Vol 44, No 5 (2018)

The wide use of rye flour in the form of rye-wheaten and wheaten-rye mixes has caused the problem of the blending value of cultivated varieties, which is as important for rye as for wheat. The purpose of the research was to comparatively study the blending value of winter rye samples with various viscosity of aqueous extract of grain meal. Six rye samples with low viscosity (2.1–7.3 cP) as recipients and three samples with high viscosity (10.0–15.0 cP) were used as donors. Recipient and donor grains were mixed in the ratio 4: 1, 3: 2, 2: 3, and 1: 4. The following traits were studied: viscosity of aqueous extract (VAE), height of amylogram, falling number, shape stability of a toppling bread (H/D ratio), and volume of pan bread. Blending value of components was estimated based on improvement effect (E). It was shown that viscosity and other quality traits correlatively associated with it were subjected to the mixing rule: their expression naturally increased with increased proportion of the highly viscous donor in the mixture. The exception was the volume of pan bread, the expression of which decreased in this case. During mixing, the actual values of the traits in the mixtures almost completely coincided with the calculated values. Significant deviations from the weighted average values were revealed only for amylogram height and the volume of the pan bread, indicating possible interaction effects of the mixed components. A negative correlation was found between the viscosity level of the recipient and the effect of its improvement (r =–0.93). The most valuable improver in mixtures with low viscous rye was the Moc-12-BB donor, characterized by high expression of the VAE (15.0 cP). It was concluded that such rye could be classified as strong since a lower amount of this rye should be added to the mixture for improvement of the weak (low-viscosity) rye. The addition of highly viscous rye to low viscous rye in an amount of 20–40% was the most preferable.

Naked oat lines 1h07, 766h05, 857h05, 41h04, 37h12о, 74h12, and 8h12 have been studied to characterize the fatty acid composition of acyl lipids, which represent one of the basic groups of macronutrients providing energy and plastic material for metabolic processes. Crude lipid content in the grain of these lines is 6.9 ± 098% on average and varies from 5.91 to 7.87%. Fatty acids dominating in the lipid composition of the grain include palmitic (15.3–17.8%), oleic (33.5–36.7%), and linoleic (36.2–38.7%) acids. According to the content of oleic and linoleic acide and their ratio (1: 1), lipids of naked oat belong to the oleic-linoleic group of vegetable oils.

Eleven polyketides that have been tested in laboratory and field conditions as growth stimulants of the spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) were educed from marine fungus Penicillium thomii Maire KMM 4675, which was obtained from mycobiota of the brown seaweed Sargassum pallidum (Novik Bay, Russky Island, Sea of Japan). Depending on the chemical structure, polyketides have different effects on the growth of barley sprouts. It is shown that the compounds pallidopenilline A, 1-acetoxy-pallidopenilline A, 1-deacetyl- pallidopenilline B, pallidopenilline E, pallidopenilline F, and pallidopenilline H have a stimulating effect on the growth of sprout roots (from 2 to 24%) and the compounds pallidopenilline A and 1-acetoxy-pallidopenilline A stimulate the productivity of the spring barley at concentrations of 1.0 μg/mL (17.1%) and 10.0 μg/mL (19.5%), respectively. Pallidopenilline A and its acetylized derivative 1-acetoxy-pallidopenilline A showed the maximum stimulatory effect (24 and 10%, respectively) on the growth of barley sprouts at a concentration of 0.01 μg/mL. Pallidopenilline A is recommended for wider use in the field conditions as a growth stimulant.

This paper defines priority plant-breeding-significant features and properties of new varieties that differ from native and foreign analogues in complex adaptability to biotic and abiotic stresses of the monsoon climate of the Russian Far East and high decorativeness. Traditional and innovative approaches in the breeding of the garden chrysanthemum are presented. Intervarietal, interspecific, and closely related crosses, as well as radiation mutagenesis, were used. Interspecific hybridization based on adaptive Manchurian and Korean high-mountain species of the Chrysanthemum genus made it possible to improve the genetic basis of existing varieties and solve the problem of individual and complex economic features. The genotypes that combine the main target features of immunity to white rust, winter hardiness, and optimal flowering period are created for the first time in the native breeding of the garden chrysanthemum. Hybrids and varieties of a new generation are obtained, which make it possible to expand the domestic assortment.

The ninety crosses were evaluated for 27 qualitative and quantitative traits to study the different gene actions, genetic variances, heritability and genetic advances involved in parents and in their off springs. The analysis of variance showed highly significant differences present among all the treatments for all quantitative and qualitative traits. The estimates of genetic component of variances together with related genetic parameters indicated that the magnitude of SCA variances was more pronounced than their corresponding GCA variances for majority of the traits for all testers and lines in both generations which suggested the role of non-additive gene action in the inheritance of these traits. The information obtained from the present study exhibited most of the traits had high value of σ²s than σ²g and over dominance gene action so, it is necessary to maintain the heterozygosity in the population for the improvement purposes. The non-additive genetic variability is non-fixable in nature thus the breeding methods such as biparental mating followed by recurrent selection may accelerate the genetic improvement for the traits sought to be improved.

The results of studying the changes in the range of insecticides for grain crop protection are presented for the period of more than 20 years. The aspects of extension are assessed for the range of insecticides used for these purposes, the peculiarities of certain chemical classes are shown along with the terms of pesticide application against various types of pests, and the dynamics of the ecological and toxicological properties of the pesticides are reviewed from 1995 up to the present day. The range of plant protection products is analyzed for the period of 1995–2017. It is shown that these changes are a continuous process that is expressed both as an increase in the total number of pesticides and as a qualitative improvement by introducing the new ones or combining the active substances of different content and formulations as well as by improving technologies and methods of pesticide application.

Typical chernozems of protected areas are characterized by a high humus content, a stable absorbing complex, and favorable agrochemical properties and demonstrate high number and activity of different groups of microorganisms, which is indicative of deep mineralization of plant residues and the storage of biogenic elements in microbial biomass. In the longstanding fallows, the structure of the microbial community is disturbed: the proportion of the oligotrophic groups, which are able to transform humic substances, increases. The rate of cellulose decomposition slows down, phytotoxicity increases, and dehumification develops. In the rotation, negative dynamic of these indicators is smoothed.

The objective of the work is to study the polymorphic leptin gene variants and their influence on growth, development, and milk production of Holstein first-calf heifers, whose 172 blood samples were analyzed. Genotyping the leptin gene locus was performed with the PCR-RFLP method. The frequencies of occurrence of the C and T alleles comprised 0.62 and 0.38, respectively; the values for genotypes CC, TC, and TT comprised 35.5% (61 animals), 53.3% (90 animals), and 12.2% (21 animals), respectively. It was ascertained that the analyzed animal population is in the genetic balanced equilibrium state according to the Hardy–Weinberg law. Under similar conditions of feeding and nutritional supplement, the animals having genotype CC were significantly superior to their peers with the other genotypes in all the parameters characterizing the live weight at different ages. However, the milk yield, the fat mass fraction, the milk fat yield, and the milk protein yield in the specimens having the TT genotype were higher by 8.9% (P ≤ 0.01; 673.4 kg), 0.20, 12.9% (P ≤ 0.05; 38.4 kg), and 9.0% (P ≤ 0.05; 22.7 KG), respectively, than that in the genotype TC carriers. The coefficient of milkability was 142.1 kg higher in all the first-calf heifers when compared to the lower value for the entire herd, therefore, indicating the specific dairy type of the analyzed animal population. The obtained data can prove the associations between the different genotypes of the leptin gene and the growth rates, the physical development, and the milk production in Holstein cattle.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) isolated in 2016–2017 from domestic pigs and wild boars in eight regions of the Russian Federation has comparable biological characteristics: it is virulent, causes the death of animals with signs of acute and overactive forms without the manifestation of a complete symptom complex of clinical and pathologic symptoms, possesses hemadsorption and accumulates in the initial (swine leukocytes, SBM) and transplantable (A4C2/9k) cell cultures in titres 5.5–7.5 and 3.5–5.25 log HAU/₅₀cm³, respectively. The studied isolates belong to the eighth serotype and the second genotype. According to these indicators, the ASF virus is comparable with the virus isolates circulating in Russia since 2007.

The current study was conducted to diagnose avian leukosis in naturally infected Brahma backyard chickens in southern parts of Iraq, on the basis of clincopathological findings and serological detection by using antigen-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (AC-ELISA) in suspected tumor cases in field conditions. In this study the avian leukosis was mostly observed in birds from 16 to 22 weeks of age, as well as the infected flocks showed a low mortality rate ranging from 5–6%. Typical variable sized grey to yellow obvious tumor-like nodular lesion was demonstrated on the surface of enlarged visceral organs such as liver, spleen, kidney and duodenum, as in white meat-type chickens. The histopathological features revealed massive infiltration of monomorphic lymphocytes in which the lymphoblasts were predominant in the liver, kidney, spleen and duodenum. In this study, a total of 40 sera were tested for ALV P27 antigen by ELISA technique. Thirty-five out of forty sera (87.5%) obtained from Brahma chickens tested positive to ALV P27 antigen and a higher percentage (88.58%) of the chicken sera were strongly positive and had (EUs > 75%). Based on these findings, avian leukosis was concluded to be associated with this pathological condition in Iraqi backyard flocks. This is the first report of the presence of the avian leukosis in visceral samples of Brahma breed. It seems that commercial poultry population in Iraq is not far from the threat of the avian leukosis, and surveillance for avian leukosis is needed.

This paper presents the results of research on improving the technology for production of canned apple compotes using secondary products after cutting and cleaning fruit for syrup boiling and intensive heat sterilization based on the use of new techniques—preliminary heating of fruit in cans in the ultrahigh frequency electromagnetic field with sterilization under intensive regimes with the use of high-temperature heat carriers and rotation of the cans during sterilization. It is established that the use of the resulting infusion of secondary products for syrup boiling provides saving of more than 8 kg of sugar per tube of product. In this case, the content of vitamin C in the finished product is more than two times higher than in the case of using the traditional method of blanching in hot water. Studies on the heating and actual lethality of microorganisms have shown that the developed mode provides the industrial sterility of canned food, saves heat energy, and shortens the duration of the heat sterilization mode by 20 min.

A comparative analysis of sheep-shearing machines has been performed. Advantages and disadvantages of shearing machines with a single-phase commutator motor compared to a three-phase asynchronous electric motor with a short-circuited rotor are identified. An individual electric shearing unit with the improved converter and upgraded cutting machine with a vertical push mechanism is offered. This assembly equipment increases the efficiency of shearing the sheep due to the improved characteristics of the converter and the working parts of the shearing machine. The frequency converter has an energy saving function reducing the energy losses. The weight of the improved converter compared to the prototype is decreased by 2.1 kg. The vertical push mechanism gives a threefold reduction in the uneven pressing of the knife to the comb in a sharing machine. Comparative analysis of sheep-shearing machines has been performed. Advantages and disadvantages of shearing machines with a single-phase commutator motor compared to the three-phase asynchronous electric motor with a short-circuited rotor are identified. An individual electric shearing unit with the improved converter and upgraded cutting machine with a vertical push mechanism is offered. This assembly equipment increases the efficiency of shearing the sheep due to the improved characteristics.