Scientific relevance. Plant viruses cause a significant economic loss to potato production, especially if plants are infected at early growth stages and infections are mixed. Viral diseases reduce both yield and quality of harvested crops. Detection and identification of plant viruses are key important to prevent their spreading and to achieve potential yield predetermined by characteristics of varieties.Research methods. Seven potato varieties, bred in Russia and overseas, were used in the field experiment: Smak, Avgustin, Yantar, Laperla, Labella, Red Lady, Sante, Belmonda. Viral infection rate was measured by the percent of plants with symptoms to the total number of plants. In addition to infection frequency, a disease rate was described after visual estimation. Total RNA was isolated from the collected leaves according to Bekesiova I. et al. 1999 [13]. Qualitative and quantitative estimation of plant viruses in the samples were conducted by single-step real-time RT-PCR with fluorescent detection with the Applied Biosystems QuantStudio 5 and commercial kits “Potato Virus X, Y, M, L, S, A, PSTVd-RT” (Syntol Company) according to the official protocol of the kits.Results. As a result of our research, symptoms of mixed viral infection were described for potato varieties depending on concentrations and proportions of these viruses in a plant. Mixed viral infection in the potato field in Primorsky Krai comprised PVY, PVX, PVA, PVS, PVM, also PLRV and PSTVd.

The purpose of the study. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of heterosis in short-fruited parthenocarpic F1 cucumber hybrids by the main economically valuable characteristics, when grown using low-volume technology in industrial greenhouses of the Moscow region.Materials and methods. The object of the study is short-fruited parthenocarpic reciprocal hybrids of cucumber Druzhny (F1 I73514 x I74011), F1 I74011 x I73514 and their parent inbred lines I73514 and I74011 of selection by N.N. Timofeev Breeding Station LLC. F1 SV4097CV of foreign selection of Semenis company (Netherlands) was used as a control. The study was conducted in 2020-2021 in industrial greenhouses of the "V. I. Edelstein Vegetable Experimental Station" of the K.A. Timiryazev Russian State Agrarian University-Moscow Agricultural Academy in Moscow on low-volume hydroponics in peat bags. Parental lines and hybrid combinations were evaluated by earliness, early yield, yield, number of fruits per plant, average fruit weight and marketability.Results. According to the results of the study, F1 Druzhny (F1 I73514 x I74011) and the reverse hybrid I73514 x I74011 demonstrated high positive effects of heterosis in yield (MPH=19.4...22%; HPH=13.4...15.9%; CH=9.6...12%) and the number of fruits per plant (MPH=22.5...26.4%; HPH=12.5...15.8%; CH=11.7...15%). Negative indicators of the heterosis effect were noted for earliness from germination to flowering (MPH=-3.4...-1.1%; HPH=-6.5...-4.4%; CH=-4.4...-2.2%) and average fruit weight (MPH=-2.2...-1.3%; HPH=-5.3...-4.3%; CH=-3.4...-2.4%). The value of the degree of dominance indicates the presence of positive overdominance in the inheritance of such traits as yield (hp=2.7...3.2), the number of fruits from the plant (hp=1.5...1.9) and marketability (hp=1.6...2.3). Negative overdomination was observed in earliness from germination to flowering (hp= -2...-1.3) and average fruit weight (hp=-1.7...-1.2). According to the signs of earliness from germination to fruiting (hp =0) and early yield (hp=-0.1...0.5), intermediate inheritance was revealed. The Druzhny hybrid significantly exceeded the control hybrid SV4097CV in early yield, yield and number of fruits from the plant, and the reverse hybrid F1 I74011 x I73514 was at the control level, which indicates the prospects of growing these hybrids in the conditions of spring-summer turnover on low-volume hydroponics.

The aim of the study was to determine the growth, development and yield of sweet corn varieties and hybrids as vegetables during the soil-climatic conditions of Karakalpakstan.Methods. The 8 cultivars and 8 hybrids studied were evaluated for growth, development and yield in Karakalpakstan in 2017-2019. Selection work was carried out on varieties and hybrids. Varieties and hybrids with a positive result based on the selection results were recommended for use in subsequent experiments.Results. After sowing the seeds of the studied 8 varieties and 8 hybrids of vegetable (sweet) corn, the duration of the germination period was 7-9 days. Relatively early germination between cultivars and hybrids Zamin, Can. Pedro 2 Inta, Berys varieties, relatively late germination was recorded in 9 days in SPV 1022, Leonard's Early, Honey Bontam F1, Spirit F1, Megaton F1, Baron F1, Soyan F1, Hybrid F1. It has been established that the period from germination to the stage of leaf formation (7 leaves) is 13-16 days, the period from the stage of leaf formation (7 leaves)to the panicle formation is 23-33 days, the period from the panicle formation to flowering is 4-6 days, the period from flowering to the cob formation is 9-15 days. In the studied varieties and hybrids, the period from the cob formation to milky ripeness was 13-18 days, from milky ripeness to waxy ripeness lasted up to 4-8 days.The study of the duration of the development phases of varieties and hybrids showed that the growth period from germination to milky-wax ripeness is 75-85 days. Early yield was observed in hybrids Baron F1, Sweet star F1, Spirit F1, Soyan F1, vegetation period 73-77 days, relatively early yield was observed in varieties and hybrids Zamin, Sentinel F1, SPV 1022, Osnova 209, Hybrid F1, Can Pedro 2 Inta, Clx3349ys clause, growing season 79-81 days.The selection of varieties and hybrids most appropriate to the soil and climatic conditions of Karakalpakstan was carried out and recommended for cultivation by farmers and dekhkan farms.

Relevance. As a result of long-term research, the staff of the Department of Agronomy, Plant Breeding and Seed Production of Omsk State Agrarian University created a new variety of green beans called Marusya, which was included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements in 2015. The competitiveness of the variety is ensured by stable yields, high palatability, and the ability of green beans to maintain their economic viability over the long period. The variety is resistant to drought and low temperatures.Material and methods. The research on the variety of the green beans was conducted following the methods of competitive variety trial from 2016 to 2020. The trials were conducted on the breeding crop rotation fields of the Educational and Experimental Farm of Omsk State Agrarian University, which is located in the southern forest-steppe of the Omsk Region (city of Omsk). The following zoned varieties were used as control samples: Zolushka (Federal Scientific Center of Vegetable Farming, Moscow) and the imported Polka variety (Poland).Results. The developed agroecological passport the Marusya variety, the use of which will allow to take into account the positive effects of the genotype-environment-variety interaction to the maximum extent. When selecting bean varieties suitable for cultivation for vegetable purposes in the conditions of the southern forest-steppe of Western Siberia in industrial production and the private sector, the Marusya variety makes it possible to obtain high-quality products and expand the range of legumes in the region.

Relevance. Cleaning of reclamation channels is a very relevant event. The need to clean the canals and maintain them in working condition becomes obvious during the flood period, when it is necessary to remove excess water. The paper presents mathematical models for determining the performance of the PP-303 canal cleaner, a feature of which is the rectilinear movement of the bucket on rigid guides along the bottom along the axis of the canal to be cleaned.Methods. The article is formed on the basis of experimental research methods. The research was carried out based on experimental and calculated data. A network of drainage canals of the drainage system was taken as the research object, and the working equipment of the canal cleaner was taken as the research subject. Performance, which is the amount of products produced by the machine per unit of time, can be of three types (theoretical, technical, and operational) and can be determined with consideration of the design parameters of the working equipment. During the operation of trench cutting machines, their performance directly depends on the main parameter, namely, the depth of the canal being built; in the case of canal cleaning with canal cleaners, this parameter cannot be considered as the main one. This is due to the fact that siltation and sediments accumulating on the bottom and slopes of the canals during the operation of the reclamation system are extremely unevenly distributed along the length of the canal. The highest concentration and amount of sediments and siltation is observed mainly at the mouth of the canals, the junctions of canals of different levels, and the junctions of the drainage with the drainage canal. In this case, the most significant parameter is the thickness of the chips removed from the bottom and slopes of the canal by the bucket.Results. The results of the research showed that the performance of the channel cleaner, as a batch machine, is influenced by the very design of the working equipment, the main element of which is a bucket capable of moving in a straight line along rigid guides at different speeds. With obvious high values of the performance of continuous channel cleaning machines, it can be concluded that the channel cleaner RR-303 showed high values of technical and operational characteristics, mainly due to the use of a trapezoidal profile bucket.

. Heterotic selection is now widely used in crop production. The superiority of heterotic hybrids over varieties in many respects has long been known. However, the widespread use of heterosis in melon growing is hampered by the high cost of seed material, due to the lack of lines with male sterility. The aim of this work was to evaluate heterotic hybrids of watermelon obtained on the basis of a line with male sterility isolated at the Bykovskaya Experimental Station.Materials and methods. The studies were carried out in 2020 and 2021. at the Bykovskaya melon breeding experimental station - a branch of the FGBNU FNTSO. The object of research is heterosis hybrids of watermelon. The heterosis hybrid of watermelon Barkhan was used as a standard. Classical breeding methods were used in the work: incubation and hybridization.Research results. The assessment of watermelon hybrids according to the main economic characteristics revealed the best combinations in comparison with the standard. According to the content of dry matter, four hybrids of watermelon stood out, the excess over the standard ranged from 0.6 to 1.9%. The indicator of the average weight of the fetus in one LIR hybrid was at the level of the standard and amounted to 6.5 kg. The remaining hybrids exceeded the Barkhan standard by 1.2-4.0 kg. The average yield of the studied hybrids ranged from 19.0 to 22.5 t/ha. The calculation of such indicators as the degree of dominance, the effects of true and hypothetical heterosis made it possible to identify three combinations with high rates.Conclusion. Thus, it was found that the yield in heterotic hybrids of watermelon is inherited according to the principle of overdominance. Inheritance of traits dry matter content and average fruit weight ranges from minus overdominance to overdominance in various combinations. According to the complex of economically valuable traits, three combinations of table watermelon were distinguished: LKn, LMr and LFT.

The 28-spotted potato ladybird beetle belongs to the subfamily Epilachninae, which is comprised exclusively by phytophagous insects. The potato ladybird beetle is a dangerous pest of potato in the south of the Russian Far East. Besides potato, it causes damage to tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelons, marrows and eggplants. Adult beetles and larvae eat the parenchyma of leaves severely damaging them. As the result, leaves turn yellow and wither. One beetle can eat up to 15 cm2 of leave surface on average per day, and 300-700 cm2 over its lifetime. A larva can eat from 20 to 30 cm2 of leave surface while developing. This significantly reduces the yield. The body of an adult beetle is small (males, 4-6 mm; female, 5-7 mm), dome-shaped, and elliptical. The elytra are yellow or brownish with 28 black round spots. Some spots, especially the ones along the line of junction, can partially merge. The color of the underside of male beetles is lighter than in females. Male beetles have yellow or less frequently darkened prothorax, mesothorax and metathorax, epimera, and the uppermost edge of the sternites of the abdomen. The anal sternite of the abdomen has a curve with two depressions. The underside of a female beetle is black. The uppermost edge of the anal sternite is straight and with a flat depression. The body of a larva is greyish, oval and with numerous setae. There are 4 rows of black chitinous spinules on the back. Depending on an instar, larvae have a different number of projections on the chitinous spinules. Pupae are exarate, light yellow, and have larval skin remnants at the apex of the abdomen. There are two large black spots on the backside of the thoracic segments. The spots on the abdominal segments are smaller. Fairly long protruding setae grow sparsely on the bodies of pupae. Eggs of the potato ladybird beetle are yellow, elongated, with a pointed apex and a flat bottom. The surface of an egg is characterized by a fine cellular structure.

Relevance. Currently pharmaceutical industry, food industry and chemical laboratories demonstrate an increasing interest in natural plant sources, including Chamaenerion angustifolium. Modern researches reveal more and more medicinal properties of this plant. For this reason, the demand for the use of fireweed as a medicinal plant, especially its leaves and flowers, is very high. It means, that the study of biological properties, chemical composition, ecological and landscape features of fireweed is of scientific and practical interest.Methods. This article contains information from literary sources about pharmaceutical, chemical, biological, ecological and geographical studies of Chamaenerion, its results and recommendations. Obtained from other researches information was systematized by research topics and presented in a logical sequence.Results. The issues of using this plant in medicine and food industry are also considered here, along with the discription of collecting natural fireweed problems and the mail ways of cultivating this species. The modern condition of fireweed research is shown, a detailed analysis of fireweed biological and ecological characteristics is carried out and on this basis, the main directions for further work on the introduction of Chamaenerion into culture for its more complete and rational use in medicine and in the food industry are outlined in this article. The article presents an analysis of the problems that arise during the introduction, in particular, the improvement of vegetative reproduction techniques, the selection of populations promising in terms of the phenolic compounds content and the possibility of target compounds content in plants by the exogenous regulation.Conclusion. Despite the presence of a relatively large quantity of works devoted to Chamaenerion, some research topics are poorly covered. For example, the topic of cultivation and the use of growth regulators. The most promising directions for the future study of Chamaenerion are indicated in this article.

Relevance. Interspecific hybridization in the genus Allium L. is the best way to increase biodiversity by introgression of desired traits within the genus. This is valuable for signs such as resistance to diseases and pests, accumulation of important metabolites, obtaining new sources of cytoplasmic male sterility. The creation based on interspecific hybridization of fundamentally new plant forms with unique genetic material makes it possible to expand the selection of genotypes that are valuable in practical terms.Methods. To characterize the breeding material, the plants of interspecific allium hybrids were evaluated using morphological and phytopathological analyses. The analysis of plants of interspecific hybrids of the genus Allium L. from various inbred offspring from BC1-2 combinations of crossing species A. cepa × A. vavilovii and A. cepa × A. fistulosum by breeding characteristics was carried out. Plants were studied by weight, color, bulb shape, number, height of seed stalks, seed productivity and resistance to downy mildew.Results. The biodiversity of plants was revealed: by weight, shape, color of the bulb; by resistance to downy mildew of plants of the first year of vegetation and seed plants; by the number, height of seed stalk; by seed productivity. Plants of interspecific allium hybrids formed bulbs weighing up to 120 g, white, yellow, brown and red, elliptical, broadly elliptical, round and transversely elliptical bulb shape. Phytopathological assessment of allium plants of the first year of vegetation and seed plants revealed diversity in inbred offspring with resistance to peronosporosis. In the combination of crossing species A. cepa × A. vavilovii plants of the first year of vegetation had the largest number of resistant plants to downy mildew (up to 66.7%). According to the seed productivity of plants, depending on the combination of crossing, inbreeding generation and backcross, highly fertile plants with increased seed setability (up to 2.0 g /plant) were identified. The conducted studies have demonstrated an increase in the biodiversity of allium plants obtained based on interspecific hybridization, backcrosses and inbreeding.

Fruit peel/pulp distribution of biologically active compounds is an important characteristic of plant physiology and the basis of zero waste production in agriculture. Among C. ficifolia, C. maxima and C. moschata the former showed the lowest dry matter content, especially in peel, similar peel and pulp values of antioxidant activity (AOA) and polyphenol content (TP), with the highest levels in fruit placenta. Peel carbohydrate profile of C. ficifolia fruit was characterized by lower levels of disaccharides compared to C. maxima and C. moschata peel and an opposite pattern of monosaccharides accumulation. The analysis of 25 elements content in Cucurbita peel and pulp, using ICP-MS, indicated that C. ficifolia fruit are characterized by significantly high concentrations of Sr, Si and I in pulp compared to the values of C. maxima and C. moschata. On the contrary, C. maxima and C. moschata were characterized by low concentration of pulp Mn. Highly significant positive correlations were recorded between Cr-Sr, Cr-Ca and CaSr (r=0.906; 0.939 and 0.974 respectively) and P-Cu (r=0.968). Despite C. ficifolia, does not contain carotenoids, it is highly valuable due to the high levels of Si, I, Cr and Ca in peel and pulp, which reveals new areas of its application.