TIn the current period of agricultural management, when the task is to obtain new breeds of farm animals following modern socio-economic, regional, and natural-geographical requirements and to improve the existing ones, the problem of using the rich gene pool of wild relatives very often arises. It should be noted, however, that the genetic potential of the Armenian Mouflon was not used during the creation of agricultural animals, particularly sheep in Armenia. This was due to several biological barriers, which are currently surmountable with the use of modern biotechnological methods, especially genomic selection. To resolve the issue, we carried out the genetic passportization and barcoding of the Armenian Mouflon kept in the Yerevan Zoo according to ISSR-PCR markers. Five of the 11 ISSR primers used during molecular-genetic research had high activity: (GA)9C, (CA)9G, (CTC)6G, (GTG)6C, and (ACC)6G. A total of 63 or 71.6 % of the 88 ISSR-PCR amplicons were polymorphic. The lowest value of polymorphic DNA fragments was recorded for (ACC)6G (59.1 %) and the highest for (GTG)6C (83.3%) primers. The number of rare alleles, which indicates the originality and homogeneity of the given population, in the experimental group were: (CTC)6G and (GTG)6C. From the analysis of the material obtained during the experimental research, it was possible to decode the genetic formula and barcode of the Armenian Mouflon, which can be used as a test to clarify the identification, origin, and evolution of the species and conduct molecular selection in the breeding processes.

The research aimed to identify latent mastitis in cows on farms in the Republic of Armenia by counting somatic cells in milk using the California method. Among the 170 animals examined, 60 had latent mastitis, which comprised 35.2 % of the population. The highest incidence was observed in the Vayoc Dzor region (50 %), while the lowest was found in the Sunik region (25 %). It was found that 40 animals (23.5 %) showed a pronounced reaction to mastitis, and the concentration of somatic cells in milk was 300-500 thousand/sm3. 20 animals demonstrated a positive reaction to the test (11.7 %), and the number of somatic cells in milk exceeded 500 thousand/sm3. A microbiological study of milk from animals with subclinical mastitis was conducted to determine the species composition of pathogenic microflora. The study indicated that the milk was highly contaminated with staphylococcus, streptococcus, corynebacterial, E. coli, mycoplasma, candida, etc. A rise in leukocytes was observed in the blood of sick animals, as well as increases in band neutrophils, eosinophils, monocytes, lymphocytes, and ESRs. All this indicates, there is an inflammatory process present in the body and the immune system is mobilizing to fight pathology.

Drinks saturated with biologically active substances can be obtained from non-alcoholic drinks or mixed berry juices. Natural plant materials were used as a source of physiologically valuable food components: citrus, stone fruits, berries, medicinal herbs, etc. We have developed new functional drink recipes based on directly pressed grape juice and natural raw materials rich in organic acids, vitamins, minerals, and other macro-elements and micro-elements such as feijoa, and blackberry. The Armenian Khndoghn grape variety was chosen to produce juices with the first pressing. This juice has a high biological value and harmonious taste with aromatic compounds. Three drinks were prepared, each containing grape juice and blackberry juice in 80:20, 90:10, and 70:30 ratios. Based on the results, optimal parameters and methods for extracting biologically active substances from plant raw materials (by extraction) were determined, and their organoleptic and dietary properties were improved. Due to the high content of vitamins, phenolic carbonic, organic acids, macro-elements, and micro-elements, new drinks have acquired excellent sensory and functional properties, so including them in serial production is recommended.

There are many berries grown in Armenia, but raspberries are among the most popular. Several pests, the species composition of which has not yet been determined, hinder the achievement of a high-quality harvest. Raspberry (Rubus idaeus) pest species composition was monitored in Tavush marz (Ijevan community) in 2022-2023. Our research has identified and registered seventeen types of pests, of which two belong to the Acarina order of the Arachnoidae class and fourteen to the following orders of the Insecta class: Thysanoptera, Homoptera, Orthoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, Heteroptera, one in the Gastropoda order of Mollusca class. The detected pests were: Tetranychus urticae (Koch, 1836), Eriophyes gracilis (Nalepa, 1891), Thrips tabaci (Lindeman, 1899), Aphis grossulariae (Kaltenbach, 1843), Myzus persicae (Sulzer), Stictocephala bubalus (Kopp and Yonke, 1977), Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa (Linnaeus, 1758), Tettigonia viridissima (Linnaeus, 1758), Byturus tomentosus (De Geer, 1774), Anthonomus rubi (Herbst, 1795), Melolontha hippocastani (Fabricius, 1801), Polyphylla olivieri (Castelnau, 1840), Resselie llatheobaldi (Barnes), Lasioptera rubi (Schrank, 1803), Pennisetia hylaeiformis (Laspeyres, 1801), Dolycoris baccarum (Linnaeus, 1758), and Deroceras agreste (Linnaeus, 1758). Nevertheless, the most spread species were Resselie llatheobaldi (Barnes), Lasioptera rubi (Schrank, 1803), Anthonomus rubi (Herbst, 1795), and Byturus tomentosus (De Geer, 1774).

In 2021-2022, a study of herbivorous (phytophagous) mite habitation and harmfulness was conducted in apple and plum orchards in the Armavir region (RA). Research findings of two-year scientific experiments confirmed that between the two apple varieties the Star Crimson variety had the highest habitation rate of Hawthorn Red Spider Mite (Tetranychus viennensis Zacher), specifically 52.7 % in the first year, and 55.5 % in the second year. Among the three plum varieties, Vengerka Italian had the highest habitation rate (49.5 and 53.2 %, respectively) of common spider mites (Tetranychus urticae Koch). Research findings also confirm that at the peak of leaf damage, compared to the Golden Delicious apple variety, the damage caused by Hawthorn Red Spider Mite to the leaves of the Star Crimson apple variety was high in 2021-2022 (43.5 % and 45.0 % respectively). There was relatively high damage caused by Hawthorn Red Spider Mite to the “Vengerka Italian” variety in 2021 and 2022 (39.9 % and 41.0 %, respectively). Effective control measures against phytophagous mites with high habitation in apple and plum orchards will be developed and offered to farmers.

With the development of viticulture in recent years, vineyard areas have increased and the demand for orchards with local varieties has grown. Propagation by cuttings is the most common method of grape propagation. The influence of growth regulators (zircon, heteroauxin, and kornevin) on the rooting, growth, and ripening of hardwood cuttings of grape varieties Voskehat, Garan Dmak, and Tozot was studied. The study shows that the use of growth regulators positively affects the growth and development of cuttings, strengthens roots, increases rooting, and promotes the growth and development of surface organs Among the regulators used, the best results were shown by growth stimulants heteroauxin and zircon. These stimulants can be used to ensure the high survival rates of less common varieties.

The research was carried out in the administrative area of Yernjatap settlement, Aragatsotn marz, Aparan region, RA. This was at an altitude of 1850 m above sea level. Soil studies were conducted on about 1 hectare of arable land. The area is located in the steppe land zone. It was planned to investigate the shallow tillage (disking) in preventing degradation processes and increasing the efficiency of cultivated land in the investigated land area. For this purpose, field and laboratory analyses were carried out to study the soil quality characteristics. Soil sections were placed at the experimental sites. The percentage of humus content, mechanical composition, amount of water-soluble salts, soil reaction (pH), and provision of macronutrients in the soil samples were given according to the depth of each soil section. As a result of using traditional and shallow soil tillage methods, the agrophysical and agrochemical properties of the studied soils were revealed.

Using serpentine, which is widespread in Armenia, we developed two new fertilizers. First fertilizer, is composed of phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur, as well as amorphous silicon dioxide, and fertilizer 2, which contains a small amount of phosphorus (in the form of a mixture in the mineral), calcium, magnesium, sulfur, and amorphous silicon dioxide. Fertilizers were soluble in water and a 1 % ammonium carbonate solution. Laboratory studies have shown that fertilizers positively affect spring barley seed germination percentage, germination rate, growth, yield, and grain NPK content. The yield of spring barley increased by 28.4-33.1 % under the influence of fertilizers, which is equivalent to the efficiency of double superphosphate. However, serpentine, the most common in Armenia, can be used to obtain recommended fertilizers in a much cheaper and safer manner.

Latent mastitis harms the health of animals, their milk production, and the quality of milk. In cows affected by this disease sharp changes in hematological parameters, and biochemical parameters of blood and milk, which is the focus of our research. This work studies the morphological and biochemical parameters of blood and the biochemical parameters of milk in dairy cows affected by latent mastitis. The research was performed in several farms and farm households of Kotayk and Ararat regions, as well as in the ANAU Research Center of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Sanitary laboratories. The research outcomes prove that latent mastitis significantly impacts the composition of blood and milk components. Data obtained during the research enables a better understanding of the causes of mastitis as well as the necessity of using informative diagnostic methods in farm veterinarians’ practices.

Due to a lack of protein in the human diet, dairy products made from milk proteins have increased in production. The proposed new product was made from cheese whey and curds. The main ingredients were whey proteins and pine cone extract as a natural additive. The relevance of making albumen curd with vegetable extract is scientifically and experimentally justified. Based on this study, the optimal dose of pine cone extract was determined which results in imparting a distinctive taste and aroma characteristic of pine cone, improving the chemical composition, and extending the product’s shelf life.