Weeds are a major threat in crop production, and controlling them in modern agriculture is critical to preventing crop losses and ensuring food security. Intensive farming practices, climate change and natural disasters affect weed dynamics, requiring a change in management practices. Existing methods are no longer viable due to lack of manpower; chemical control methods are limited by health hazards and the development of herbicide resistance in weeds. This article discusses some potential alternative weed control strategies in modern vegetable production that are feasible and effective. Increasing the competitiveness of vegetable crops through proper planning of agrotechnologies system, preventive, cultural and mechanical methods, development of competitive varieties, allelopathy, biological control and reduction of weed seed production at harvest will be a major aspect in sustainable weed management. Improving tillage regimes has long been considered the main measure of weed control. Control of weed seed production and weed injuriousness have been shown as potential tools to reduce weed seed germination and retention in the soil. The development of allelopathy has led to the emergence of new methods of weed control. The use of the allelopathic potential of crops also deserves mention in modern weed control methods. Thermal weed control is seen as a useful method. The role of bioherbicides as an integral part of sustainable weed management is emphasized. All of these strategies are viable for modern agriculture; however, choosing a specific method and using the right combinations will be the key to success. No strategy is perfect, and therefore an integrated approach can provide the best results. The adoption of such practices can improve the efficiency of farming systems in sustainable agricul- ture. A comprehensive method for protecting vegetable crops from weeds and ways to reduce the potential contamination of fields with seeds and weed seedlings are described. The optimal norms and technological features, conditions for the effective use of modern herbicides on crops and plantings of vegetable crops are given.

The study of influence of growth regulators and biopreparations affecting on decrease of disease development, increase of yield capacity and final product quality was carried out in tomato. It was shown that all preparations were effective in decreasing the process of diseases development and increasing the yield capacity and product quality. The studies were carried out in the experimental fields at the Institute of Vegetables and Melons NAAS, in Ukraine in 2011-2012. The field studies were performed according to ‘Methodology of Experimental Work in Vegetable and Melon Growing’ on area sown with cultivars ‘Karas’ and ‘Kremenchugskiy’. The fungicides ‘Mars U 77%’, ‘Vimpel with Fitotsid’, ‘Vermistim’ wth ‘Azotofit’ and ‘Bioglobin’ with ‘Azotofit’ were used on cultivars of tomato, as control were the plants without treatment. It was determined that all preparations decreased the development of diseases. On average, the development of early dry spot had decreased by 12.2–16.1% and anthracnose by 10.0–12.6% in the cultivars ‘Kremenchugskiy’ and ‘Karas’. Thus, biopreparations used on the varieties ‘Kremenchugskiy’ and ‘Karas’ were effective in decrease of disease development, such as early dry spot, anthracnose, in a range of 39.1–52.7 %. Generally, during observation period the efficacy index of the preparations ‘Vermistim’ with ‘Azotofit’, ‘Bioglobin’ with ‘Azotofit’ was higher than others preparations on the varieties ‘Kremenchug and ‘Karas’ against early dry spot (48.3–50.9%, 50.3–52.7%) and anthracnose (46.1–47.0%, 47.6–48.5%). The results showed that the vast majority of biological preparations, phytohormones used against diseases in tomato crops of varieties ‘Kremenchugskiy’ and ‘Karas’, were effective in a range of 39.1-52.7% and also maintained the tomato yield within 2.8-5.1 t/ha or 8.1- 13.9%. The biological preparations, phytohormones improved common biochemical parameters.

Data of bioenergetic assessment of two strains of oyster mushroom in conditions of basement with different light intensity were obtained. The energy for the product development and the energy accumulated by the economically valuable part of yield were evaluated. The high ratio of the bioenergetic efficiency (up to 2,42) was revealed for the strain НК-35 when the day-light lamps at 600-800 lux of intensity were used.

Economical  efficiency  of  agricultural  industry  is  a major characteristic of the level of development of an enterprise. A profit from product sale depends on volume and structure of product  sales, self-cost as well as the level of  sales price.  Thus, the gross revenue from cultivated crops and vegetable cultivars can be observed at the time of fruit harvesting. The total sum of  the gross earnings from  the harvest, determining the  efficiency  of  enterprise can  be  calculated  as a product of values of daily price and mass of total harvest. There are no challenging points in the condition of permanent price and vegetable harvest. Even the registration of average-sales prices for vegetable doesn’t make the production difficult. But real market situation essentially differs from accepted practice to register average-sales prices with relatively permanent vegetable  harvest.  The  price  indexes  of  sales  for tomato and cucumber produced in greenhouse in Udmurt Republic with showing the dynamic of retail price for vegetables were presented in the article. It was shown  that  prices  of  tomatoes  and cucumbers had the seasonal factor that meant weekly price wavering.  The  temporal  row  harvest  of  cucumber ‘Tseres           F1’  and  tomato  ‘Admiro  F1’  produced  at Zaviyalovskiy greenhouse enterprise was  described. The average derivation between nearest and last harvest was in the  gap  23%  to  29%  in cucumber  and reached up to 70% in tomato. The values of such derivations were occasionally provoked and determined by some inter-enterprise factors. The construction  of trend lines for such series and further line evaluation with  the aid of  determination  coefficient  R2  showed extremely low quality of model  of the kind y=a•x+b. The value of R2 cubic  polynominals was in the limits R2=0.32-0.46. Essentially, plans for vegetable production,  constructed  on  the  basis of  this  linear model should be regarded as unsatisfied. According  to the analysis presented above, it is worth concluding  that the principles to plan the production process in greenhouse enterprises have to be changed. As an example, the use of tk value as a shift of harvest time for kcrop related to price maximum for the crop used can be very effective.

The results of evaluating the effectiveness of the plant growth regulator Atonic Plus on potatoes as a stimulator of development, immunomodulator and protectant of the negative effects of pesticides in the crop protection system in the agro-climatic conditions of the Central region of the Russian Federation (Moscow region) are presented.In the extreme weather conditions of the growing season of 2010, the growth regulator Atonic Plus effectively demonstrated its qualities in the form of the formation of adaptability and anti-stress resistance in potato plants, providing an increase in yield relative to control by 1.8-7.1% and the quality of tubers is not only compared to the control, but also relative to the reference version. The combined use of a growth regulator with a fungicide contributed to an increase in the yield of standard potatoes in early and mid-late potato varieties by 2-2.5 times compared with the control.

Presently the X-ray separation is used not only for research program, but it is also elaborated and applied for different sectors of economy. The seeds as biological objects that possess the complicated microstructure are very difficult to be exanimated by x-ray technology. The application of x-rays and further elaboration of optical  separators, principle  of action, basic specifications, way of their use and their efficiency was shown in the article. The x-ray separator may distinguish all hidden seed defects as it was described by a programmer, where owing to the use of the optical separating block in visual range it is possible to add some more details as a shape, brightness and a color of object surface being exanimated. The elaboration of such separation equipment is scientifically hard work requiring time and expenses. Last year researchers of ‘LETI’ developed the working model of industrial x-ray separator for examination of grains and nuts in different crops. This model was made on the basis of photoseparator F-5 manufactured at OAO ‘Voronezhselmash’. The instrument state and its mechanism operation are highlighted on monitor. In the regime of processing (separation and examination) of each controlled batch, the passport is produced with  following  information on identification  code,  time of material receiving, time of test passed, number of grains or seeds tested. The code of receiver of material is given to each of established characteristics when working the regime of separation, determination of number of objects with characteristics tested and number of unidentified objects. The application of x-ray separators constructed on the basis of photoseparator F-5 enables to carry out the complex estimation on seed quality and separation in only instrument with the development of electronic protocol with many characteristics.

The efficiency of bacterial products Mizorin and PG-5 for treatment of seeds and seedlings roots of tomato cv. Novichok was studied. The positive effect of these biological products on productivity and disease resistance of tomato was revealed. The most effective was Mizorin when both treatments were applied. Biological efficiency was 46% and 38% against Septoria disease and Phytophtora, respectively. The yield of tomato increased (0.4 – 3.3 t/ha) when Mizorin was applied.