The current state of the introduction coenopopulation of Gymnospermium odessanum on the botanical-geographical plot “Steppes of Ukraine” at the M. M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden of the NAS of Ukraine

Gymnospermium odessanum is a rare relict endemic plant species. The research was carried out during G. odessanum flowering in 2019–2021 at the botanical-geographical plot “Steppes of Ukraine” of the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NBG). Ecological and coenotic conditions of introduction at the NBG differ from natural habitats of the species and are not optimal for its vegetation. However, this species demonstrated ecological-coenotic plasticity and, over the decades, has formed a stable homeostatic introduction coenopopulation here. As of 2021, the area of introduction coenopopulation of G. odessanum at the NBG was 2,075 m2. It comprises 412 individuals of this species (including 40 seedlings, 241 juvenile, 45 immature, 40 virginal, 45 generative, and 1 sub-senile plants). Coenopopulation fragments with a high density of G. odessanum individuals are rare here, so the average density is low – only 0.2 individuals per 1 m2. In 2021, in the spectrum of age states, the total percentage of pregenerative individuals was very high and reached 88.8 %; the share of generative individuals was 10.9 %.In general, the age structure of the introduction coenopopulation of G. odessanum is characterized by long-term (2010–2021) stability. The spatial distribution of individuals in the introduction coenopopulation is of two kinds – random and in groups. This is due to combined myrmecochoric and barochoric propagation. Also due to myrmecochory, this coenopopulation tends to spread the area. Compared to natural coenopopulations, the introduction coenopopulation of G. odessanum at the NBG is characterized by a larger area, a much significant number, and, at the same time, a low average density of individuals. However, like in most of natural populations, its age spectrum is left-sided.The conducted research testifies the successful formation of the introduction coenopopulation of G. odessanum in the meadow-steppe cultural phytocoenosis of the NBG. This introduction coenopopulation is an example of a successful multi-year scientific experiment and effective ex situ protection and preservation of G. odessanum on the northern border of the Right Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine, far beyond the natural range of this endemic plant species.

Phytosanitary condition and yield of winter wheat in crop rotations of the forest-steppe zone of the Volga region

In the conditions of the forest-steppe zone of the Volga region, winter wheat occupies the largest area among grain crops, which is associated with its relatively high productivity, economic efficiency and the ability to unload the peaks of field work in the spring. Winter wheat makes fuller use of the bioclimatic potential of productivity, especially in the arid conditions of the region. Despite the fact that the adaptive-integrated approach to the joint use of agricultural techniques and chemicalization means when growing grain crops provides significant and stable yield increases, they require regular study to adjust agricultural technologies. The article presents the results of 3-year studies in a stationary field experiment to assess the influence of predecessors, methods of basic soil cultivation and plant protection on the spread of diseases and weeds, as well as on the yield of winter wheat. Studies have shown that the placement of winter wheat after clean fallow helps to reduce the infestation of crops, and after cruciferous predecessors (white mustard, spring rape)— the spread of root rot (Bipolaris sorokiniana (Helmintosporium sativum)) and leaf rust (Puccinia recondita). Winter wheat yield after different predecessors varied from 5.16 t/ha for pure fallow to 3.77–4.04 t/ha after nonfallow predecessors with a significant increase in adaptive-integrated plant protection by 0.37 t/ha (9.2%) and insignificant — for combined tillage in crop rotation — by 0.19 t/ha (4.6%).

Productivity of fodder crops and their mixed planting depending on fertilizers and soil treatments

Relevance. The problem associated with the continuing decline in the yield of the main crops and soil fertility in most of the arable lands leads to the need of developing comprehensive measures, including the optimal selection of crops and methods of tillage and planting in order to increase the collection of plant protein and preserve soil fertility.Method. The work devoted to the study of the influence of tillage methods, mineral fertilizers and biological products on the productivity of forage crops and their mixed planting was carried out on the experimental fields of the Chechen Research Institute in 2019–2020 in the forest-steppe climatic zone. The experiment was multifactorial. Mineral fertilizers were used for crop rotation with a view to the planned yield. The biopreparation V417, created at the Institute of Agricultural Microbiology on the basis of the Bacillus subtilis strain, was used in the processing of seed material and crops during the period of intensive plant growth.Results. As a result of the research, it was revealed that each of the studied methods of tillage should correspond to the cultivated crop and the technology used. The introduction of mineral fertilizers provided an increase in the productivity of forage plants in their pure and mixed planting by 11–44%. The treatment of crops with biopreparation V417 reflected in the best way: an increase in yield was from 24 to 52%. At the same time, the highest yield of the green mass of 42.6 t/ha was obtained in a three-component mixture (wheat, peas, oats) in the variants where disking and chiseling were carried out. Mixed planting is a serious reserve for increasing the quantity and quality of plant products. It's feed productivity in the collection of dry matter and feed units was not inferior to pure planting of cereals, and in terms of the provision of 1 feed unit with digestible protein exceeded it by 3–14%.

INTRODUCTION OF NEW VARIETIES OF LARGE-FRUITED REMONTANT STRAWBERRIES IN THE FOREST-STEPPE OF WESTERN SIBERIA

The authors presented the results of the influence of stress factors on the yield of garden strawberry remontant large-fruited. Phenological and morphological observations, recording and evaluating the quality of the obtained fruits were carried out during the research. Varieties of remontant strawberries with a complex of economically beneficial features were identified. There were features as high yield, winter hardiness, resistance to major diseases and pests were presented. The obtained data confirmed that the highest productivity per bush showed varieties bearing fruit during the entire growing season: Selva - 376.06g, Vima Rina - 411.27g, Remontant large-fruited (hybrid) - 425.42g.

ESTIMATION OF MEADOW CLOVER VARIETIES IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE MIDDLE URALS

Meadow clover remains the main forage crop in the middle Urals with great potential. An urgent problem is the development and improvement of the technology of this crop cultivation, including the search for adapted varieties. The aim of the research is to estimate the fodder and seed productivity recommended by the originators of meadow clover varieties of Russian and foreign selection VIK 77, Diplo, Lestris, Ranniy 2, Kudesnik in the Middle Ural region. The studies were carried out in 2017-2019 in the forest-steppe zone of the Udmurt Republic on sod-medium-podzolic medium loamy soil. The Dymkovsky variety included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements in the Volga-Vyatka region was used as a standard. Clover varieties were sown in 2017, comprehensive study in 2018-2019. The meteorological conditions of the growing seasons during the study years were different: 2017 and 2019 - over moistened (hydrothermal coefficient – 1.97 and 1.73), 2018 - dry (hydrothermal coefficient – 0.89). Winter hardiness of meadow clover varieties was estimated at 4.5 points. Varieties Diplo, Lestris and Ranniy 2 reached mowing ripeness in 58-63 days, varieties Dymkovsky, VIK 77 and Kudesnik – in 66-70 days. The varieties Diplo, Ranniy 2 and Kudesnik provided a dry matter yield of 6.2-6.8 t/ha, on average for two years of using meadow clover grass-stand. The highest yield of metabolizable energy (51.2 and 55.0 GJ/ha), digestible protein (0.44 and 0.46 t/ha) and feed units (3.79 and 4.09 thousand feed units/ha) was found in the standard variety Dymkovskiy and the tetraploid variety Kudesnik. Seed productivity of cultivars of meadow clover of the 1st year of use was at the level of 137-314 kg/ha, the highest - 314 kg/ha in the standard variety Dymkovsky

GRAIN YIELD OF SOYBEAN VARIETIES OF DIFFERENT MATURITY GROUPS IN THE FOREST-STEPPE ZONE OF THE MIDDLE VOLGA REGION

The experiments were carried out in non-watering conditions of the forest-steppe of the middle Volga region in the fields of Samara Research Institute in 2016-2018. The purpose of the research is to study the features of grain yield formation in soybean varieties of different maturity groups in order to create new varieties of Volga ecotype with high and stable grain yield. The material for the study was 29 soybean varieties of different agroecotypes and maturity groups. Standard is Samer 3. Observations and records were carried out according to the generally accepted methodology. Meteorological conditions in 2016-2018 characterized as arid, the hydrothermal coefficient varied from 0.5 to 0.7. On average, over the years of testing, the studied varieties were classified as very early – with a vegetation period of 86…90 days (8 varieties) and early 91…109 days (21 varieties), including the Samer 3 standard, ripeness groups. The high grain yield over the years of testing was in the early ripeness group - 1.95 t/ha. The sum of active temperatures above 10°C (r=+0.993…+0.999) and the amount of precipitation (r=+0.845…+0.939) had a significant impact on the duration of vegetation of both groups of ripeness in all years. A significant influence of the hydrothermal coefficient and the average daily temperature on the duration of vegetation was, revealed in 2017 and 2018. The correlation of vegetation duration with the hydrothermal coefficient was r=-0.767…-0.977, and with an average daily temperature of r=-0.902…-0.970. Among the varieties of different groups of ripeness, high seed yields (2.00…2.21 t/ha) on average over the years of testing had: Oressa, Swapa, Samer 1, Lira, Cordoba, Lisbon, Malaga

GRAIN YIELD OF SOYBEAN VARIETIES OF DIFFERENT MATURITY GROUPS IN THE FOREST-STEPPE ZONE OF THE MIDDLE VOLGA REGION

The experiments were carried out in non-watering conditions of the forest-steppe of the middle Volga region in the fields of Samara Research Institute in 2016-2018. The purpose of the research is to study the features of grain yield formation in soybean varieties of different maturity groups in order to create new varieties of Volga ecotype with high and stable grain yield. The material for the study was 29 soybean varieties of different agroecotypes and maturity groups. Standard is Samer 3. Observations and records were carried out according to the generally accepted methodology. Meteorological conditions in 2016-2018 characterized as arid, the hydrothermal coefficient varied from 0.5 to 0.7. On average, over the years of testing, the studied varieties were classified as very early – with a vegetation period of 86…90 days (8 varieties) and early 91…109 days (21 varieties), including the Samer 3 standard, ripeness groups. The high grain yield over the years of testing was in the early ripeness group - 1.95 t/ha. The sum of active temperatures above 10°C (r=+0.993…+0.999) and the amount of precipitation (r=+0.845…+0.939) had a significant impact on the duration of vegetation of both groups of ripeness in all years. A significant influence of the hydrothermal coefficient and the average daily temperature on the duration of vegetation was, revealed in 2017 and 2018. The correlation of vegetation duration with the hydrothermal coefficient was r=-0.767…-0.977, and with an average daily temperature of r=-0.902…-0.970. Among the varieties of different groups of ripeness, high seed yields (2.00…2.21 t/ha) on average over the years of testing had: Oressa, Swapa, Samer 1, Lira, Cordoba, Lisbon, Malaga

Mesolithic Sites in the Upper Tobol

The article introduces prehistoric artifacts from the sites of Karasor-5, Karasor-6, and Karasor-7 obtained in 1998. The archaeological site of Karasor is located in the Upper Tobol region, near the town of Lisakovsk. Stone tools, pottery fragments, a ceramic item, and a bronze arrow head were collected from a sand blowout, which had destroyed the cultural layer. The paper gives a detailed description of the pottery. The stone tools were examined using the technical and typological analysis, which featured the primary splitting, the morphological parameters and size of plates, the ratio of blanks, plates, flakes, and finished tools, the secondary processing methods, and the typological composition of the tools. The nature of the raw materials was counted as an independent indicator. The pottery fragments, the bronze arrow head, and the ceramic item belonged to the Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. The stone industry of the Karasor archeological cluster proved to be a Mesolithic monument of the Turgai Trough. The technical and typological analysis revealed a close similarity with the Mesolithic sites of the Southern and Middle Trans-Urals, as well as the forest-steppe part of the Tobol-Irtysh interfluve. The stone artifacts were dated from the Mesolithic to the Early Iron Age.

Agroecological land typification

The minimum required information and the sequence of agroecological land type allocation on the land management territory of the experimental station (ES) located in the forest-steppe of the Priob'ye region of Novosibirsk is described. Two agroecological land types are distinguished: the first type (upland lands) is represented by leached chernozem in combination with common, podzolized and dark-grey forest soils; the second type (slightly erosive lands) is represented by leached chernozem in combination with dark-grey forest soils. Soil cover of ES in both types of lands is represented by leached chernozem (Lch-2-2s), the share of which for the first type is 75.26%, for the second - 76.26% of the total area of the types. The first agroecological land type is characterized by a range of heights from 134 to 165 m. The working areas are located on the slopes between 0 and 3 degrees in relation to the terrain angle. Vertical dissection of the relief averages 1.3 m, horizontal dissection by erosion forms is 0.8 km/km2. The second type of land is characterized by an elevation of 113 to 137 meters above sea level and a slope of 1 to 4 degrees. Vertical dissection of the terrain averages 1.7 m, horizontal dissection by erosion forms 0.9 km/km2. Typification was carried out with the help of a generated Digital Land Use Model (DLM) of the ES based on the analysis of geographical information, remote sensing materials (ERS) and cadastral map. The DLM consists of the following geo-information layers: topography, land cover, digital elevation model (DEM), working areas. The DEM includes information on slope steepness and exposure, vertical and horizontal dissection.

Handles of Early Iron Age Cauldrons from Southwestern Siberia

Handles of Early Iron Age bronze cauldrons from southwestern Siberia are described with reference to their ritual meaning. Typological features, such as knobs, arcuate, or square shape, are relevant for dating. Two chronological groups are established: the Tagar (second half of the 1st millennium BC) and Xiongnu-Xianbei (late 1st millennium BC to early 1st millennium AD). The interpretation of handles depends on the context. At settlements (Turunovka-4) and in certain hoards (First Dzhirim) of the Late Bronze Age, they can belong to foundry scrap. However, handles occur in long-term ritual sites such as Aidashenskaya Cave, suggesting a different interpretation. Indeed, at Eastern European forest-steppe sites of the Xiongnu era, handles of cauldrons had been intentionally buried, most often near water sources, where the summer camps of nomadic herders were situated. A similar situation is observed in southwestern Siberia, from the Baraba forest-steppe to the Middle Yenisei valley.