ha, or up to 8,7%; for Grand variety 1,9-2,6 t/ha, or up to 7,8%, compared to control variant.