The high antioxidant content in fruits of tomato and sweet pepper is determined as a characteristic of nutritive value as well as medical purposes. The analyses snowed that the antioxidant activity was different in cultivars type of tomato and sweet pepper taken for testing. It was shown that the antioxidant activity in a fruit juice of sweet pepper was 2.5 times as much as in tomato juice. The maximum antioxidant activity was observed in hybrids with pink and crimson colored fruits such as N603, Galactika, and also inbred lines of pepper developed by inter-specific crossing of N624 and N1713.

At department of ecology of All-Russian Research Institute of Vegetable Breeding and Seed Production the adaptive capacity through bean accessions has been analyzed. As a summarized result for 3 years of observation, Rashel and 6 KSI have been determined as cultivar types with high adaptive capacity for a yielding characteristic and seed production. The mentioned types have been proven to be cultivated wide spread in different growing, soil and farming conditions without any risk of yield and quality reduction.

At department of ecology of All-Russian Research Institute of Vegetable Breeding and Seed Production the adaptive capacity through bean accessions has been analyzed. As a summarized result for 3 years of observation, Rashel and 6 KSI have been determined as cultivar types with high adaptive capacity for a yielding characteristic and seed production. The mentioned types have been proven to be cultivated wide spread in different growing, soil and farming conditions without any risk of yield and quality reduction.

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.

Introduction. The relevance of the work is due to the need to find ways to preserve the nutrient composition of vitamins and other necessary raw materials to create finished food products that can diversify the diet of astronauts, taking into account their habitat.   Goal – Comparison of methods for dehydrating plant materials and creating finished food products with a certain degree of dehydration, recommended for feeding astronauts. These methods were used to produce so-called “frips” from fresh fruits and berries; this is a type of snack that is also widely used and developed in modern industry.   Objects and methods of research. The objects of the study were several types of fruits and berries of various varieties (minimum 2) during dehydration by several types of drying.   Results. Dehydration using the LTVD (low temperature vacuum drying) method makes it possible to obtain finished products with a given final moisture content, and the product can be made from multi-component raw materials. The duration of the dehydration process using the LTVD method compared to the VFD (vacuum freeze drying) method is reduced by approximately 10-20 % depending on the product, while due to the absence of preliminary freezing, the specific energy costs for drying a food object can presumably be reduced by 15-25 %. Quality indicators of the finished dry product The product dried using the presented methods is comparable, the content of vitamins and microelements is at almost the same level, therefore, when choosing the type of drying, we can recommend the LTVD method as less energy-consuming. The yield of marketable products in the production of frips ranges from 15.0 to 19.5 % by weight of the initial raw materials, which meets the requirements for economic efficiency of production.

Relevance. For the production of pharmaceutical products from raw materials of Echinacea purpurea L., it is necessary to have a sufficient amount of high-quality seeds when planting production areas with high yields of aboveground mass.Methods. On Echinacea purpurea of the second year of vegetation in order to increase herbage yield and seed productivity, tests of organomineral fertilizer EcoFus (1.5 l/ha) with microfertilizers (Siliplant (0.5 l/ha) or Cytovit (1.0 l/ha). As a standard, we used double foliar feeding with Siliplant (0.5 l/ha). The above-ground mass was mowed in the third ten days of August. On seed plantations we tested: in the early growth phase EcoFus (1.5 l/ha), in the stemming phase – growth regulators Epin-extra (0.06 l/ha), Agat-25K (0.04 l/ha) and their tank mixtures. Seed collection was carried out in mid-September.Results. Double spraying with complex – EcoFus with microfertilizers, promoted activation of growth processes, and it resulted in 22-26% increase of above-ground mass yield, 5-7% increase of phenylpropanoids in it, their collection per hectare increased within 28-35%. A more effective complex was revealed: EcoFus (1.5 l/ha) with Siliplant (0.5 l/ha), which allowed to increase yield and collection of active substances by 26 and 35% in comparison with the control, and in comparison with the reference (Siliplant 0.5 l/ha) – by 11 and 15%, respectively. In order to increase seed productivity of Echinacea purpurea, spraying with EcoFus at the beginning of vegetation of plants and EcoFus complex with bioregulators Agat and Epin-extra in the phase of stemming was applied. Foliar fertilization with these tank mixtures resulted in earlier flowering of plants (by 2-4 days), increased the number of inflorescences by 9-10%, inflorescences with seeds by 14-15% and seed weight of one inflorescence by 12- 14%. Activation of generative processes of Echinacea purpurea had a positive effect on seed yield and their quality: yield increased by 21-25%, weight of 1000 pieces by 7-8% and their germination by 2-3%.

Relevanse. The article presents information about actively spreading potential pests of agricultural crops in the Central region of the Russian Federation – slugs and snails – invertebrates belonging to the genus of gastropods. The harmfulness of these pests is manifested in a decrease in the size of the crop, a decrease in its quality, loss of marketability and fruit keeping. The most seriously affected in this regard are the planting of cabbage, lettuce, peas, turnips, potatoes and cucumbers. Snails and slugs can serve as a source of infectious diseases, various fungal spores, bacteria and parasitic helminths are often carried with the mucus produced by their bodies, which often pose a threat to the health of people and pets.Methods. Visual surveys were carried out to determine the number of pests in the field and in the adjacent territory in the conditions of the Moscow region (Lyubertsy city district). The studies were conducted in accordance with officially approved methods. Data on the species composition of pests are analyzed. The possibility of active harmful activity and potential threat of gastropods in a changing climate and their adaptation in the conditions of the Central region of the Russian Federation is considered.Results. According to the results of the conducted research, it was found that in vegetable gardens and private farms, grape snail and arable slug are most often found, in potato plantings – field (arable slug). Recommendations on slug and snail control in the private sector and farms are given.

Relevance. Due to climate change on the planet, it is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain high yields of melons and melons in rain-fed conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to develop modern methods of growing them. Accordingly, the use of new water-soluble fertilizers for the cultivation of melon in hot climates is a relevant work at the moment.Material and methodology. Objects of research: medium-ripening melon variety GP 599f and watersoluble fertilizers Lignohumate, Energen Extra, Zinc Sulfate. We have carefully studied options using these fertilizers for double foliar treatment of plants during the growing season.Results. As a result of studying new types of water-soluble fertilizers on increasing the vegetative mass of plants, yield and biochemical parameters of the variety sample, a positive effect was revealed. As a result of a comparative analysis of data on plant development after double treatment with the studied preparations, an increase in canes in all variants was noted in relation to the control by 4.3-18.7%. When calculating the yield in all studied options, an increase in these indicators was noted in relation to the option without treatments. After treating the plants with new types of fertilizers, the yield was 13.4-15.9 t/ha. The average fetal weight varied from 1.7 kg. up to 1.8 kg with maximum values in the Lignohumate and Energen Extra options. An analysis of the comparison of the biochemical composition of fruits showed that new types of fertilizers did not affect the taste and purity of the products. The dry matter content was noted to be 0.8-1% higher than the control variant. Nitrate levels in fruits did not exceed the maximum permissible concentration (90 mg/kg) and amounted to 24-28 mg/kg.

Relevance. The research is devoted to studying the peculiarities of the high-parent heterosis manifestation which connected with yield traits and the biochemical composition of tomato fruits.Materials and Methods. The work was carried out in 2021–2023 in open field conditions on the experimental plot of the Belarusian State Agricultural Academy (Mogilev region, Belarus). The objects of research were 30 F1 hybrids and 11 parental forms with different levels of economically valuable traits and with the specific set of genes for pathogen resistance and lycopene accumulation. The aim of the research was to create high-yield heterotic F1 tomato hybrids, adapted to open field conditions in Belarus, with a valuable biochemical composition of fruits.Results. The best hybrid combinations showed an early yield of 0.90–2.49 kg/m2, a marketable yield of 7.50–11.40 kg/m2, and a total yield of 8.22–13.12 kg/m2. High heterosis effect was established for early (88.9–291.0%), marketable (36.0–111.2%), and total (28.6–97.8%) yield in some hybrids. Significant differences in the accumulation of dry matter, carotene, and soluble carbohydrates were ascertained between the hybrids. Hybrid combinations with the highest value of true heterosis on accumulation of dry matter (18.3–21.6%), carotene (20.2–22.9%), and soluble carbohydrates (15.7–38.9%) were identified. Inheritance of early, marketable and total yield, dry matter content, carotene and soluble carbohydrates predominantly took place according to the positive overdominance, fruit weight – according to the intermediate inheritance, vitamin C content – according to the negative overdominance. Hybrids Brusnichny F1, Mansiata F1, Rada F1 were transferred to the State Inspection for Testing and Protection of Plant Varieties of the Republic of Belarus and successfully passed the testing stage in 2023.