Relevance. During the formation of cabbage heads, under certain conditions, white cabbage is damaged by a burn of the top of the inner leaves of the head, which abroad received the stable name “tip burn”. This disorder is interpreted as a physiological or non-infectious disease, the cause of which is a violation of calcium intake. The disease manifests itself inside the cabbage head, resulting from the interaction of environmental stress factors and the predisposed genotype. The most effective way to combat this disorder is to develop highly tolerant hybrids. This is especially true for the south of Russia, where the stress load on plants is maximum.Purpose of the study – to develop a principle for selecting parental pairs for developing hybrids that are resistant to the tip burn of the inner leaves of a cabbage head, and to identify promising hybrids. Materials and methods. In 2021-2022 in FSBSI "Federal Scientific Rice Centre", in the department of vegetable growing, 45 hybrid combinations obtained on the basis of 10 inbred lines were assessed under field conditions for the trait "burn damage to the inner leaves of the cabbage head." An analysis of the combining ability of lines according to Griffin, and an analysis of the inheritance of the trait according to Heiman were carried out. In 2023, a competitive test of promising hybrids was carried out.Results. In both years of research, 5 lines had negatively stable TCA for burn damage: Ten4270, Yas25p, Bs1f, Agr 82, 270Hn111. SCA of lines is more subject to changes from year to year. The effects of SCA in hybrids due to dominance, epistasis and overdominance in individual combinations significantly influence the manifestation of the trait in the direction of decrease or increase. The principle of selecting parental pairs to develop stable hybrids is based on a combination of lines with a negative SCA value; in some cases, it is permissible to include one line with an average SCA and low SCA. Analysis of genetic parameters according to Heiman confirms the prevalence of non-additive inheritance of the lesion; in unstable forms, the disorder is controlled by dominant polygenes and is highly heritable.

Previously, surface soil acidity was amended by the application of lime, gypsum, and acidic soil-tolerant crop species. However, their effectiveness in subsurface soil acidity reduction is limited.   Thus, this review paper aimed to screen the tree species that easily overcome such problems.   Scopus, Science Direct, Google Scholar, African journals online, and Google search engine databases were used. A total of 60 acidic soil-tolerant tree species were identified. Acacia auriculiformis, Acacia crassicarpa, Arbutus unedo L., Casuarina junghuhniana, and Erythrina abyssinica were among the extremely acidic soil-tolerant tree species. Whereas Acacia cincinnata, Acacia mangium, Pinus patula, Albizia saman, Citrus x paradisi, and Cassia reticulata were belongs to some of the strong acidic soil tolerant tree species. Generally, the species' acidic tolerance capacity and planting site compatibility should be considered for the success of amendment works. Scaling out these species and large-scale plantations should be done in addition to estimating their relative percent of acidic soil amendment roles. Producing stable food in line with reclaiming acidic soil is achieved through the integration of stress tolerant fruit trees. Research on large-scale plantations, domestication, skilling up and comparative evaluation of their levels of acidic soil amendment capacity should be performed in the future.

Echinacea purpurea L. – is a perennial medicinal plant, from the herb of which dozens of preparations have been created that are used to strengthen the immune system, in the treatment of inflammatory diseases. At present, oxyconic acids and alkamides have been found in the plant’s root system, and the preparations «Anginol» and «Prostanov» have been created on their basis. The production and creation of new medicinal products from the roots and rhizomes of the Echinacea purpurea depends on a stable raw material base, which can be ensured by obtaining maximum yields of roots. As a result of studies to determine the timing of harvesting, methods to increase the yield of the underground mass in the conditions of the Krasnodar Territory, it was revealed that the high yield of roots and rhizomes of Echinacea purpurea was determined on plantations III-IV years of growing, which averaged 10 c/ha, they had an oxyconic acid content of 3,9%. In the future, there is a decrease in yield to 8 c/ha, and active substances to 2.1%. Dual treatments treatments Zircon (0.04 l/ha) and Siliplant (0.5 l/ha) both separately and in the mixture gave the opportunity to increase the yield for III and IV years to 28–30% and improve the quality of raw materials, the content of active substances increased by 5–7%. The complex use of these drugs in the V year of vegetation allows to increase the yield of roots to 10.3 c/ha with a high content of oxidic acids – 2.55%. It was revealed that foliar fertilization of vegetative plants with two-component system Siliplant + Zircon promotes the adaptation of Echinacea purpurea to dry weather conditions and makes it possible to obtain stable yields of medicinal raw materials with high quality regardless of weather conditions.

Edible honeysuckle is a popular fruit crop. Its therapeutic and health-promoting effects are attributed to a high content of bioactive compounds in the fruits. Unlike the traditional plant multiplication methods, the in vitro propagation allows scientists to obtain high-quality planting material of honeysuckle in a great quantity and within a short time. The research was carried out at the Laboratory of Breeding and Genetic Research on Field Crops of the Federal Scientific Center of Agricultural Biotechnology of the Far East named after A.K. Chaiki. Honeysuckle variety Podarok amurchanam created by the Far Eastern State Agrarian University was used as the research object. The research materials were sterilized according to the methodology of N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources with some modifications. Several products were used as chemical agents for sterilization in the following sequence: a 5% solution of surfactants, fungicide Fundazol, EC (1 g/l), the bleaching agent ACE freshly diluted with distilled water in the proportion 1:9 (0.50% of NaOCl in the working solution), and 70% ethanol. The primary explants were cultured on an MS containing 20 g/l sucrose and 6 g/l agar (hereafter – MS) and supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine (BA) at a concentration of 0.5 mg/l. The pH of the medium was adjusted to 5.7-5.8 using 1N КОН. The explants (microcuttings with one-two internodes) were subcultured on an MS supplemented with BA (0.5 mg/l). The morphometric parameters of the plants were measured on the 35th day of cultivation. The sterilization of the explants with Fundazol (1 g/l) and the ACE diluted with distilled water in the proportion 1:9 allowed us to obtain a high number of viable microclones (50%). The elimination of leaves from the honeysuckle microcuttings drastically decreased the survival rate and led to the death of the microclones in most cases (the mortality rate was 98.7 %). Subculturing the microcuttings on the MS supplemented with BA at a concentration of 0.5 mg/l facilitated the normal growth and development of the regenerated honeysuckle plants (the average reproduction rate was 4.65).

Relevance. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most important vegetables in the world. Every year the number of identified viruses and diseases increases, infection with which causes significant crop losses and significantly worsens the quality of agricultural products, especially in tomatoes.   Material and methods. In the present study we compared the growth of the vegetative and reproductive traits of tomato plants ‘Dokia’, ‘TY Red 250’ and ‘Pilabi’ grated onto bacterial wilt (caused by Ralstonia solanacearum) and Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum) diseases tolerant rootstock “Spider” (Takii seed, Japan). The non-grafted (control - CT) and grafted tomato plants (GR) were transplanted on 4 March of 2021 to the four season (vinyl) greenhouse on substrate perlite (mixture of perlite no. 1 and no. 3) and cultivated until September 20.   Results. The results showed that responses of the tomato cultivars to grafting combination was different, where agronomical traits depends on the each cultivar’s features can be ranged. The reduction of the values of stem diameter (SD), leaf length and width (LW), fresh fruit weight (FFW), fruit diameter (FD), fruit pericarp thickness (FPT) and fruit hardness (FH) with aging of plants and rising ambient temperature was detected. However, fruit soluble solids among all cultivars regardless of treatments were slightly increased. The index of fruit yield per truss (FYT) significantly decreased among all cultivars after 10th truss regardless of the treatments when the daily temperature increased from July to August. In grafted tomato ‘TY Red 250’ were identified the highest fruit yield per plants (FYP) than in CT plants, whereas in other tomatoes did not found similar differences between CT and GR plants.

In different agro-climatic zones of melon growing, an assessment was carried out and two-year results of agro-ecological tests of watermelon varieties of the Kuban and Volgograd selection were obtained. The cultivars of the Federal Research Center of Rice and Bikovskaya cucurbits breeding experimental station, which can be grown and are guaranteed to receive high yields of watermelon in the Central zone of the Krasnodar Territory and the Middle Volga region, are distinguished by yield and quality. Growing varieties of the Kuban selection Nitsa and Yubilyar in the steppe zone of insufficient moisture of the Volgograd Trans-Volga region for two years ensured a high yield of watermelon fruits – 16.0-17.4 t/ha, with a content of dry soluble substances in the fruit pulp of more than 10%. When testing varieties of the Volgograd selection in the Central zone of the Krasnodar Territory, varieties of the late-ripening group Ikar and Rubin showed a stable yield. Under different weather conditions of the growing season, the maximum yield of fruits was obtained. The Volzhanin variety was highly rated for quality with a sugar content of more than 12%, but under extreme weather conditions it may be inferior in yield to the varieties of the Kuban selection. A two-year agro-ecological test of watermelon made it possible to evaluate and identify varieties that are recommended to farmers for a particular growing area.

The research aims to determine the response of the Maize crop to irrigation with salt water during the growth stages, and to study the accumulation of salts in the soil, the degree of their interaction, and the efficiency of water use. Three types of irrigation water with salt concentrations (1.5, 4.5, 6.5) dSm-1 with three replicates for every kind water. The Randomized Complete Blocks Design was used in the experiment, and it was statistically analyzed using SPSS. Statistically significant differences were found at the 5% level according to Duncan's method. Statistical analysis showed that there were significant differences attributed to the salinity of irrigation water at the level of 4.5 dsm-1 (T2), which caused about 50% damage in plant height, root growth, leaf area per cob length, weight of 500 seeds, grain yield, and soil. Compared to salinity if irrigated with 1.5 dsm-1 (T1) salinity of river water. Using water with a salinity of 6.5 dsm-1 (T3) as wastewater resulted in a reduction of all apparent plant characteristics by 75%. An increase in soil salinity was also observed at the end of the experiment compared to its salinity at the beginning of the experiment, and this damage increases with an increase in the electrical conductivity of the water used in irrigation operations. It has been observed that soil PH decreases with increasing soil salinity.

Relevance. To increase the yield of aubergine, a number of agrotechnical methods have been studied. In the conditions of the Astrakhan region, one of the methods is the cultivation of aubergine without seedlings, in which it is very important to select varieties adapted to these conditions, suitable for the duration of the growing season. Cultivation of aubergine without seedling method, in comparison with seedling method, allows to exclude material and technical costs for growing seedlings. To increase the productivity of selected varieties, an important agronomic technique is the use of plant growth regulators that increase plant resistance to unfavourable environmental factors and have a stimulating effect on plant growth and development.Material and methodology. In conditions of Astrakhan region on alluvial-meadow, medium-loamy soils with granulometric composition were carried out studies to identify varieties that are best adapted to these natural-climatic conditions and give the highest yields in seedless cultivation. In the second experiment on seedless aubergine the effect of growth regulators on plant productivity was studied using preparations - Melafen, BP, Gibbersib, P, Biodux, Zh, Epin extra, R.Results. On drip irrigation in conditions of Astrakhan region under cultivation by seedless method were studied varietal characteristics of 6 varieties of aubergine with fruits of cylindrical shape, fruit index 4,3-4,4. Among the varieties studied, Almaz and Alekseevsky stood out by the main productivity indicators, forming 6.2-6.6 pieces of fruit per plant with an average weight of 220.7-223.5 g, which provided the formation of yield 42.3-45.8 tonnes/ha. The use of plant growth regulators Melafen, BP and Epin Extra, P on the variety Alexeevsky at the seedless method of cultivation promoted the friendly appearance of shoots, activated growth processes; the number of lateral shoots increased by 1.3-1.5 pieces, the raw above-ground weight of plants was greater by 29.1-34.0 g, the total yield increased by 27.1-34.5%, compared with the control. The varieties most suitable for growing by seedless method and showing the highest yield were identified - Alekseevsky, Almaz. It was found that the use of growth regulators accelerated plant development, increased the height of the main stem and the number of lateral shoots, weight and number of fruits on the plant, which was reflected in plant productivity. Application of growth regulator Epin extra, P allowed to obtain a yield of 52.2 t/ha, which was 34.5% higher than the yield of the control.

Relevance. Using artificial intelligence (AI) systems is of particular importance in the transformation of modern Russian vegetable growing.Methods. Using the monographic method, the world and Russian practice of developing and using artificial intelligence systems is considered using the example of: CropX, John Deere, IBM Watson, AgEagle Aerial Systems, Blue River Technology, Farmwise, Taranis, Naiad Irrigation, Sustainable Agriculture Technology (SAT), Leader Technology, AgroCalypso, AgroVzglyad group of companies, Russian technologies and systems, Rostec Artificial Intelligence Competence Center, AgroBot, Kaluga Astra, Agrosystems, RosAgro, SAFMAR, AgriCo management company, Sadko agrofirm, AgroEco, AgroInvest and others.Results, A list of problems with the use of AI in vegetable growing is identified, such as: high initial costs of implementing AI; lack of qualified personnel with the necessary knowledge in the field of IT and agronomy; high probability of technical failures, leading to losses in productivity and increased costs; difficulty of integration with existing automation systems; information security of databases; difficulty of data preparation; legal and ethical risks; lack of necessary infrastructure; unfavorable climatic conditions for the operation of AI; resistance to innovations on the part of personnel. Despite the identified problems, the prospects for using AI in vegetable growing in Russia will allow: optimizing agronomic processes; improving the quality of forecasting and monitoring; increasing the level of automation; improving the quality of data processing; improving resource manageability; increasing the level of adaptation of production to market needs; increasing adaptation to storage conditions and supply chain logistics, increasing the level of information content of technological processes.Conclusion. Expanding the practice of using AI will increase the efficiency and sustainability of vegetable growing in the strategic perspective.

Relevance. Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestrisis a widespread bacterial pathogen that causes a black rot disease of Brassicaceae plants. It is distributed across all territories with cultivated brassica crops and has high economic significance. One of the known Xanthomonas pathogenicity factor is TAL-effectors. These proteins penetrate in plant nucleus and change expression of some host genes in order to promote infection. For some Xanthomonas species TAL-effectors are a key of bacteria success, however for Xcc their role is still remain obscure as well as TALE occurrence among Xcc belonged to different races and originated from different regions. The goal of our study was examination of TALE distribution among Xcc isolates collected in Russia.Methods. Sample of the Xcc isolates mainly collected in Moscow region and Krasnodar krai was used for TALE search. Bacterial total DNA was isolated using CTAB method. Four primer pairs were used for TALE genes detection by amplification conservative regions.Results. Among 50 isolates only 4 isolates possessed TALE were revealed. Low-frequency occurrence of TALE among Russian isolates can reflect Xcc population features in Moscow region and Krasnodar krai as well as genotype features of cultivated plant hosts.