At present many countries are actively working over the use of sorghum in the food industry as juice, syrup, as well as for the production of alcohol and bioethanol. We do not consider the use of sweet sorghum as a sugar substitute in the food industry and a source of renewable energy in Russia. The main purpose of sorghum, until recently, was fodder. Green mass of sweet sorghum can be used to produce green fodder, hay, haylage, silage, grass meal, granules, etc. In terms of nutritional value, sorghum syrup is next best to sugar-containing products from sugar beet, sugar cane, while its cultivation is more economical and its yields are more stable in any conditions of cultivation. Sweet sorghum syrup in its pure form is more easily digested by the human body than in crystals, and may be used in the production of healthy food consumed by everyone including people with diabetes. This allows us to conclude about the relevance of these studies. Thus, the ARC “Donskoy” varieties, harvested in the phase of ‘wax ripeness of kernels’, produced 37–46 t/ha of green mass with 13–16% sugar in the juice of the stems, and the yield of ‘liquid’ sugar was 2.86–3.81 t/ha. In this country sorghum is unfortunately paid too little attention from both science and production. To sow fodder sweet sorghum on 10–20 hectare is not difficult, and the efficiency of such sowing is quite obvious: about 25 tons of seeds of sweet sorghum, about 65 tons of leaves, stems for silage or hay, about 10 tons of food syrup and more than 100 tons of pulp or bagasse used for making high-quality silage can be obtained from 10 hectares. Sorghum syrup is the most valuable product that can be used in the confectionery industry and in the feeding of all animals.

At present winter wheat is the leading grain crop in the Volga region and Russia. However, it’s necessary to improve its cultivation technologies to increase its efficiency. The purpose of the work is to identify the optimum sowing methods and rates of winter soft wheat with the application of disinfectant ‘Stsenik Kombi’ in the climatic conditions of the Middle Zavolzhie. In 2015–2018 there was estimated the influence of two sowing methods (row and wide-row) and five sowing rates of the winter wheat variety ‘Svetoch’ when applying disinfectant ‘Stsenik Kombi’ in comparison with the control variety. It has been established that the highest net income (12251.5–12498.3 rubles/ha) and level of profitability (107.7–121.5%) were obtained on options with the sowing rate of 2.0–4.0 million/ha. The highest breeding rate was found in the usual ordinary sowing rate of 1 million/ha to 100 (in 2016), which is in 2–4 times higher than when sown with the rate of 2.0–5.0 million/ha. The obtained regularity indicates the prospects of this sowing rate when cultivating seeds of high reproductions for seed production purposes, both in ordinary row sowing (the width of the spacing is 15 cm), and in wide-row sowing (30 cm). When sowing 2.0 million/ha or more, there was established a prevalence of ordinary row sowing over wide-row sowing on 0.4 t/ha (or 16.9%). The application of disinfectant ‘Stsenik Kombi’ is recommended in winter wheat cultivation.

The use of biological stimulants promotes plant metabolism, which improves the utilization of mineral fertilizers and plant defense mechanisms against the effect of unfavorable factors. The paper discusses the results of winter wheat seed treatment with ‘Agrimitin’ and a fungicide disinfectant ‘Vintsit Forte’. It has been determined that seed treatment with the preparations promoted the increase of winter wheat productivity. In 2017–2018 after seed treatment with ‘Agrimitin’, the average productivity increase was 0.18 t/ha for the winter soft wheat variety ‘Lydia’ and 0.25 t/ ha for the winter durum wheat variety ‘Lazurit’ compared with the productivity of the control variety. The combined use of preparations promoted the productivity increase on 0.37 t / ha for the winter soft wheat and on 0.44 t /ha for the winter durum wheat. The structural analysis of productivity showed that the use of preparations increased the number of productive stems to 580–648 pcs/ m2 in comparison with 564–621 pcs/m2 of the control variety. A number of kernels per ear and mass of kernels per ear of winter soft wheat after seed treatment had no significant increase. Winter durum wheat showed better effect of seed treatment: ‘number of kernels per ear’ increased from 30.6 pcs. to 32.8 pcs., and ‘mass of kernels per ear’ raised from 1.38 g to 1.55 g. The maximum profitability of winter soft and durum wheat production was identified in the variant with a combined use of the preparations ‘Agrimitin’ + ‘Protravitel’ (184.2% and 208.6% respectively). At the same time, the net income rate of winter soft wheat increased on 3,136 rubles/ha and that of winter durum wheat increased on 4,624 rubles/ha, compared to the the net income rate of the control variety (58145 rubles/ ha and 64796 rubles/ha, respectively).

Winter barley is an important agricultural crop whose grain is used for fodder and food purposes. The main advantage of winter barley over spring barley is in an earlier ripening period, the ability to use winter and early spring moisture reserves, due to which winter barley produces a yield in 1.5–2 times higher than spring barley. Because of increasing climate aridity in the south of the country, the development of early ripening winter barley varieties, as well as varieties with an alternative type of development (facultative wheat) is of great importance. The length of the growing period (especially ‘sprouts-earing’ phase) and responsiveness to barley vernalization is controlled by the Ppd and Vrn genetic systems. It is known that the Ppd and Vrn genes have a pleiotropic effect, that is, they affect many traits, including the general adaptability and seed productivity of plants. Therefore, among the analyzed traits, the dependence of which on the allelic diversity of the genes is required to be established, there should be present not only the starting time of earing and responsiveness to vernalization, but also other economically valuable traits (productivity parameters, lodging degree, etc.). The purpose of the study was to establish the influence of allelic polymorphism of the studied genes on the variability of the main economically valuable traits. The object of the research was 94 varieties of local (Zernograd, Rostov region, Russia) and other district breeding. It has been identified that the research tests were successful for only one of the five tested marker systems. It was the marker system for the Vrn-H2 gene, which determines the type of barley development (winter, spring, facultative). The polymorphism of the Vrn-H2 gene significantly influences on the protein percentage in the kernels and on the resistance of varieties to lodging.

The researches were conducted in 2016–2017 by the FSBSI Agricultural Research Center “Donskoy” to study varieties and promising lines of winter wheat of intensive type according to their productivity and economically valuable traits. According to productivity through the years of study the variety ‘Donskaya Step’ and the lines ‘1005/14’ and ‘1074/14’ have been identified with a yield increase from 0.52 to 1.38 t/ha (HCP05=0.47 t/ha) compared to the standard variety ‘Ermak’. The analysis showed that the maximum number of productive stems per unit area was formed by the varieties ‘Yubiley Dona’ (582 pcs / m2) and ‘Etyud’ (569 pcs / m2) in comparison to the average value of the standard variety ‘Ermak’ (488 pcs / m2). According to ‘length of an ear’, ‘number of kernels per ear’ and ‘kernels’ weight per ear’ there was identified the variety ‘Kipchak’ (10.39 cm; 43.05 pieces and 1.87 g respectively). ‘Kernels’ weight per ear’ of the other varieties varied from 1.36 g (‘Shef’) to 1.87 g (‘Aksiniya’). ‘Grain weight per plant’ ranged from 2.86g (‘Shef’) to 3.68g (‘1074/14’). ‘Number of kernels per plant’ of the studied varieties varied from 67.2 pcs (‘Shef’) to 87.2 pcs (‘1005/14’). The line ‘1074/14’ showed the largest index of ‘grain weight per plant’ (3.68g). The line ‘1005/14’ was the best in ‘number of kernels per ear’ (87.2 pcs).

Rice can form not only white, but also red, brown and black kernels. In black rice pericarp contains anthocyanin pigment, which has antioxidant activity and is beneficial to human health. The article is devoted to the development of new rice lines with black pericarp on the basis of the hybrid ‘Svetly × Mavr’. The purpose of the work is to develop rice new lines with black seed vessel on the genetic background of the variety ‘Svetly’. There has been carried out a genetic analysis of varying quantitative traits that affect rice productivity. Cleavage by pericarp color occurred according to the dihybrid scheme according to the type of recessive epistasis in the ratio 9:3:4. The black color of the pericarp was formed with the presence of two dominant Pb and Pp genes in the genotype, the brown one was determined by the Pb gene, and the white one was determined by the other combinations of genes. Inheritance of plant height occurred according to the overdominance of large values of the trait. Parental forms differed in the allelic state of two pairs of genes. Along the panicle length, there has been determined partial negative dominance and monogenic differences of the hybridized varieties. According to ‘number of spikelets per panicle’, there has been identified an overdominance of a larger value of the trait and the interaction of two pairs of genes. According to ‘1000-kernel weight’, there has been established partial dominance of large values of the trait and monogenic differences of the initial parental forms. There have been selected the best recombinant forms combining a compact erect panicle and grains with a black seed vessel, and there has been developed starting material for practical breeding. The study was carried out on the fields of the Experimental Station “Proletarskaya” of the Rostov Region in 2018.

Winter wheat is the most important food crop, which has a significant share in the structure of the grain area of Russia. The production of high-quality wheat grain is limited by significant variation and sharp fluctuations of the soil-climatic and other factors both within the regions and through the years. All this negatively affects the amount of productivity and its quality. The development of new varieties with high productivity and at the same time high-quality grain and flour, regardless of growing conditions, is an urgent and present task for plant-breeding. The tasks in the selection work of the FSSP “Prikumskaya Experimental Breeding Station” to increase the adaptive traits were fulfilled due to the development of the new winter wheat varieties which combine better productivity and grain quality. In 2015–2016 the varieties ‘Kadril’, ‘Iridas’ and ‘Korona’ were given to the State Variety Testing. Due to the positive results of testing in the North Caucasus region the new variety ‘Iridas’ was included in the State List of Breeding Achievements in 2019. The variety was obtained as a result of individual selection from the hybrid population ‘Prikumskaya 140’ × ‘Kroshka’. During the years of the State Variety Testing (2017-2018) at the plots of the Stavropol Territory, the variety ‘Iridas’ showed productive advantages in the extremely dry and arid zones compared to the standard varieties ‘Grom’ and ‘Ayvin’ with an increase of 0.31–0.43 t/ha, respectively. The maximum productivity (10.79 t/ha) during the years of testing was obtained at the Stavropol SVTS. The variety’ Iridas’ produces large kernels with high baking characteristics. According to ARCVQE, quality indicators of ‘Iridas’ grain meet the standards for valuable wheat. The protein percentage in the grain is 13.0, gluten percentage is 30.4, IGD is 67.

To select highly productive peas genotypes it is essential to know the patterns of plant productivity, depending on the combination of structural elements. The purpose of this work was to study the variability of yield structure elements, to identify the correlation between them, and to study the influence of yield structure elements on seed productivity in collection samples of peas with different types of leaf. The studies were conducted on the experimental fields of the laboratory of legumes breeding and seed-growing of the FSBSI “Agricultural Research Center “Donskoy” (Rostov region, Zernograd) in 2017–2018. The objects of research were 58 leafy and 69 leafless samples of various ecological and geographical origin from the world collection of the All-Russian Research Institute named after N.I. Vavilov and samples identified by other research institutions in Russia and abroad. The studies on the variability and correlation of the yield elements of leafy and leafless pea samples have shown that ‘number of kernels per plant’ and ‘kernel weight per plant’ are most variable traits. There has been identified the difference in interconnection among leafy and leafless samples. No-effect of plant height and lower nod location on productivity allows breeding short-stem pea samples and samples with high attachment of a lower nod of both pea types without reducing their productivity.

The purpose of the study is the application of the method of multi-criteria estimation to select the initial material of various direction of maize breeding. The studies were performed in the year of 2017–2018 in two different regions of trials, in the arid area of the ARC “Donskoy” (Zernograd) and in the moisture area of the All-Russian Research Institute of Maize (Pyatigorsk). 10 parental forms of maize hybrids ‘Alpha M’, ‘Almaz M’, ‘Avrora S’, ‘Milena M’, ‘Istok S’, ‘Mirt M’, ‘Malvina S’, Raduga S’, Maya M’, ‘Prestizh M’ used as testers in breeding programs were taken as initial material. The studied forms were characterized by a diversity in the value of their main economically valuable traits. Significant variability was identified in infertility of plants (V = 56.0%), smut infection (V = 46.4%) and fragility of a stem below a cob (V = 43.4%). Average variability was identified in grain productivity (V = 14.8–18.2%), drought resistance index (V = 10.5%), harvesting moisture of grain (V = 18.6%). The use of the complex of main economically valuable traits for the integrated assessment (SD), taking into account the specified contributions (Rk) and weight coefficients (Wi), made it possible to rank the initial material according to its value for various areas of selection. There have been identified the testers ‘Mirt M’, Maya M, ‘Istok S’ with the best integral values (SD = 2.63–5.65) for breeding on drought tolerance. ‘Istok S’, ‘Milena M’, ‘Avrora S’ (SD = 2.14–4.07) have been recommended as the testers in breeding programs to breed the varieties with low harvesting moisture of grain. There has been identified a universal tester ‘Istok S’ which is suitable for various directions of maize breeding. Thus, the multi-criteria estimation can be used in the breeding process to select initial material that meets the requirements of the planned breeding directions.

The article emphasizes the importance of peas as a source of vegetative protein, and indicates on insufficient areas under peas both in Russia and in the Altai. One of the reasons of reducing its acreage is the high costs on peas planting and protecting from pests, diseases and weeds. Climate changing contributes to rapid development of such harmful diseases as ascohitoz, bacteriosis, fusarium, rust, significant number of weevil, pea aphid and moth mullet. Considering the main directions in pea breeding, it should be emphasized that the Altai Area, with its vast territory and diverse natural and climatic conditions, requires highly productive, well-adapted varieties of different use which are capable to effectively use agro-climatic resources of different zones. All this requires the active study of the source material, the selection of new, economically valuable forms and their introduction into the breeding process. It has been noted that the production requires more advanced varieties, the development of which is impossible without the presence of diverse source material. The purpose of the study was to identify the best productive plants in the pea collection of 2012-2017. The material has been represented by 113 variety samples of domestic and foreign selection. The varieties with best productivity were ‘Mnogoplodny 163’, ‘Rheinperle’, ‘Flagman 12’, ‘806’9, ‘Varyag’, ‘Altaisky Usaty’, ‘Pioner’, ‘LittleMarwel’, ‘Mnogoplodny 27’, ‘Zeleny Tsukat’, ‘Ryadovoy’, ‘576/80’. The best forage productivity was produced by ‘Novosibirets’, ‘Varyag’, ‘Pino’, ‘Zeleny Tsukat’, ‘Mnogoplodny 105’. The most fast-ripening varieties were ‘Rheinperle’ and ‘Pyrama’. The samples ‘Novosibirets’, ‘Varyag’, ‘Pino’ and ‘8067’ were characterized with high plant height. The samples ‘Pyrama’, ‘Flagman 12’, ‘Novosibirets’, ‘Sihirobana-Kinusaja’, the line ‘312’ produced large-sized kernels. The great lodge resistance has been shown by ‘Altaisky Usaty’, ‘Svetozar’, ‘Kamerton’, ‘Flagman 12’.

The estimation of the initial material is the most important part of the breeding process. There is a great necessity in additional objectivity of its characteristics, in identification of the parameters of environmental adaptability, stability, resistance to stressful environmental conditions. Within the collection nursery there have been studied adaptability parameters of 16 sainfoin samples (Onobrychis arenaria Kit. DC) of a sandy species. The purpose of research was to identify sainfoin forms with a complex of adaptive traits based on such characteristics as “green mass productivity” and “seed productivity” to use them in future breeding work. There have been used conventional techniques in the study. The estimation of the adaptability parameters was carried out according to Eberhart S.G., Russell W.G. (1966) presented by V.A. Zykina et al. (2005) and by V.Z. Pakudin (1984). The conducted dispersion analysis of the two-factor trial on the productivity of sainfoin samples showed the correlation between the genotype and the environment. The change in green mass and seed productivity was greatly influenced by the factor ‘year’ (‘environment’) (51% and 58%, respectively). The influence of the factor ‘variety’ (‘sample’) was less (40.7% and 35.5%), the correlation of these factors was also reliable, the interaction variance exceeded the error value and was 65% and 79%. The estimation of sainfoin samples for the presence of adaptive properties revealed that almost all the studied samples had at least one adaptive parameter. But, the sainfoin samples that have several or a set of calculated adaptive properties are obviously more valuable for the use in the breeding process. When cultivating for green mass and seeds, the samples ‘S 5/05’ and ‘GIA 4’ had a high level of resistance to stressful growing conditions (Umin-Umax), a high level of environmental adaptability (bi) and stability (Si2 ), and the samples ‘GIA 2’ and ‘GIA 11’ have these parameters only if they are cultivated for green mass. The variety ‘Severokavkazsky Dvuukosny’ is characterized with high resistance to stressful growing conditions (Umin-Umax) and genetic flexibility ((Umin + Umax) / 2), with a high level of ecological adaptability (bi) and homeostatism (HOM).

The legumes are of indisputable importance to meet the public demand in proteins. Proteins are rich in amino acids, vitamins and minerals, and make legumes to be high-quality food. In order to meet the population’s demand in legumes through local production, it is necessary to develop sustainable and high-yielding varieties. The research and study of the possibilities of the new and the well-known varieties can help to achieve the purpose. The paper presents historical development of vigna breeding and seed production at the Absheron experimental breeding station from the moment of its origin to nowadays. The article summarizes the results and lists the main achievements at each stage. There have been given the priority directions of vigna breeding in Azerbaijan. The main ones are to create varieties of different ripeness, with multiplicity, with multiple seeds, with determinant stem growth, with good resistance to abiotic stress factors. There has been presented the variety which combines the determination and fasciation of the stem, which is relevant for future breeding, aimed to identify highly productive varieties resistant to lodging. There has been given a comparative characteristics of the identified varieties with the standard ones through the main economically valuable traits. Climate warming results in periodical drought on large agricultural territories. Due to it, it has become necessary to expand the cultivation zone of drought-resistant crops, including vigna. A comprehensive study of the potential vigna productivity allows their use in breeding process as source material, sources and donors of economically valuable traits.

The problem to provide the livestock industry of the North-West of Russia with forage grain has sharply escalated since 2010. Its successful solution is connected with the level and validity of the use of mineral and organic fertilizers. The purpose of the study, started by the Menkovsky Branch of the AFI in 2012, was to find effective options for the use of new organic-mineral fertilizer (OMF) which provides maximum agronomic effect and can produce grain of high quality. The methodological basis was the micro trials in polyethylene vessels without bottoms of 1 × 1 × 0.4 m in size with an artificially formed upper part of the profile of degraded sandy sod-podzolic soil. The soil was of 4.75 рН_KCl, 3.46 mmol (eq) of Ng per100g, 3.20 mmol (eq) of S_ch per100g, 1.83% of humus, 217 mg / kg of mobile compounds of phosphorus and 92 mg / kg of potassium. In the course of research, there was high agronomic efficiency of its use for winter wheat and satisfactory agronomic efficiency of its use for barley. When the winter wheat variety ‘Moskovskaya 56’ was fertilized with 5 t/ha of organic-mineral fertilizer containing 2.46% of Ng, 4.51% of P₂O₅ and 3.36% of K₂O, grain yield increased in 2.6 times. Fertilized with N₇₅P₅₀K₅₀ the productivity improved in 3.8 times with a payback of 1 kg of NPK 7.4 and 5.6 grain units, respectively. It has been established that the combination of OMF with mineral fertilizers is accompanied by a significant yield increase with a decrease in its relative contribution from 153% to 59% and from 143% to 105% and a payback of 1 kg of NPK from 3.8 to 2.6 and from 6.9 to 4.7 of barley grain units and winter wheat grain units, respectively. The best indicators of the agronomic efficiency of OMF, both when applied in pure form and when fertilized with N75P50K50, corresponded to a dose of 4 t / ha. It has been found that the addition of 10 kg of potassium (К₂О) per 1 ton to OMF provided yield increase on 15% and the payback period of 1 kg NPK increased from 6.4 to 8.4 grain units. Qualitative indicators of wheat and barley grain fertilized with OMF improved due to the rise of raw protein percentage on 8–27% and a number of ash elements, such as CaO (from 0.07 to 0.11 mg/kg), MgO (from 0.16 to 0.21 mg/kg), Zn (from 21.5 to 23.6 mg/kg). 

The article presents the results of three-year studies conducted on the experimental field of the All-Russian Research Institute of Reclaimed Lands (VNIIMZ). The purpose of the research was to study the efficiency of various rates of fertilizer usage on winter triticale productivity. There has been studied the effect of rates of mineral fertilizer usage on the elements of the winter triticale yield structure, protein percentage in grain, use of photosynthetically active solar radiation (PAR efficiency), fertilizers’ cost recovery by yield increase. The cultivation of winter triticale was carried out on a drained well-cultivated sod-podzolic light loamy gleyed soil. The winter triticale was sown after one-year-old clover in three variants: the first variant was without fertilizer usage, the second variant was with N₁₅Р₁₅K₄₅ + N₃₀ fertilizer usage (in the period of tillering) and the third variant was with N₃₀Р₃₀K₉₀+N₆₀ fertilizer usage. In the variant without fertilizer usage the productivity was 3.37 t/ha on average. In the second variant the productivity increased on 56.4% to 5.27 t/ha, in the third variant the increase was on 78.9% to 6.03 t/ha. Due to the use of fertilizer, the number of productive stems raised on 95 and 117 pcs/m2, the number of kernels per head increased on 4.0 and 6.0 pcs. The protein content in grain in the variants with fertilizer usage increased on 1.0–1.7%. The PAR efficiency without fertilizer usage was the lowest (1.34), it was 1.94 with N₄₅Р₁₅K₄₅ fertilizer usage and 2.26 with N₉₀Р₃₀K₉₀ fertilizer usage. Fertilizers’ cost recovery by winter triticale yield increase which was sown after one-year-old clover in a well-cultivated soil, was the highest with 18.1 kg/kg of N₄₅Р₁₅K₄₅ fertilizer usage and with 12.7 kg/kg of N₉₀Р₃₀K₉₀ fertilizer usage.