Characteristics of Viburnum species seeds

Viburnums are of economic importance, are an important component of forests, they are used in landscaping, have medicinal and nutritional value. The purpose of the study is a comparative analysis of characteristics of seeds of 4 viburnum species in the conditions of the Mari El Republic. The authors study the pyrenes collected in 2018-2020 from the plants grown in the exposition "Fruticetum" of the Botanical Garden-Institute of VSUT (Yoshkar-Ola). The mass of 1000 seeds was determined according to GOST 13056.4-67, the sizes of 30 seeds were measured with a caliper. It was found that the studied viburnums form seeds of typical size and weight. Viburnum lentago had the largest seeds, Viburnum lantana had the smallest ones. A significant influence of the species specificity factor on the weight of seeds was revealed, while no significant influence of the factor of weather conditions of different years on the seed indicators was established. The weight of the seeds was very closely positively correlated with their length and significantly with their thickness. The thickness of the seeds was characterized by the highest level of variability, negatively correlated with their width and positively with their length. During the 3 years of the study, the heaviest seeds in most species were formed in 2018.

Analysis of landscape areas on the territory of secondary school #19 of the city of Yoshkar-Ola

The research object is the territory of the secondary school #19 of the city of Yoshkar-Ola. The topicality of the research is determined by the necessity to reconstruct the existing landscape areas on this territory. For the project “The reconstruction of landscaped areas and improvements on the territory of the secondary school #19”, the authors have reviewed the landscaped areas. The analysis uses complete enumeration based on mensurational description. During the analysis, the authors defined species, taxonomic characteristics, sanitary and hygienic and esthetic values of each taxon. 290 woody plants were examined. Based on the acquired data, the authors analyzed the current landscaped areas on the territory and formulated the following conclusions: the density of plantations is much lower than the recommended values; the authors noticed only the traces of a green fence. However, the average values of the sanitary condition are 2 and 1, which means that the landscaped areas are in a good condition, and the species composition is in line with recommendations. Due to the fact that the school territory radius is 2 km, the condition of landscaped areas requires special attention. The scientific novelty of the research is determined by the fact that the landscaped areas on territory in question need to be reconstructed.   

PEASANT STUDIES AS A KEY DIRECTION OF AGRARIAN SOCIOLOGY

The article analyzes approaches to understanding the role of the peasantry as the basis of the Russian nation and culture and a special social community. The ideas of M. M. Kovalevsky, S. N. Yuzhakov, P. A. Sorokin, A.V. Chayanov and T. Shanin are presented. The conclusion is made about the relevance and methodological value of the approaches of representatives of Russian sociology to this issue. The article states that today, among the priority areas of agricultural sociology, the most popular is the study of family farming as a subject of the informal economy sector of the production of environmentally friendly products for the population interested in the development of bio-agriculture and innovative food networks that reduce the distance between food producers and consumers. It is this urgency of the problem that makes peasant studies the most promising direction of agrarian sociology. Taking into account the practical significance of this problem, relying on methodological approaches and developments of domestic and foreign sociologists, the research group of the Ural Agrarian University, based on the network interaction of universities of the Ural region and India, developed a program of initiative cross-cultural sociological research on the topic "Culture of farm labor", the purpose of which is to analyze the value bases of economic behavior of representatives of this social group for designing an effective agricultural policy.

A.V. CHAYANOV ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF FARMING IN RUSSIA

The article considers the model of development of agricultural enterprises in Russia, proposed by the outstanding agricultural economist A.V. Chayanov. The authors demonstrate the relevance of A.V. Chayanov's ideas for solving modern problems of import substitution and ensuring food security facing domestic agriculture. It is argued that today the socio-economic model of agricultural enterprises in Russia, developed by A.V. Chayanov in the 1920s-1930s, is still extremely relevant and in demand. According to Chayanov, the core of such the model is a family labor-based peasant farm. The authors claim that A.V. Chayanov used a large factual material to prove that the way to increase the efficiency and innovative development of agriculture in Russia lies through the increase and strengthening of farms, their support at the government level, as well as their association into production and consumer cooperatives. A.V. Chayanov strongly opposed the nationalization of agricultural cooperatives, he warned that the state could not directly manage agricultural production. The state can and should create favorable conditions for the development of family labor-based peasant farms and agricultural cooperatives: improve the regulatory framework for agricultural activities, create social infrastructure in rural areas, regulate the taxation of peasant farms and agricultural cooperatives, regulate social and labor relations in agricultural production, implement targeted subsidies in lean years or in the event of emergency circumstances.

The seasonal development of Crocus in the Mari El Republic conditions

Crocuses are beautifully flowering corm-bearing plants. They begin the growing season immediately after the snow melts. The research contains the results of phenological observations of 2014-2019 for plants of 6 Crocus taxa in the conditions of the Mari El Republic. Cultivars with early, medium and late periods of phenophase passage were identified. A flowering phenospectrum of the studied crocuses has been compiled. Crocuses vegetate from mid-April to early June for 40-50 days, and bloom from the third decade of April to early May. C. chrysanthus 'Prince Cloues' is characterized by the earliest unfolding of leaves and a short duration of their growth. The greatest value for landscaping is C. versicolor, characterized by the longest growing season and the earliest flowering, as well as C. chrysanthus ' Romance’ and C. angustifolia, characterized by the longest flowering within 2 weeks. The flowering of C. sieberi 'Spring Beauty’ is unstable. The obtained data on the seasonal development of crocuses can be used when including them in rockeries, alpine slides and other flower beds in natural-style gardens.

Phenology of Pentaphylloides representatives in the Mari El Republic

Representatives of the genus Pentaphylloides are low ornamental shrubs that are valued for long abundant flowering, compact size and unpretentiousness to growing conditions. P. fruticosa is a valuable plant that has not only decorative value, but also food, medicinal, soil protection. For medicinal purposes, young flowering shoots are used, harvested during budding and flowering. The article presents the results of phenological observations in 2018-2020. The objects of the study were plants of 8 kinds of Pentaphylloides in the collection of the Botanical Garden-Institute of Volga State University of Technology (Yoshkar-Ola, Mari El Republic). The studied plants undergo most phases of seasonal development, with the exception of the mass end of shoot growth, complete lignification of shoots, mass ripening of fruits, mass leaf fall. Species and cultivars vegetated from the end of April – the beginning of May to the end of October in a short time. The vegetation period was 177-182 days. There was no significant difference in the timing of the passage of phenophases between the taxa. Plants of Р. × friedrichsenii and P. mandschurica passed most of the phenophases earlier than the average dates for the genus, and 'Goldfinger' and 'Klondike' – later. The earliest and longest flowering was characterized by P. friedrichsenii (65 d.), the latest and shortest – P. fruticosa (28 d.). All plants of P. fruticosa cultivars bloomed for a longer period than the species. After mass flowering, single flowers were observed in representatives of Pentaphyloides until mid-October.

PROMISING TECHNOLOGIES OF INTELLIGENT AGRICULTURE

The personnel-to-be for agricultural enterprises mostly live in rural areas. Therefore, it is important to create conditions for the intellectual development of young people in rural schools, which is the subject of the study in this article. Digitalization, creating conditions for the development of "smart agriculture", undoubtedly affects the progress in agricultural relations, but the main emphasis should be placed on the human resource of agriculture. Now it is necessary to develop a system of personnel retraining, to organize the labor discipline of rural residents in small forms of management, to find alternative forms for the production activities of the rural population. Promising technologies of "intelligent" agriculture will ensure effective environmentally safe pest control, will contribute to the restoration and preservation of useful properties of soils and groundwater, and with the help of these technologies, compliance with the certification requirements of organic agriculture will be constantly monitored. hus, the main goal of the personnel policy in the field of agriculture is the timely selection of highly qualified personnel, the development of human capital, the increase in human production efficiency through informatization and modernization of production in each individual agricultural enterprise.Setting Strategic integration is necessary to give the integrity of the overall organizational strategy to develop a personnel strategy. The overall goal of this process is to ensure the intellectualization of human capital and the transition to digital agriculture.

Seasonal development of Philadelphus cultivars in the Mari El Republic

Species of the genus Philadelphus L. (mock orange) are among the most popular ornamental shrubs. They are valued for low maintenance, abundant flowering, exceptional aroma of flowers and a prolonged flowering period during high summer, by when many shrubs already fade. The results of phenological observations of 2018-2020 are presented in the article. The objects of the research were the plants of 8 cultivars of mock orange selected by N. K. Vekhov in the Botanical Garden-Institute of VSUT (Yoshkar-Ola, Mari El Republic). The vegetation of plants lasts from the beginning of May to the end of September and has a duration of 177-189 days.  The 'Airborne force' (Vozdushny desant) cultivar was characterized by the longest growing season.  The full leafing occurred in the first decade of June, the growth of scions ended in the first half of August. Flowering began in the third decade of June and lasted on average for 13-28 days. The cultivar 'Vosdushny Desant' has the earliest beginning of flowering, 'Arktika' has the latest one. The plants of 'Elbrus' were characterized by the longest flowering, 'Yunnat' – by the shortest one. There was no connection between the duration of flowering and the structure of flowers.

Agroindustrial complex: problems and instigating trends

The article analyzes the current problems, functional strategies and instigating trends of the agroindustrial complex. The author describes the possible ways of solving problems and considers the prospects for the development of small-scale enterprises based on the existing government support programs for rural areas. Among the most acute problems for the successful development of farms, the author identifies the following groups of problems: 1. Economic problems: rising prices for fuels and lubricants; the volatility of the ruble exchange rate; the constant increase in tariffs for gas, electricity, fertilizers, machinery for agricultural production; the disproportion of prices of products and resources spent on their production; the lack of long-term supportive programs of preferential lending and leasing services; low level of innovation and investment activity; low level of solvency of the population; unsatisfactory state of telephone and Internet communications, roads and transport links; monopolization of sales markets by large agricultural holdings; insufficient development of marketing and logistics issues; weak image advertising of farm products and the lack of integrated marketing communications, which reduce the profitability and profitability of agricultural production. 2. Technological problems: technical and technological lagging behind the developed countries; low technological efficiency of agricultural production of peasant farms; a high degree of deterioration of the equipment and machinery. 3. Ecological problems: industrial and agricultural enterprises impacting on the environment; the inrease in land fertility; the use of pesticides leading to soil and water pollution; the lack of effective control over the quality and safety of food. 4. Social problems of rural areas: the lack of educational institutions with educational services of high quality and developed infrastructure; the lack of jobs for the adult population and youth's low interest in farming as a way of life; domestic problems. 

AGRARIAN SOCIOLOGY: THE MAIN TRENDS

The article highlights and briefly analyzes the main directions of agrarian sociology in Russia, and shows that agricultural sociology is only evolving today. Theoretical research methods were used: a systematic approach, a comparative historical method, as well as quantitative and qualitative methods of applied sociological research: questionnaires, analysis of documents and work in a focus group. The research allows identifying the main directions of modern agrarian sociology in Russia. These include: 1. Sociological research of ecological culture and consumer culture. 2. The sociology of nutrition. 3. Sociological studies of farming as a special social group. Based on the results of the study, the authors identify the trend directions of modern agricultural sociology in Russia which are currently being formed and waiting for research by the joint efforts of sociologists, economists, lawyers, philosophers and representatives of agricultural sciences. Solving these problems will help attract young people to work in farms, including the organization of their own family farm. The first group of problems is the loss of traditions of family farming as a way of life and the related underestimation of farm labor and farming as a social community. The second group of problems is related to the insufficient use of innovative technologies, including digital ones, in family farming and everyday life, as well as the insufficiently developed social infrastructure in rural areas.