The research was aimed at comparing the formation dynamics of physical, biochemical, and technological characteristics of winter triticale (*Triticosecale Wittm.) grain as compared with wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and rye (Secale cereale L.). Sampling was carried out at the milky, soft dough, middle dough and hard dough maturation stages, as well as after over-maturation in the field. The growing season of 2017 was cold and rainy, while that of 2018 was rather typical for the Moscow region; in 2019, the hot dry weather changed to the cool one with prolonged rains. In all years, it was raining over the whole grain maturation period. This provided for the evaluation of changes in the studied parameters after overmaturation in the field. Under these conditions, during grain filling and maturation, the mass of 1000 grains gradually increased, and then decreased a little bit due to enzyme-mycosis exhaustion. The grain-unit roughly followed the dynamics of change in the mass of 1000 grains. The highest values of protein and gluten content were obtained at the milky stage, after that their relative content decreased to soft dough ripeness due to the complete accumulation of starch. Afterward, the protein content increased again. This indicates that the processes of enzyme-mycosis exhaustion of grain were going on. It is noteworthy that the lowest activity of enzymes was also observed in hard dough ripeness in all the studied varieties. With further maturation, the autolytic activity increased and reached its maximum at the hard dough (final) maturation stage. Thus, the studied indicators of grain quality reach their maximum values in the middle dough stage, and the delay in harvesting will lead to strong deterioration in the technological properties of grain.

Increasing requirements for systemic and predicted procreation predetermine the need for deeper and more comprehensive research in the field of cattle breeding. The task of evaluating the producers by their off springs is to identify the bulls, the most valuable in breeding, capable of mating with specially selected females to give offspring of the desired quality. Studies have established the effect of the origin of daughters from specific bulls on fertility decline. Analysis of the insemination results of cows and heifers with sperm from bulls of the line VB Ideal indicates that the reproductive potential of these bulls is mediocre and requires further research on microsatellite loci of the genome based on the polymerase chain reaction method. The line of bulls V. Ideal 0933122 when using sperm on farms requires a more thorough study and genotyping of the microsatellite loci of the genome to identify infertility or a predisposition to mastitis. Thus, the identification of producer bulls whose daughter has a decreased percentage of fruitful insemination and an increased incidence of mastitis should be included in the set of measures when selecting parental pairs in order to obtain offsprings without loss in productive and functional qualities.

For the production of elite cheeses with mould, the basic raw material is cow ’s milk, but goat’s milk is also of increasing interest. Goat milk has a high protein and fat content, is rich in vitamins, macro- and microelements. Therefore, the object of the study was represented by cow ’s milk obtained from the Jersey cows and goat’s milk obtained from goats of the Saanen breed. According to physical and chemical parameters, the milk of cows and goats of these breeds was characterized by a high content of fat and protein, which affect the yield and quality of cheese. The goat milk cheese clot had a more delicate structure during the formation of the cheese layer and a sharp taste due to the different composition of medium-chain fatty acids. In the process of cheese ripening, changes in a number of physicochemical parameters such as cheese acidity, mass fraction of moisture, and amino acid composition of the protein are observed. On the 7-19^th day of ripening, a cheese head gets covered with white mold, the cheese consistency becomes softer, and it starts smelling with a “mushroom” hue. Starting from the 15-22^nd day, the cheese is completely covered with white mould and gets a smearing texture under the crust. Cheese made from goat’s milk have a more delicate consistency and structure of the cheese layer than those made from cow ’s milk, which is most likely due to biochemical processes that occur when cheese is ripened.

In 2017-2019, the authors studied the influence of the meadow clover on the density, soil structure and biotic activity of sod-podzolic medium loamy lightly-eroded soil under plowing and minimal tillage in a stationary field experiment in the fourth rotation in the conditions of the Udmurt Republic. During the period of clover growth with minimal tillage, the topsoil density was reduced to the optimal parameters for cereal crops (1.29 g/cm³) and over-compaction of the uncultivated soil layer (1.59 g/cm³). Under these conditions, the clover formed a reliable increase in the yield of green mass of 8.9 t/ha relative to the yield obtained during plowing. The structural condition of the soil was described as good. A year later after the application of clover green mass, an aggregate analysis showed an improvement in the structure of the plough layer. The content of the lumpy fraction by plowing decreased by 6.0% in the 0-10 cm layer and 3.0% in the 10-20 cm layer, with minimal tillage of 7.6 and 16.0%, respectively. This made a positive effect on the biotic soil activity. Also, the decomposition level of cotton cloths was in a close positive relationship with the accumulation of small mesoaggregates of 0.5-1 mm in size (in topsoil r = 0.83, in the lower layer r = 0.80). An increase in the fine structure content of 0.25-0.5 and 0.5-1 mm was observed in both versions of soil tillage. As a result, the plow layer acquired an excellent structural condition. The barley of the 2019 yield on clover manure formed 3.70 t/ha of grain during plowing and 3.82 t/ha under the minimum tillage. The obtained results indicate the formation of optimal growing conditions for grain crops with minimal tillage of sod-podzolic medium loamy lightly-eroded soil of the Udmurt Republic due to the environment-improving properties of clover with the application of its green mass for green manure production.

The paper presents an analysis of spring soft wheat varieties of different periods of variety change according to ecological plasticity and stability when cultivated in different climatic conditions (2014-2019). To increase the yield of spring soft wheat varieties, much attention is paid to the devlopment of high-intensity forms that respond positively to additional investments in agricultural technology. These varieties must also demonstrate high yield stability as well as plasticity in relation to environmental factors - i.e. the ability to form the high yields in wide range of environmental conditions. In the course of the study, the authors carried out an environmental assessment of ten varieties of four major groups by yield in a five-year field experiment. The yield upper limits, as well as an indicator of stress resistance, were estimated. Based on these data, statistical coefficients of their ecological plasticity and stability, as well as the stability variant, were analyzed. The Agatha and Esther spring wheat varieties showed the most responsiveness to the improvement of cultivation conditions. They can be considered the most plastic varieties. The highest stability index was observed in the Radmir, Amir, MIS, Zlata and Lyubava varieties. The most promising among the new spring soft wheat varieties is the Radmira variety, which has the best adaptive potential, which incidentally allows it to form a stable high level ofproductivity in changeable climatic conditions. Among the varieties of earlier periods, promising cultivars include the Zlata variety. Its high adaptability is comfirmed by its cultivation in 1,2,3,4 and 7 regions of Russia.

The paper is a tribute to the famous mineralogist, one of the founders of biogeochemistry, a leading specialist in phosphorites to professor Yakov V. Samoilov. The authors show the development of the outstanding Russian scientist as a researcher and a teacher and emphasize Ya.V. Samoilov ’s contribution to development of mineralogy, fertilizers industry, agrochemistry and agriculture of our country. The paper is written in connection with 150^th anniversary to Ya.V. Samoilov.

Studies based on the use of an electronic microscope revealed ultrastructural changes in plant cells of lettuce and Basil in interaction with Ps.aeruginosa ATCC B3994, expressed in deformation and violation of the integrity of the cell wall, increasing the size of chloroplasts, sometimes full destruction accompanied by the increased number of plastoglobuli. Ps.fluorescens ATCC948 were localized in the cytoplasm and chloroplasts of cells without a cytotoxic action. Plant isolates were identified with gram staining, biochemical tests and PCR. Contamination of non-heat-treated leaf vegetables with virulent strain Ps. aeruginosa is a potential threat to human health and life.

The research was carried out on the premises of the experimental study farm of Russian State Agrarian University - Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy in Moscow in 2018-2019. Over two years, the authors collected and microscoped samples of affected plants of different families to determine the causative agents of fungal diseases. The identification of the fungi species of the Alternaria genus was carried out by morphological features of conidia and the habitus of sporulation. It was found that the damage of apple and pear trees is caused by two non-specialized fungus species of Alternaria tenuissima and Alternaria infectoria. It was found that 73% of 110 apple varieties and 47.2% of 53 pear varieties studied were affected to varying degrees by the fungi of the Alternaria genus. The paper describes apple varieties that have been damaged by Alternaria. There has been detected a high malware of Alternaria blight on the young seedlings of pome crops. The species of A. tenuissima and A. infectoria pathogens have been determined to affect dicotyledonous weed plants widely distributed in fruit gardens, as well as a number of garden-protective and ornamental crops. Also, their possible role as infection reservoirs and vectors for fruit crops has been established. The authors considered grade vulnerability to Alternaria blight lesion of different pome and stone fruit varieties. The most Alternaria blight-resistant varieties of pome crops have been identified. The authors have stated the relationship between the degree of Alternaria blight progression and factors such as pest damage and the location of plantings. They also describe some differences in the manifestation of Alternaria blight symptoms on apple and pear trees during the initial period of disease progression. As a result of the studies, recommendations are given on the implementation of protective measures aimed at reducing the spread of Alternaria blight of pome crops in fruit gardens.

Federal Research Center for Vegetable Growing is the oldest breeding institution in Russia, the scientific activity of which began with the Gribovo Vegetable Breeding Experimental Station established in 1920. At present, Federal Vegetable Growing Research Center preserves the traditions established by Sergey Ivanovich Zhegalov (an outstanding scientist, geneticist and plant breeder, the founder of the Russian scientific school of vegetable crops selection, professor of Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy and develops new prospects and subjects. The paper describes the historical stages of development of the national selection of vegetables, based on which methods of creating initial material with qualitatively new economically valuable and genetically determined features are developed and theoretically grounded. The result of intensive plant selection breeders under the guidance of talented managers of the laboratory are high-quality productive varieties of legumes with an optimal combination of elements of productivity, suitable for mechanized cultivation technologies, not inferior to the best analogues of foreign selection, as well as suitable for prolonging the duration of the arrival of domestic raw materials to processing enterprises. The scientists of the Federal Research Center of Vegetable Growing (FRCVG) produced more than 200 cultivars of legumes (including 6 international cultivars) using traditional and new methods, of which 86 cultivars were included in the State Register of Plant Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation admitted to use in 2019 by the State Commission for Crop Variety Testing. Many cultivars created by the FRCVG plant breeders received diplomas and medals of various exhibitions.

The museum houses numerous collections of stuffed animals. The exposition tells about the history of the development of animal science, the domestication of farm animals, breed formation and the formation of modern domestic livestock and poultry population.