Does Climate Change Influence Russian Agriculture? Evidence from Panel Data Analysis

Agriculture is one of the economic sectors primarily affected by climate change. This impact is very uneven, especially for countries with large territories. This paper examines the contribution of climate change to the improvement in agricultural productivity in Russia over the past two decades. Several ensembles of fixed effects regressions on yields and gross harvests of grain, fruits, and berries, potato, and vegetables were evaluated for a sample of 77 Russian regions over the 2002–2019 period. In contrast to similar studies of the climate impact on Russian agriculture, we considered a larger set of variables, including both Russian and global climate trends, technological factors, and producer prices. Russian weather trends such as winter softening and increase in summer heat have a significant but opposite effect on yields. An interesting finding is a significant and mostly positive influence of global climatic variables, such as the CO2 concentration, El Niño and La Niña events on both harvests and yields. Although technological factors are the main drivers of growth in Russian agricultural performance over the past 20 years, we found a strong positive effect on yield and gross harvest only for mineral fertilizers. The influence of the other variables is mixed, which is mainly due to data quality and aggregation errors.

Application of multivariate analysis to identify relationships among useful agronomic characters of cowpea and differentiation of cultivars for vegetable and grain uses

Background. Сowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) is a thermophilic crop; in most countries it is grown for grain and vegetable uses. Positive results of open-field cowpea production in the southern regions of Russia and the possibility of its cultivation on infertile soils in hot and dry climate imply the need to develop new cultivars suitable for wider introduction into Russian agriculture. It is of paramount importance for cowpea breeders to know the patterns of variability in the relationships among agronomic traits and their characteristics in cultivars grown for different uses (grain and vegetable). Besides, acceleration of the breeding process to a large extent depends on the knowledge of the traits that make it possible to differentiate the source material according to its intended purpose.Materials and methods. For three years, 315 cowpea accessions of various origin from the VIR collection were studied in Astrakhan Province, Russia. Eight useful agronomic characters were examined. The variability and relationships of these characters were assessed in cultivars grown for grain and vegetable purposes using multivariate statistical analyses.Results and discussion. The characters that differentiate grain and vegetable cowpea accessions were identified: the type of seed coat surface, the presence of fiber in ventral and dorsal pod sutures and a sclerenchyma layer in pods valves, and pod length. Discriminant functions were calculated for identification and classification of accessions according to their grain and forage uses. The character (presence of depressions or longitudinal striae on the seed coat surface) diagnosing vegetable cowpea cultivars was pinpointed. Characters associated with high seed yield were identified. For grain cultivars such character is the weight of 1000 seeds, while for vegetable cultivars it is a large-seeded and long-fruit pod.

Influence of root feeding fertilizers on yield and quality of winter wheat grain in conditions of the central zone of Orenburg region

Agriculture continues to move forward confidently. Before our eyes, the agrarian industry is reviving, becoming stronger, taking a strong position at the forefront of the Russian economy. The most important achievement of 2017 was a record grain harvest of 130 million tons. This result was achieved not only by increasing the cultivated areas, which increased by 620 thousand hectares in 2017, but also thanks to the record yield, which amounted to 28 kg / ha, which is 80% higher than in 2000. The maximum harvest in the history of new and Soviet Russia, which will ensure our country a strong leadership in the world wheat market. Russian agriculture remains a driver of the country’s economic development. For the second year in a row, we get a record harvest of not only grain, but also sugar beets and sunflowers, the production of soybeans, rapeseed and greenhouse vegetables is growing. In the new season, grain exports will reach 45 million tons, including more than 35 million tons of wheat. Russia is expanding the geography of its presence, having mastered new directions for the supply of agricultural products. At the end of 10 months of 2017, grain exports increased by 22% compared to the same period in 2016 and amounted to 32 million tons. During the same time, the export of Russian wheat exceeded 24 million tons, which is 23% more than a year earlier. … In Russia, over 17 years, the volume of grain production increased 2 times, sugar beet and sunflower - 2-3 times, soybeans and rapeseed - 10, greenhouse vegetables - 1.8, poultry meat - 6, pork - 2. Fish - 2 times. Greenhouse vegetable growing and horticulture are developing intensively. Progress is being made in the development of animal husbandry and aquaculture. The dairy industry is undergoing a significant transformation, and production volumes on farms are growing. These are new growth points for the agro-industrial complex. Thanks to the achievements of domestic scientists, grain production of agricultural crops can be increased due to many factors. One of the factors is foliar dressing with liquid micro- and macro-fertilizers. Therefore, we studied various combinations of liquid micro-, macrofertilizers, as well as the bio-logical product Albit, in order to identify the best option and recommend it for produc-tion.

Global climate change and the creation of adapted varieties of forage crops

In Russian agriculture, fodder crops play a huge role as a source of complete feed for animals and as the main factor in the greening of all agriculture. It is fodder crops that are the main factors for increasing the humus content in soils, as the main indicator of their fertility, it is they who can most successfully fight wind and water erosion, it is they who most successfully of all agricultural crops can grow on the poorest and most problematic soils (saline, arid, waterlogged, etc.) being pioneers for the cultivation of basic food crops. This predetermines the primary role of forage crops in responding to climate change throughout Eurasia. In the past periods of history, global climate change led to major social shocks precisely because of a sharp decline in agricultural production, crop failures, and even a subsequent decline in population in individual countries [1]. Timely response to such changes by creating varieties adapted to new limiting environmental factors will not only successfully overcome the expected crisis, but also benefit from such a change. In addition to using traditional methods, great hopes are pinned on the widespread use of modern genetic technologies, biochemical and physiological methods, methods of cell and tissue culture.

Digitalization of transport and logistics services in russian agriculture

The aim of the work is to evaluate the intermediate results of the digitalization process of transport and logistics services in Russian agriculture. A methodology has been applied that uses data from Rosstat, the GooglePlay service and the Yandex.Radar service as a source of information. The study shows that one of the main trends in the cargo transportation market is the introduction of new technologies, such as transport and warehouse management systems, digital services that automate the business processes of carriers, mobile applications for ordering or providing cargo transportation services. The processes of digitalization of transport and logistics services in Russian agriculture are supported by the state. The implementation of the projects "Digital Platform of the transport complex" and "Digital Agriculture" will ensure cost reduction and improve the quality of transport and logistics services. The creation of a digital platform will unite all market participants in one information space and increase the transparency and traceability of cargo transportation.

Analysis of the resource potential of digitalization in Russian agriculture

The article is devoted to the study of the state and development features of the components of the resource potential of agricultural production from the point of view of the possibility of using digital technologies in the production process. The information infrastructure of rural areas, production resources, sources of funds for their modernization are considered as key factors. The analysis of the composition and structure of resources in dynamics is carried out, the reasons for the lagging of the pace of digitalization in agriculture from other industries and activities are revealed. In particular, the low level of development of digital competencies of the personnel of agricultural enterprises, low interest in professional development were noted; a high share of the imported component of production resources in the agricultural sector, which leads to high costs and, together with low incomes, makes it difficult to modernize technologies.

INNOVATION IN RUSSIAN AGRICULTURE: CURRENT STATE AND PROBLEMS

The article explores the issues of innovation in the area of agriculture of the Russian Federation. The specifics of the industry and the importance of innovations in this area for the state and the involved enterprises are determined. In addition to studying theoretical aspects, special attention is paid to the analysis of the recent statistics related to the current state of this industry: on enterprises introducing innovations, the volume of innovative products, the amount of innovation costs of organizations, etc. The key difficulties and trends in the area of innovation in the agroindustrial complex of the country are also identified. As a result of this study, a conclusion is formulated concerning the effectiveness of the implementation of the innovative component in the production, organizational and other areas of enterprise activities along with some recommendations developed to strengthen the innovative development of enterprises in the sector in question.

New varieties of forage crops and technologies for Russian agriculture

Рассмотрено значение селекции специализированных сортов и использования новых видов кормовых культур в решении проблем кормопроизводства, улучшении экологической обстановки. В Федеральном научном центре проводятся комплексные исследования со многими видами кормовых культур: клевером луговым, клевером ползучим, райграсом пастбищным, фестулолиумом, тимофеевкой луговой и ещё с 44 кормовыми и масличными культурами различного назначения. Сорта последнего поколения предназначены для выращивания во всех регионах России. За последние 3 года сотрудниками ФНЦ «ВИК им. В. Р. Вильямса» передано в государственное сортоиспытание и зарегистрировано 38 новых сортов: три сорта люцерны, три сорта люпина белого, два сорта лядвенца рогатого, два сорта фестулолиума, три сорта клевера лугового и т.д. Учёные ФНЦ «ВИК им. В. Р. Вильямса» ежегодно получают от 12 до 16 патентов на новые селекционные достижения по более чем 44 кормовым и масличным культурам различного назначения. За последние годы получены новые сортомикробные системы современных сортов клевера лугового и люцерны, отработаны технологии и получены патенты на способы фитомелиорации, на конструкции агрегатов для заготовки высококачественных кормов; работает лаборатория молекулярно-генетических исследований кормовых культур, в практику внедряются адаптированные ДНК-технологии, повышающие эффективность селекционного процесса. Показана важность ускоренного введения новых сортов в производство путём заключения неисключительных лицензионных договоров. Основная деятельность ФНЦ «ВИК им. В. Р. Вильямса» направлена на комплексные исследования в области селекции кормовых культур, а также на создание системы их семеноводства, которая обеспечит страну не только оригинальными, но и элитными и репродукционными семенами. This article reports on breeding and cultivation of new varieties of forage crops as means to improve forage production and ecology. The Federal Williams Research Center conducts investigations involving various crop species: red clover, white clover, perennial ryegrass, festulolium, common timothy and 44 other forage and oil crops. The latest varieties are to be grown all over Russia. For the last 3 years the Center submitted for the State variety trial and registered 38 new varieties: three varieties of alfalfa, red clover and white lupine, two varieties of birdʼs-foot trefoil and festulolium, etc. Scientists of the Center annually get 12–16 selection patents for over 44 forage and oil crops. Recent achievements are new systems of Rhizobium strains with red clover and alfalfa; improved technologies and patents for phytomelioration and designing fodder equipment; the laboratory of Molecular Biology and Genetics and application of DNA technologies in breeding. Nonexclusive license was shown to accelerate introduction of new varieties into the production process. The Center focuses on forage crop breeding and optimization of seed production.