Peas is one of the best sources of plant protein containing all essential amino acids. Genetic determinants that control biosynthesis and accumulation of seed storage proteins in peas currently remain poorly studied. It is known
that these processes, along with seed development and maturation, are regulated by the genes of transcription factors LEC1, LEC2, ABI3, FUS3.

   In this regard, the purpose of the current study was to analyze the nucleotide sequences of the coding region of the LEC1 gene and its expression levels in high- and low-protein varieties to identify molecular markers associated with protein percentage in pea seeds.

   The experiments were carried out in 2021–2024. The study material was 110 pea varieties and lines from the VIR collection. The percentage of seed storage protein was determined using the Bradford method. DNA was isolated using the Genomic DNA Purification Kit (“Thermo Fisher Scientific”, USA). Primers for the LEC1 gene were first selected using the PrimerSelect program (“DNAStar”, USA). Sequencing was performed on an ABI Prism 3500 genetic analyzer (“Applied Biosystems”, USA). Nucleotide sequences were analyzed using the MegAlign program (“DNAStar”, USA). As a result, there have been selected two groups, including 12 pea varieties and lines with high (23.5 ± 0.4 – 26.1 ± 0.5 %) and 10 with low (18.0 ± 0.3 – 19.7 ± 0.3 %) protein percentage in seeds. Comparative analysis of the nucleotide sequences of the LEC1 gene in high- and low-protein variety samples has allowed identifying previously undescribed single nucleotide substitutions at positions 884 (G/A), 1041 (C/T), 1076 (C/T), 1201 (T/C), 1268 (G/T) bp and an insertion at position 696/697 (C) bp.There has been found that at the early stage of seed development (the 5^th day after pollination) of the most low-protein pea varieties and lines the expression levels of the gene of the transcription factor LEC1 were significantly higher than in the high-protein pea varieties.

   In grain sorghum, one of the traits that determines grain productivity is panicle size. Despite its importance for productivity and adaptation, the genetic control of panicle morphology is not fully studied.

   Therefore, knowledge of the genetic basis of sorghum inflorescence architecture and its components can assist breeders’ efforts to improve sorghum. In this regard, the purpose of the current study was to determine the magnitude of heterosis and the types of inheritance of the trait ‘panicle length’, as well as the number of genes controlling this trait, in hybrids of the first- and second-generation in grain sorghum combinations obtained between varieties distant in geographic origin.

   The study was conducted in the conditions of the southern part of the Rostov region (Zernograd) in three crop rotation sequences of the laboratory for sorghum breeding and seed production of the FSBSI “ARC “Donskoy”.

   The objects of the study were parental forms, as well as hybrids of the first and second generation of grain sorghum.

   The hybridization included the varieties ‘Ataman’ and ‘Luchistoye’ developed by the FSBSI “ARC “Donskoy” (Russia), as well as the varieties ‘Seso 1’ and ‘Narosorg 1’ from the Republic of Uganda (East Africa). The conducted study allowed establishing the patterns of inheritance and manifestation of heterosis for the trait ‘panicle length’ in the hybrids F₁ and F₂ obtained on a fertile basis. There has been determined that the values of true heterosis vary from 0 to 30.8 %, and hypothetical heterosis ranges from 14.3 to 33.3 %. The trait is inherited according to the type of overdominance (hp = 1.3–17.0) and complete dominance of large values (hp = 1.0). Hybridological analysis of hybrids in the second generation allowed identifying differences in parental forms for one pair of genes.

   The purpose of the current study was to estimate the informativeness of selection indices based on morphometric indicators and productivity elements of winter common wheat varieties in the Lower Volga region.

   Field trials were carried out in the selection crop rotation of the FSBSI “FARC of South-East”, Saratov. Climate zone was the Lower Volga region.

   The objects of the study were 14 varieties and promising lines of winter common wheat harvested in 2023 and 2024.

   The soil was low-power southern blackearth with solonetz patches; the wheat was sown black fallow. The productivity was recorded in two field repetitions. There were used dispersion and correlation methods of research. There were studied such selection indices as productivity, attraction, prospects, filling, ear potential, linear density of a ear, Mexican, Canadian, Poltava. All indicators were ranked from maximum to minimum. According to weather conditions, 2023 could be called favorable in general, and 2024 unfavorable. High productivity rank was found in the varieties ‘Podruga’, ‘Anastasiya’, ‘Kalach 60’, ‘Zhemchuzhina Povolzhya’ and the line ‘Santa/Kalach 60’. There is a high correlation between grain productivity and productivity index. Under unfavorable growing conditions, there have been also selected high-attraction varieties. In both years of research, one could rely on the productivity indices and attraction. Under more favorable conditions, selection could also be concentrated on indices of prospects, ear potential and filling. Such indices as Poltava, Canadian, linear density, plant productivity should be taken into account in arid conditions, since it is problematic to rely on them in favorable conditions. When analyzing the average rating estimation for selection indices for two years, there were identified 5 groups of variety samples according to the time of their development and plant height. Similar ranking schemes for the studied forms of winter wheat, with some changes, were obtained both in a favorable and an arid year. Thus, based on the experimental data, there can be argued that the use of selection indices in a complex, relying on the identified correlations with productivity, will give a positive result in breeding.

   Durum wheat is one of the most important agricultural crops. Under changing climate, crops are increasingly exposed to the negative effects of droughts and high temperatures. To reduce yield losses, it is necessary to develop and introduce varieties resistant to adverse environmental factors. The trials were conducted in the laboratory for cell breeding, jointly with the laboratory for winter durum wheat breeding and seed production at the FSBSI “ARC “Donskoy” in 2021–2023. There have been studied five locally developed winter durum wheat varieties.

   The purpose of current study was to estimate the effect of varying soil moisture conditions on productivity and yield structure elements of winter durum wheat.

   Under arid conditions, plant productivity was determined by several morphophysiological traits, such as a number of productive stems, a number and weight of kernels per main ear, and a kernel formation degree. The study under conditions with contrasting moisture conditions allowed identifying winter durum wheat varieties with high values of traits combined with the lowest drought depression degree. There have been identified the varieties according to a number of kernels per ear (‘Khrizolit’ and ‘Ellada’), according to kernel weight per main ear and 1000-kernel weight, and according to productivity (‘Solntsedar’ and ‘Karotinka’). The results of field and laboratory trials with varied weather conditions allowed identifying largely productive winter durum wheat varieties ‘Ellada’ (9.55 t/ha) and ‘Karotinka’ (9.00 t/ha).

   The lack of local varieties, as well as low competitiveness and insufficient technological efficiency of lentil varieties of various geographical breeding, determine the necessity for faster improvement of the crop in terms of suitability for mechanized harvesting. The use of markers allows reducing significantly the time required for breeding varieties with the desired indicators. The current study was aimed at searching for KASP markers associated with technological traits in collection samples, as well as identifying effective SNP loci for use in marker-assisted breeding of lentil
in Western Siberia. There has been found that aridity in 2023 was favorable for growth and development, since there has been established a more compact bush of the lentil plant due to a weak degree of branching (1–4 branches of the first and subsequent order), a foliage degree of less than 60 % and a mean daily growth of less than 0.70 cm per day and less cracking of beans (10.93 %). Genotyping has demonstrated a statistically significant effect of branching and foliage (LcRBContig00050 and LcRBContig00065) on increasing the lodging resistance of lentil agrophytocenosis, expressed in a vegetative mass decrease by 10–30 %. The favorable allele of the growth rate markers (LcRBContig00079 and LcRBContig00158) has statistically significantly increased the average daily plant growth by 0.35–0.91 cm at the initial stages of development. The KASP markers LcRBContig01123 and LcRBContig0534 have made a significant contribution to increasing the plant height by 2–8 cm and the height of the lower beans’ attachment by 1–4 cm. The SNP (LcRBContig00067) associated with the non-cracking of beans allows increasing the percentage of non-cracking lentil beans during maturation to 90 %. As a result, there have been selected the small-seeded lentil samples with a set of genes responsible for suitability for mechanized harvesting, reliably surpassing the standard in terms of technological effectiveness, such as ‘Orlovskaya Krasnozernaya’, ‘Severnaya’, ‘Rubinovaya’ (Russia), ‘Krapinka’ (Kazakhstan), ‘Pardina Linsen’ (Germany), ‘KDC Kermit’, ‘Redcap’ (Canada).

   The purpose of the current study was to estimate productivity and quality of forage of the sainfoin varieties and promising lines.

   The study was conducted from 2021 to 2024, focusing on five zoned varieties and six promising lines of sainfoin, including the standard variety ‘Zernogradsky 2’.

   The study was conducted in the competitive variety testing nurseries. On average, the standard variety produced 23.0 t/ha green mass over the entire period of the study. The varieties ‘Veles’ (25.5 t/ha), ‘Atamansky 20’ (27.1 t/ha), and all studied lines (25.4–30.2 t/ha) significantly exceeded the standard. The standard variety had a mean plant height of 100 cm, the lines ‘Sin 6/93’ (105 cm), ‘Sin 7/93’ (104 cm), ‘Sin 23/93’ (104 cm), and ‘Sin 3/2015’ (107 cm) had a significant increase, the remaining varieties and lines were either at or significantly below the standard. The foliage of the studied varieties and lines ranged from 40 % to 48 % on average over the three cycles of the study. The hay yield of the standard variety averaged 21 %. A significant excess was identified in the varieties ‘Veles’ and ‘Sudar’ (23 and 24 %), as well as in the lines ‘Sin 7/93’ and ‘Sin 3/2015’ (24 and 23 %). Hay yields averaged 4.8–6.9 t/ha over the three cycles. The line ‘Sin 3/2015’ was of the largest productivity with 6.9 t/ha. On average, crude protein percentage in the studied varieties and lines was quite high over all years of study, varying between 15.99–22.24 %. The conducted analysis of the correlations of the studied traits with green mass productivity has shown a strong positive correlation (r = 0.81 ± 0.06) of hay yield, mean positive correlations of plant height (r = 0.61 ± 0.08), foliage (r = 0.46 ± 0.09) and crude protein (r = 0.62 ± 0.08).

   For the effective use of barley varieties for food, feed and brewing purposes, breeding process must be carried out on breeding-valuable traits taking into account the biochemical composition of the grain.

   The purpose of the current study was to estimate the grain quality of spring barley varieties for effective targeted use in the Middle Volga region, to identify correlations between grain quality indicators.

   The study was conducted at the Samara RIA, SamFRC RIA in 2022–2024. Sixteen spring barley varieties from competitive variety testing were used as experimental material. In the conditions of the Middle Volga region, over the years of study, there were identified varieties with a high protein percentage (14.0–15.4 %), which could be widely used in animal husbandry as valuable feed or as an ingredient in the production of feed with increased nutritional value, such as Nutans 553, Finist, Lun, Bezenchuksky 2, Agat, Povolzhsky 65, Volgar. All varieties participating in the study have formed a full grain (684–716 g/l) and can be used to produce cereals. There has been established that the spring barley varieties had a high ‘falling number’ of 337–461 s, which indicates low activity of α-amylase in the grain. High-protein barley varieties with low amylolytic activity are high-quality raw materials not only for the feed and cereal industries, but also for bakery industry. The results of the correlation between quality indicators should be used to improve biochemical and technological properties of barley grain. There was a positive correlation between protein percentage and grain nature in 2022 and 2024 with contrasting weather conditions (0.62**, 0.61**). In 2023 and 2024 grain nature was somewhat less closely correlated with starch content (0.53*; 0.55*). In all years of the study the ‘falling number’ closely correlated with 1000-grain weight (0.69**; 0.71**, 0.51*).

   The value of amylopectin starch as a raw material for the technical, food, and medical industries makes crucial to develop a waxy maize subspecies (Zea mays L. ceratina) that contains this type of starch. The current study was conducted at the FSBSI “ARC “Donskoy” in 2022–2024.

   There have been studied 14 new self-pollinated lines of waxy maize, developed using the standard (cob-type) method.

   The purpose of the study was to identify self-pollinated lines of waxy subspecies with a high proportion of amylopectin in their starch and high values of main economically valuable traits, and to determine the effect of pollination method on starch content.

   There have been determined that the pollination method (artificial and open) had insignificant effect on the total starch content in grain. Only two line out of 10 studied changed their starch content class depending on the pollination method. There have been identified such lines as 24/29, 25/69, 26/99, 25/95, 26/31, 25/64 (10), 27/23, 24/28, 24/28A, having a high proportion of amylopectin in starch (99.83–99.89 %). Among them, the lines 24/29, 25/95, 26/31, 24/28, 24/28 A were characterized by a high content of total starch in grain (68.7 – 69.0%). Among amylopectin lines, the line 26/99 had the highest grain productivity (0.76 t/ha), average productivity (0.31–0.43 t/ha) was found in the lines 25/69, 26/31, 24/28. There have been identified the new amylopectin lines resistant to lodging (24/29, 26/99, 24/28) and resistant to blister smut under natural conditions (24/29, 25/64 (10), 27/23). The new lines, excepting 24/29 and 27/23, were easy to harvest (50.0–60.0 cm of ear attachment). Higher yields of waxy lines were achieved through large productivity trait values. There have been found high positive correlation coefficients between grain productivity and cob weight (r = 0.80 ± 0.17), 1000-grain weight (r = 0.91 ± 0.12), and number of grains per cob (r = 0.74 ± 0.19).

   Durum wheat is the most important grain crop to produce pasta in the West Siberian region. There is a great necessity in wheat varieties with high adaptability to environmental stress factors, good suitability to cultivation
technologies, high grain quality in order to expand the areas under this crop in the Omsk region.

   The purpose of the current study was to estimate productivity and technological traits of grain quality of spring durum wheat varieties of the nursery KASIB-22, and to select promising genotypes with a set of economically valuable characteristics for breeding programs.

   The study was conducted on the experimental field of the FSBSI “Omsk ARC” in 2022–2024 to study 20 durum wheat varieties and lines of the nursery KASIB-22 from five breeding institutions in Russia and Kazakhstan. There have been analyzed productivity and main technological characteristics of grain quality, such as protein, gluten, nature weight, hardiness, gluten index, sedimentation index and pasta color, using generally accepted methods. There have been identified genotypes exceeding productivity of the standard variety ‘Zhemchuzhina Siubiri’ (28.3–30.8 hwt/ha), they are ‘Line 242/243-2020’ (Aktyubinsk AES), ‘Gordeiforme 2246’ (Karabalyk AES), ‘ATP Prima’ (FASCA), ‘G.11--77-3’ (Omsk ARC), ‘Line 2217d-4’, ‘Line 1927d-27’, ‘Line 2285d-3’ (Samara RIA). The share of the nursery’s varieties with high protein and gluten percentage (≥ 17.0 and ≥34 %) was 75 %, while the share of varieties with high sedimentation rates (≥ 40 ml) and gluten index (≥ 75 units) was quite low with 30 % and 25 %, respectively. There has been formed a pool of the best genotypes with a high productivity level (27.9–30.8 hwt/ha) and improved grain quality characteristics (protein ≥ 15.9 %, gluten ≥ 32.7 %, 749–795 g/l of grain nature, 46.8–87.1 units of gluten index, 38.4–46.0 ml of sedimentation), recommended for breeding programs as initial material, namely ‘Line 242/243-2020’ (Aktyubinsk AES), ‘Gordeiforme 2246’ (Karabalyk AES), ‘ATP Prima’ (FASCA), ‘Line 2217d-4’, ‘Line 1927d-27’, ‘Line 2285d-3’, ‘Line 1693d-71’ (Samara RIA).

   Winter common wheat is one of the most important food crops in Russia and worldwide. It plays a vital role in ensuring food safety. This makes it important to develop varieties resistant to dangerous foliar diseases such as pyrenophorosis. One of the key genes providing resistance to this disease is the gene Tsc2. Previously, the collection and breeding samples of the department of winter wheat breeding and seed production of the FSBSI “ARC “Donskoy” were not evaluated for pyrenophorosis resistance using molecular diagnostic methods.

   The purpose of the current work was to study collection and breeding material of winter common wheat to identify alleles of the pyrenophorosis resistance gene Tsc2.

   The analysis was conducted in the laboratory of cell breeding, dealing with marker-assisted breeding in 2023–2024.

   The objects of the study were 102 winter common wheat samples of varying ecological and geographical origins.

   To identify alleles of the pyrenophorosis resistance gene Tsc2, there has been used the molecular marker XBE444541. The samples were distributed according to allele size with 340 base pairs (bp) for the dominant, ToxB-sensitive type; 505 bp for the recessive, pathogen-resistant type. There has been established an extensive allelic diversity in several samples studied. There have been identified new alleles of 400, 450, and 490 base pairs in size. There has been identified a dominant allele of the gene Tsc2, associated with susceptibility to the ToxB toxin of the pyrenophorosis pathogen in 48 samples. Eleven samples have been found to carry the recessive allele tsc2, which is linked to disease resistance, but in a heterozygous allelic state (ASV 141, Vassa, SO 911, Grom, Liangxing 99, Fuimai 5, Voyazh, Univer, Fazenda, 591/20, and 1278/21). To improve winter common wheat resistance to pyrenophorosis, there has been recommended using samples carrying the allele tsc2in breeding programs.

   The current paper has presented the results of small-plot field trials with a new combined herbicide Fomdos, SC (400 g/l flufenacet + 100 g/l diflufenican) on winter wheat crops during two vegetation periods (2020–2021 and 2021–2022).

   The purpose of the current study was to determine the biological and economic efficiency of autumn application of this herbicide in field conditions.

   The trials were carried out on the varieties ‘Moskovskaya 39’, ‘Danaya’, ‘Bezostaya 100’, ‘Antonina’, ‘Novoershovskaya’ in accordance with the “Methodological recommendations for conducting registration tests of herbicides” (2020) in the Ryazan, Voronezh and Volgograd regions. Weed infestation of crops was recorded using the quantitative-weight method in autumn (before applying herbicides, two weeks and a month after treatment) and in spring (upon resumption of plant vegetation), as well as before harvesting. The use of the herbicide Fomdos, SC has provided a high level of weed control. In the variant with the maximum rate of its application (0.8 l/ha), the reduction in the total number of weeds was 79.4–98.0 %, the reduction in the mass of young dicotyledonous weeds was 76.8–98.8 %, and the reduction in the mass of young cereal weeds was 89.1–100 %. The use of the studied product at the rates of 0.4–0.8 l/ha was highly effective in controlling the most frequently encountered species in the trials such as shepherd’s purse, bedstraw, field violet and windgrass. In all variants with the studied herbicide, there have been obtained statistically significant increases crop yield compared to the control without treatment (from 0.12 to 0.99 t/ha depending on the region and year of the study).

   New varieties that form large productivity due to scientifically based application of fertilizers and are better adapted to the specific area where they will subsequently be propagated are of great importance in improving winter common wheat productivity. The current study was conducted from 2022 to 2024, on meadow-chestnut heavy loamy soil of the Tersko-Sulak subprovince of Dagestan under irrigation. There has been studied the effect of different doses of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers on photosynthesis in promising winter wheat varieties. There have been studied fertilizer doses N96P66, N138P91, N180P117 on five winter wheat varieties ‘Klassika’, ‘Timiryazevka 150’, ‘Stil 18’, ‘Bumba’, ‘Elanchik’ developed in the P.P. Lukyanenko National Grain Center. There have been identified the varieties ‘Timiryazevka 150’ and ‘Bumba’ with the highest intensity of the photosynthesis process. The maximum foliar surface area was shown by the variety ‘Timiryazevka 150’ with 44.2 thousand m2/ha and the variety ‘Bumba’ with 43.7 thousand m2/ha. The photosynthetic potential of these varieties was at the level of 2.47 and 2.45 million m²/ha days, respectively. The highest indicators for net productivity of photosynthesis were 4.4 g/m² a day for the variety ‘Timiryazevka 150’ and 4.3 g/m² a day for the variety ‘Bumba’ with the application of a dose of mineral fertilizers N180P117 and the best indicators for grain productivity with 6.71 t/ha and 6.50 t/ha, respectively, in the variant for obtaining the planned productivity of 6.0 t/ha.

   The current study was conducted with the purpose to establish the possibility and feasibility of winter wheat cultivation in a direct seeding system after sunflower and to determine the optimal time for its sowing after various forecrops in the unstable moisture region of the Stavropol Territory. Field trials were conducted at the North-Caucasus FARC in 2018–2021 in the crop rotation peas – winter wheat – sunflower – winter wheat, in which the soil for all crops was not cultivated for three years before and during the trial. Winter wheat was sown after peas and sunflower from September 15–20 to October 15–20 with an interval of 10 days. There has been found that when sowing on September 15–20, winter wheat plants sown after both forecrops have formed the largest above-ground mass and foliar surface with 2.5–3.2 lateral tillering shoots before wintering. Postponing the sowing date to a later time has led to a reliable decrease in the biometric indicators of plants and a decrease in tillering shoots when sowing on September 25–30 to 2.0–2.3 pcs., on October 5–10 to 1.4–1.5 pcs., and sowing on October 15-20 went into winter with an awl phase or one pair of leaves. But in spring, winter wheat sown in the first ten days of October formed 1.8–2.3 lateral shoots, while the plants sown in September were damaged with spring frosts, which resulted in freezing of the leaves and partial death of the tillering shoots. The largest above-ground mass and assimilation apparatus have been formed by the crops from October 5–10, which ensured obtaining the significantly highest productivity of 4.39 t/ha after peas and 3.31 t/ha after sunflower. Such productivity after sunflower ensured obtaining the profit of 23,871 rubles/ha and 88.5 % of profitability, which was quite good, taking into account significantly higher economic efficiency of the preceding sunflower.

   The study was conducted among winter and spring wheat, winter rye, barley, sunflower, maize and soybean in the Central soil and climate zone of the Orenburg region in 2019–2024 to identify the efficiency of digital methods in managing the productivity of field crops.

   Digital monitoring of the development of biological mass was carried out using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) based on remote sensing Earth data (RS) and ground scanning with a hand-held sensor. The area of the assimilation surface of plants was determined by the weight method. When processing the digital material, there were used generally accepted methods of statistical analysis. The weather conditions corresponded to the aridity of the climate typical for the region, with increased heat resources and limited air moisture. With the sum of active (above 10 ^oC) temperatures of 3402 ^oC and 232 mm of precipitation, on average, Selyaninov HHC was 0.69 units during the study period. There has been established high intra-field heterogeneity of plant biomass, accompanied by spatial variability of productivity and gross harvests’ decrease. There has been determined acceptability of digital methods for expressing it in the form of NDVI mosaic. There has been identified a strong correlation between its value and the assimilation surface area (r = 0.86–0.89) and productivity of field crops (r = 0.79–0.83) according to elementary field plots. There have been substantiated prospects for forming a zonal (regional) base of optimal NDVI values characteristic of highly productive (reference) crops and the practical feasibility of their use in corrective agricultural practices in precision (digital) farming technologies. On the southern blackearth of the Orenburg region, with discrete application of mineral fertilizers, there has been found an increase from 0.64 to 0.79 units in the mean NDVI value in the spring wheat field, a decrease in the spatial variability of biomass and an increase in grain productivity by 0.32 t/ha or 22.6 % in comparison with the application of the entire fertilizer rate in a continuous manner in one go.

   There have been studied new winter common wheat varieties ‘Alamat’, ‘Basiyat’, ‘Taulan’ (facultative) in the conditions of the steppe regions of Kabardino-Balkaria.

   The purpose of the current study was to establish the effect of different seeding rates on productviity of new winter wheat varieties in the conditions of the steppe regions of Kabardino-Balkaria.

   The study was carried out on the pre-Caucasian (carbonate) blackearth of heavy granulometric composition of the experimental plots located in the Tersky district of the KBR in the steppe regions of Kabardino-Balkaria in 2023–2024. During the years of the study, the mean annual precipitation was 360–400 mm. In a two-factor field trial under short-rotation crop rotation, there have been studied optimal seeding rates of the new winter wheat varieties ‘Basiyat’, ‘Alamat’ and ‘Taulan’, jointly developed by the Institute of Agriculture of the KBSC RAS and the P.P. Lukyanenko National Grain Center.

   The relevance of the conducted research was in the necessity to improve the cultivation technologies for new promising winter wheat varieties in short-rotation crop rotation.

   In accordance with the purpose, there has been solved the problem of determining the optimal seeding rates for the new winter common wheat varieties.

   The variety ‘Taulan’ has showed the largest productivity at all seeding rates in the field trials. At a seeding rate of 5.0 seeds/ha, this variety produced the maximum of 53.0 hwt/ha in 2024, the excess over the standard at the same seeding rate was 7.8 hwt/ha. The varieties ‘Basiyat’ and ‘Alamat’ also exceeded productivity of the standard variety ‘Yuzhanka’ on average over 2 years of the study. The results of the conducted research allow concluding that determining the optimal seeding density is important in developing technologies for growing new varieties of agricultural crops.

   There has been studied the cultivation technology effect on the agrophysical properties of low-humus southern blackearth on the forest-like light clays in continental climate conditions on the experimental plots of the FSBSI “Research Institute of Agriculture in Crimea”. Weather conditions during the years of study varied in temperature and precipitation. The research was conducted in a stationary field crop rotation from 2017 to 2024.

   The purpose of the study was to compare the traditional technology recommended for Crimean conditions with the direct seeding technology.

   The average annual air temperature in 2017-2024 exceeded the annual average by 1.3–3.4 °C according to the Klepinino agrometeorological station dates. The precipitation amount in 2017, 2020 and 2024 can be estimated as having formed extremely arid conditions. The average climatic indicators for three of the eight years of observations (2019, 2021, 2022) were close to the average climatic indicator. The amount of precipitation in 2018 and 2023 exceeded the indicator by 116 and 118 %. During the years of study, the available moisture was the same in different technologies, with minor differences within the margin of error. The equilibrium density in the 0–30 cm soil layer for both technologies was within optimal values and amounted to 1.27–1.28 g/cm³. The seeds Inoculation to a significant increase in yield on the direct sowing option for oilseed flax by 0.06 t per ha, on winter barley it amounted to 0.31 t per ha, on grain sorghum by 0.14 t per ha has contributed. The average annual productivity of the crop rotation with direct seeding, where seed inoculation with Microbiokom-Agro was used, was the largest with 2.38 tons of grain units per 1 ha, and with 2.79 tons of feed protein units per 1 ha. The obtained research results for the introduction of resource- and energy-saving technologies for crop cultivation in the agro-systems of the steppe Crimea can be recommended with mandatory inoculation of seeds with multifunctional microbial preparations.