Relevance. The Volgograd region is one of the major producing regions of table carrots with a difficult climate, therefore, regional adaptation of technology parameters and optimization of reclamation regimes under drip irrigation is necessary. According to most researchers, it is important to take into account the weak development of the root system of carrots in the initial periods of plant growth and development, so the differentiation of the moistened soil layer will allow more rational and productive use of soil moisture.Materials and methods. The working hypothesis of the studies was the assumption that it is possible to intensify the production process of carrots when managing water and mineral nutrition by drip irrigation against the background of high-quality soil preparation with the formation of ridges and the use of modern sowing units. In accordance with the hypothesis put forward, the research program is based on the assessment of threshold values of the conditions for the appointment of vegetation irrigation with drip irrigation and doses of mineral fertilizers.Results. The determination coefficient of the estimated dependences of the carrot water consumption coefficient on the duration of maintaining the starting irrigation regime and mineral nutrition conditions is 0.87-0.94, which characterizes a strong relationship between the indicators included in the equation. it was beneficial for Cordoba F1 hydride to maintain the starting regime of carrot irrigation, oriented to moisten the calculated 0.2-soil layer, to the stage of formation of the 2nd leaf, as well as to apply mineral fertilizers with a dose of N240P90K315 of the planned yield level, 120 t/ha was not received. The productivity of other hybrids studied in the experiment did not exceed 100 t/ha; therefore, it is advisable to introduce mineral fertilizers with a dose of N190P75K245, calculated specifically for this level of planned yield.

Relevance and methodology. Today, white cabbage is the most popular type of vegetable raw materials used for fermentation not only in Russia, but also in other countries. To obtain a variety of flavors and shades of flavor, various vegetables (carrots, sweet peppers), fruit (apples, cranberries) and spicy-aromatic additives (cumin, dill seed, etc.) are added to the cabbage during fermentation. During fermentation, the product contains not only the initial components of the raw material (vitamin C, macro-and micronutrients), but also significantly increases the number of lactic acid microorganisms – the main "participants" in the process.One of the main products of the metabolism of lactic acid microorganisms is lactic acid. At a concentration of 0.5%, it begins to inhibit the development of many microorganisms. When reaching a concentration of 1-2% microbiological enzymatic hydrolysis, as a rule, ceases. The accumulation of acetic acid allows us to judge the intensity of the heterofermentative stage of fermentation using strains of lactic acid microorganisms.Results. The L. plantarum + L. casei consortium has shown a synergistic interaction in the accumulation of lactic acid, since the amount of acid produced by the consortium significantly exceeds the amount of acid produced by each strain separately. This point is also noted for the accumulation of acetic acid. In the L. brevis + L. casei consortium, the opposite situation is observed: when using cultures separately, the accumulation of lactic acid occurs to a greater extent than when using two cultures simultaneously. There are no obvious differences between monocultures and the consortium in terms of acetic acid accumulation. In the case of the L. plantarum + L. brevis consortium, we observe a synergistic interaction, with the dominant role in this consortium played by L. plantarum, and the contribution of L. brevis to the accumulation of lactic acid is insignificant. At the same time, the total resulting accumulation of acetic acid is significantly less than the result of each strain separately, which may indicate a negative mutual effect of the participants in the process. Acid degradation of the polysaccharide matrix of cell walls does not occur during the entire fermentation process.

Relevance. High lycopene fruit content has been regarded as a very important genetic trait in tomato breeding. Use lycopene molecular markers in combination with conventional breeding techniques allowed us to create hybrids with high lycopene accumulation, excellent organoleptic qualities, high yield production and resistance to pathogens, and to effectively optimize our breeding programmes for commercial greehouses production.Material and Methods. In this study tomato samples including selected lines and hybrids with various allelic combinations of genes determining carotene accumulation, and other genetic traits, such as disease resistance and yield production were tested. Introgression of spontaneous and induced mutations was used to increase carotenoid levels (og and hp) and improve fruit technological qualities (nor, alc, rin). The research material was tomato collection, mutants, breeding lines and hybrids listed in the State Register Russian Federation tomato hybrids of breeding SS Agrofirm "Ilyinichna" VNIIO branch of the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Vegetable Growing – Branch of the FSBSI Federal Scientific Vegetable Center. DNA typing of fruit quality genes was performed at the Institute of Genetics and Cytology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.Results. New domestic hybrids for industrial greenhouses, which characterised by improved organoleptic qualities and technological traits were developed with the help of phasedcross-breeding that allowed to combine the genes nor, rin, alc, leading to an extension of the shelf life with the genes B, og, hp1, etc., contributing to an increase in carotenoid content in fruits. It was established that for targeted selection and hybridization, despite the negative influence of the nor, rin, alc genes it is possible to raise the level of carotenoids to average values. Correlation between lycopene concentration in fruits and high temperature and level of insolation was confirmed. It was shown that pink-fruited forms contain significantly more lycopenethanred-fruitedones. Different all eliccombinations of structural genes involved in carotenoids biosynthesis and regulatory genes that provided maximal accumulation of lycopene in hybrid swithred and pink fruits were revealed. Hybrids with the combination of high concentrations of sugar (° Brix), dry matter and maximal lycopene values, combined defining excellent taste were selected: Prekrasnaiya lady, Olya, Quadrille, Victoria. New F1 hybrids one for industrial greenhouses: G950, G956, G960, Magistral and pink fruited G12897, surpassed the Dutch standard in productivity up to 21%, and in tastes/organoleptic qualities for 1-1.8 points.

Relevance. Vegetable growing is a traditional sector of agriculture in Azerbaijan. The republic has all the conditions for its development, both natural and socio-economic. Materials and methods. The aim of the research was to analyze the current state of vegetable growing in the republic, to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the industry, to determine the terms of support for producers from the state and branch science. Results. The gross harvest of vegetables has been steadily growing in the last decades, and by 2019 amounted to 1715 thousand tons. The yield of vegetables also increased during this period from 14, 7 to 21.9 t / ha. In door production area is approximately 4800 ha. The production of greenhouse vegetables is focused on the Russian market. The bottleneck in the industry is vegetable seed production, a market with a capacity of almost 20 million euros is occupied by foreign companies. At the same time, the agricultural producers get state support in the form of subsidies and soft loans and a full tax exemption. Industry science is also developing: the Research Institute of Vegetable Production has been reconstructed and fully equipped, special training organized for vegetable growers in the Azerbaijan State Agrarian University. Further development of the industry continues through the intensification and biologization of production, expanding the range and improving product quality.

Relevance and methods. Methodological approaches to assessing the residual amounts of copper-containing pesticides in plant products against the background of natural copper content are presented. The conditions for obtaining reliable results when conducting a hygienic assessment of the content of residual amounts of the active substance are determined. The developed scheme for determining the residual amounts of copper-containing pesticides includes the homogenization of the analyzed material by shredding with dry ice and microwave mineralization of samples with subsequent flameless atomic absorption determination of copper.Results. Data on the levels of natural copper content in samples of potatoes, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes and grapes of various varieties and growing areas are presented. The possibility of applying the developed approaches to study the dynamics of accumulation of active substances during the growing season is shown.

Relevance. Due to the wide diversity of cultivars and rootstocks, the selection of more productive, commercial and adapted graft-rootstock combinations for industrial orchards in the Orel region and the entire Central Chernozem region is relevant.Materials and methods. The studies were carried out at the Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding (VNIISPK) on the bases of the laboratory of cultivar study and cultivar agrotechnics of pome crops and the laboratory of physiology of fruit plant resistance. Winter apple cultivars of VNIISPK breeding ‘Sinap Orlovsky’, ‘Veteran’, ‘Orlik’, ‘Rozhdestvenskoye’, ‘Svezhest’, ‘Bolotovskoye’, ‘Veniaminovskoye’ and control cultivar ‘Antonovka Obyknovennaya’ on the vegetatively propagated semi-dwarf rootstock 54-118 were taken as objects of the studies. The orchard was planted in autumn 2013, the planting scheme was 6 mx3m.Results. The studied apple cultivars have good compatibility with 54-118 rootstock, provide good tree development and low-sized crown. The highest yield on average for three years was in scab-immune apple cultivars ‘Bolotovskoye’ (4.6 t/ha), ‘Rozhdestvenskoye’ (3.4 t/ha) and ‘Venyaminovskoye’ (3.2 t/ha). The highest indicators for the load of the crop on the crown volume, crown projection area, and cross-sectional area of the stem were for ‘Svezhest’ and ‘Bolotovskoye’. As a result of determining the frost resistance of apple cultivars in mid-January to temperatures up to -38...-40°C, it was revealed that in the hardened state, the cultivars showed frost resistance of buds and tissues of annual shoots with reversible damage at -38°C in the middle of winter. A decrease in temperature to -40°C in January increased damage to buds and wood in the studied varieties, while the bark was characterized by greater frost resistance. According to the degree of damage to the cortex in January, when the temperature dropped to -40°C, ‘Rozhdestvenskoye’, ‘Svezhest’, and ‘Sinap Orlovsky’ were at the control level.

Often you can observe various physiological violations, including on fruits, caused by warehouses – unfavorable growth conditions under growing plants in protected ground. Identified physiological abnormalities are the result of exceeding certain limits, when which plants can no longer normally develop to go. One of the common physiological disorders – tissue rupture in tomato fruits, express-cracks in various directions and depths on the surface of the fruit. Tissue rupture occurs most often in tomato fruits in the beginning stage of them maturation, which is associated with a significant decrease elasticity of the skin during this period. Meticulous adherence to growing technology, maintenance optimal microclimate in cultivation facilities and growing less sensitive hybrids reduces or avoids cracking fruit. In this article we will try to consider the problem of tissue rupture in tomato fruits when they cultivation in protected ground and the main causes of this phenomenon.

Relevance. Garden strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) is one of the most popular and widespread berry crops in the world. One of the reasons for the strawberries low yields is the loss of production from fungal diseases. Especially harmful is pathogens complex affect. One of the fusariosis distinctive features is a specific etiology – the participation of a different types complex of the genus Fusarium fungi in the pathogenic process, which differ in biological properties and are adapted to certain environmental conditions. The pathogen of Botrytis cinerea gray rot parasitizes the culture year-round. Various forms of strawberry root rot caused by pathogens of the genus Phytophthora are poorly studied diseases. Oomycetes of the genus Phytophthora are sources of transient forms of apparently healthy plants withering, associated with the appearance of horns necrosis. These processes occurrence is primarily due to the high harmfulness of these pathogens, that can cause death from 40 to 78% of strawberry plants during the growing season. The object of this work was to establish the species composition of the garden strawberries diseases in the Primorsky Territory and to develop recommendations on measures to control them.Methods. The determination of pathogens was carried out by microscopy and passage of pure culture on differential media (Hella medium, carrot-sucrose agar) according to E. Blagoveshchenskaya (2015).Results. It has been established that in the Primorsky Territory, gray rot, late blight and fusariosis received the highest prevalence among diseases of under coverage strawberry. The causative agent of late blight was previously defined as Phythophtora cactorum (Lebert &. Cohn) Schröd, of the gray rot as Botrytis cinerea, of the fusariosis as Fusarium oxisporum Schlecht. ex Fr. f. sp. fragariae Winks et Williams. Gumat K, Agat-25K, Switch 62.5 WG, Teldor 50 WG are effective drugs to contain its harmfulness and spread. As a result of the measures taken, the spread of the disease decreased to 40%, productivity increased by 1.5 times.

Relevance. Root chicory is a valuable economic crop. However, its attractiveness for the producer is reduced due to the high labor intensity of cultivation and a high proportion of manual labor, primarily when harvesting root crops. Modern agricultural production is in urgent need of new varieties of root chicory that combine high yields and the necessary chemical and technological qualities, having the form of a root crop suitable for mechanized harvesting and adapted to cultivation in the soil and climatic conditions of the non-Chernozem zone of Russia. The purpose of this work is to test varieties of root chicory in a collection nursery in the Yaroslavl region.Material and methods. The research was conducted at the the Yaroslavl region. The material for research was three varieties of Dutch selection Wixor RS, Rexor RS, Luxor. The experience is based on the "Guidelines for the study and maintenance of the world's collection of root crops", recommended by VIR. Vavilov.Results. Investigated varieties in the soil and climatic conditions of the non-black earth zone of Russia were distinguished by a short root crop (up to 25 cm long) with a large diameter (up to 9 cm). We recommend them as donors in the selection of root chicory for suitability for mechanized harvesting. From long-term observations, it follows that the varieties Wixor RS, Rexor RS and Luxor are early-maturing. The length of their vegetative period does not exceed 125 days. This group of varieties is the most valuable when breeding for early maturity. Based on the analysis of the results of economic-biological and environmental studies of Dutch varieties of root chicory, it was found that they have high average values of certain economic-valuable characteristics and stability of their manifestation over the years.

Relevance. As a source of juicy feed for livestock, fodder beet plays a leading role among fodder root crops. It plays an important role to solve the problem of improving domestic feed production, since the production of fodder beet is the most balanced in terms of carbohydrate and protein complex. A large number of feed units from the area of sowing in a complex with a high yield, a balanced mineral complex and the possibility of long-term storage makes the crop in demand for the livestock complex in Russia. The VIR fodder beet collection has a rich gene pool and, given the lack of varieties and hybrids in the State Register of the Russian Federation, is a source of raw material for domestic breeding.The purposeof the study is to identify the potential of the collection of fodder beet in the most important areas of modern crop selection. Materials and methods. The experiment involved a representative sample of 190 accessions that were grown in the vegetable crop rotation of the Research and Production Base of Pushkin Laboratories of the VIR from 2015 to 2019. Description and biochemical studies were carried out according to the VIR Guidelines. Results. The characteristics of fodder beet cultivars with signs of high yield, productivity, resistance to abiotic and biotic factors, suitability for mechanized harvesting and storability were given. There was a manifestation of axenium resistance of the culture to cercosporosis due to morphophysiological characteristics of the leaf apparatus of plants. Conclusions.The VIR fodder beet collection has a wide variety and well-studied gene pool, which is the potential to create the modern varieties and hybrids of crops with a complex of economically valuable characteristics, which are necessary for their high-tech production.