The aim of the study was to obtain experimental data on selection and genetic parameters of productive characteristics of young Hereford and Kalmyk cattle in Yakutia. The experimental study was conducted at the Integrated Agricultural Production Company "Churapcha” in Churapchinsky District and Integrated Agricultural Production Company "Satabyl” in Khangalassky District, Yakutia. The study was carried out on steers and heifers at the age of 6.9 months, each group contained 10 animals. There was used the beef breeding technology, all animals were kept under similar feeding and housing conditions. The article presents the experimental data on selection and genetic parameters of productive characteristics of young Hereford and Kalmyk cattle in Yakutia. The key indicators characterizing the animals’ physique were body measurements and body build indices. The study revealed that the body weight of the Kalmyk steers and heifers at the birth was 19.2-20.8 kg, at the age of 3 months - 53.3-55.5 kg, at the age of 5 months - 109.7-117 kg. From birth until 3 months, the overall weight gain was 34.1-34.7 kg, the daily weight gain was 378-385 g. The body weight of the Hereford steers and heifers at the birth was 25.5-32.3 kg, at the age of 5 months - 125-145 kg. The coefficients of variation of body weight of the Hereford cattle was 6.5-16.6%, Kalmyk cattle - 4.47%, Hereford offspring - 13.4-15.8% and Kalmyk offspring - 10.2%. The analysis of the exterior parameters showed that the blockiness index in the Kalmyk steers at the age of 8 months was 126.1-127.3, index for long legs was 49.0-49.1, thoracic index was 58.5-58.7. The blockiness index in the Kalmyk heifers was 123.8-129.3, index for long legs was 48.0, thoracic index was 55.7-58.4. The blockiness index in the Hereford steers was 129.6, thoracic index was 56.6, in the Hereford heifers the blockiness index was 129.2 and thoracic index was 56.7.

One of the caracteristics of cattle breeding in the Republic of Sakha is a limited capacity for the production of necessary amount of high-quality feed, high percentage of imported concentrated feed. In this regard, there is an urgent task to improve feed nutrition and reduce the consumption of the gain part of the diet with adequate replacement. The aim of the research was to study the use of highly nutritious feed additives in young cattle under the age of 1 year in order to provide nutritious feeding and increase productivity. The study was conducted on Simmental cattle at the age of 7-8 months in OOO "Khorobut”, Megino-Kangalassky District, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). There were 3 groups, 10 heifers each. The animals were divided according to their breed, age and average body weight. The 1st test group received feed with zeolite-hongurin (18 g per animal per day) and feed additive "Zdravur-Mu-Mu” (12 g per animal per day), the 2nd test group received feed with zeolite-hongurin (18 g per animal per day) and "Sakhabactisubtil” (10 ml per animal per day). These additives increased the average daily body weight gain by 6.1-83% in comparison with the control group; the weight gain per animal in the 1st group in comparison with the control group was 4.2 kg, in the 2nd group - 5.7 kg. During the study the benefit obtained from one animal of the control group was 82.0 thousand rubles, from the 1st test group - 97.0 thousand rubles and the 2nd test group - 115.0 thousand rubles, the level of profitability was 10.9, 12.2 and 14.6%.

The analysis of long-term data on grain production showed that a low protein and gluten content in wheat grains related to improper cultivation techniques, mineral malnutrition, particularly nitrogen nutrition, especially in case of high yields, and improper application of nitrogen fertilizers. Meteorological conditions also can aggravate these factors. The productivity of new varieties adapted in the Central Region and the common varieties was compared at Ryazan Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture from 2011 until 2016. The highest yield of winter wheat (7.74 t/ha) was obtained under relatively favorable meteorological conditions in 2016, the lowest indicator (4.34 t/ha) was detected in 2014. The yield of spring wheat under favorable meteorological conditions was 5.44 t/ha in 2014, the lowest one was 1.34 t/ha in 2011. The yield of Viola, Danaya, Glafira varieties was 28-36% higher than the yield of Moskovskaya 39, the yield of Agata, Zlata, Rima was 7-23% higher in comparison with the yield of Lada. Thus, modern varieties cultivated under the basic technology provided more stable productivity with the excellent grain quality and the yield increased by 7-36%. The use of Agata, Zlata, winter Viola together with optimal technologies can increase the stability of gross yield of quality grain from year to year and improve the production efficiency.

The article presents the results of the study on more than 200 varieties of soybean of different ecological and geographical origin. The samples were taken from the collections of All-Union Research Institute of Plant Breeding. The study was conducted in the Ryazan region in 2015-2017. As a result of the study, there were developed varieties with increased productivity and optimal duration of vegetation period. The varieties had an increased number of beans and seeds, high protein content in seeds and high oil content. The correlation analysis revealed that the duration of vegetation period was mostly determined by the value of "full blossom - full ripeness”, r = 0.811, and to a lesser extent the duration depended on "full germinated - full blossom”, r = 4.482. The best samples were Kastka (Ryazan region), Chera 1 (Chuvashia), Merlin (Austria), Elena (Ukraine), Semu 315 (Germany), Gaillard (Canada). These samples will be included in the selection process as initial materials, in order to develop high-yield soybean varieties adapted to the Central region of Russia.

The development of new, more accurate methods for calculating doses of nitrogen fertilizers has been a very urgent issue, because it increases the ecological safety of crop production, increases the payback of nitrogen fertilizers, improves the technology of crop cultivation. Field experiments conducted at the Institute and agricultural enterprises in Krasnodar Krai revealed a correlation of the yield of winter barley with agrophytocenosis and conditions for its cultivation in spring. The mathematical analysis of this data revealed a multiple nonlinear regression dependence of the dose of the first nitrogen fertilization on the effective fertility of the soil (in a 0-40 cm layer) in early spring, density of agrophytocenosis and expected yield. On this basis, a new method for calculating doses of the first nitrogen fertilization for winter crops was developed. The article presents the results of the study (in a small-plot experiment) on the dependence of the yields of three perspective varieties of winter barley of KNIISH breeding («K-1», «Serp», «Toma») on predecessors, genotype, nitrogen fertilizers and methods for their calculation. The test was repeated 4 times. The variants of the experiment included the following: 1-control (without fertilizers); 2-dose of the first nitrogen fertilization was calculated according to the Prototype; 3-dose of the first nitrogen fertilization was calculated by the New method. It was established that the yield of winter barley depended on a number of agrotechnical and genotypic factors (R2 = 0.9). There was revealed the effectiveness of the new method for calculating the dose of the first nitrogen fertilization, which provided a reliable increase in the yield of winter barley (by 0.44 t/ha) and the payback of fertilizers (by 52%) in comparison with the Prototype. The method was patented (Russia).

The aim of the study was to make a green conveyor made of perennial plants for dairy cattle breeding under extreme conditions of the Central Yakutia. The study was conducted in the laboratory of Yakut Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture named after M.G. Safronov in 2016-2017. The seeding time for perennial plants was summer. The seeding was in 2011. The test was carried out on 12 variants of cereal and legume grasses and their combination: Bromus inermis, Khaptagaysky; Elymus sibiricus, Nyurbinsky; Medicago falcate, Yakutskaya variety; Festuca rubra, Myuryunskaya; Psathyrostachys juncea, Manchara. The test was repeated 3 times. The article presents the results of the study on species composition, method for use, yield and nutritional value of area-specific perennial grasses on frozen soil. The highest yield was obtained with medick (8) + Bromus inermis (15) - 7.1 t/ha, the content of feed units was 0.68 in 1 kg. The maximum content of digestible protein in 1 feed unit was found in the combination of medick (8) + Bromus inermis (15) - 198.0 g.

The key reason for low productivity of dairy cattle in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) has been low feed availability. The lack of bulky feed in Yakutia has been a constant pressing issue. The article presents the results of a two-year study on cultivating new and perspective varieties of annual crops. The study was conducted in Yakut Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture. An impact of seeding time on yield, nutritional values was studied, there was also established the economic efficiency of cultivating perspective annual crops in the current zone. The crop yields after the first and second seeding were practically the same, sunflower - 37-38 t/ha, maize - 31-34 t/ha, millet - 20 t/ha, oil radish - 21 t/ha, sudan grass - 23-24 t/ha; after the third seeding these indicators decreased, sunflower - 20 t/ha, maize - 16 t/ha, millet - 11 t/ha, oil radish - 17.3 t/ha, sudan grass - 14 t/ha. There was established optimal seeding time to produce high-quality bulky feed: 1 June - the first seeding; 15 June - the second seeding; 30 June - the third seeding; and harvesting during the blooming and tasselling period: 10 August - the first harvesting, 20 August - the second harvesting, 30 August - the third harvesting. The nutritional value of annual crops meets the requirements of zootechnical norm. Thus, it is cost-effective to cultivate feed crops in all three seeding periods, the net income obtained from sunflower reached 42,900 rubles/ ha, maize - up to 34,400, oil radish up to 13,800, sudan grass - 12,600, millet - 7,800 rubles/ha.

There was studied an impact of resource-saving methods for tillage of light gray forest soils and application of fertilizers and biopreparation StiMiX®Niva on energy and economic efficiency of cultivation of crops in grain crop rotation in Volgo-Vyatka region. The field test was carried out at Nizhny Novgorod Research Institute of Agriculture in 2014. The maximum coefficient of energy efficiency was found in the test with surface tillage (K - 3.10). The deep tillage technique decreased this indicator to 2.92.96. The energy coefficient in the test with no-till technique was 2.21. Energy coefficients in the tests with the use of StiMiX®Niva were 3.10-3.40. The profitability of grain production per grain crop rotation link after the deep tillage technique was the lowest in comparison with the use of mineral fertilizers (62.3-77.4%). As the depth of tillage reduced, the profitability increased. Notill technique significantly increased the cost of agricultural products per grain crop rotation link in comparison with the mechanical tillage, the profitability was the lowest (27.250.3%). The greatest profitability was obtained with the minimal tillage with the use of StiMiX®Niva (136.8%). The light gray forest soil in Volgo-Vyatka region needs minimal resource-saving tillage with disk harrow together with the application of StiMiX®Niva. Ni-till technique does not provide expanded reproduction of crops in Volgo-Vyatka region.

The study on the optimal length of irritation furrow depending on relief, soil hydrological properties was carried out in sierozemic meadow, middle loamy, subsaline soils of Sirdaryo region by Uzbek Scientific Research Institute of Cotton, Breeding and Seed Production. The highest yields were obtained with 200 m irritation furrows and at a water flow rate of 0.3 l/s. In this test the indicator of the first harvesting was higher than in the others. All the tests showed the following indicators during the first harvesting: weight of 1000 pcs of seeds - 114-120 g, fiber yield - 35.2-34.6%, fiber length - 32.0-28.3 mm, maximum strength - 5.0-4.9 g.s., linear density - 190-189 m/tex, fibre maturity coefficient-2.1.

A study on cobalt content in soils and plants was carried out in 7 regions of 14 agricultural enterprises in Lipetsk region. The results of the study on the tilth top soil conducted according to Peive and Rinkis method showed an average cobalt content. However, during the study period (1995-2003, 2011-2013) the cobalt content gradually decreased. These changes also depended on the geographical location (northern or southern region). In 1995, the availability of cobalt in the northern region was 1.7mg/kg, in the southern region - 1.31. Different values of the cobalt content were found on different sites. In "Voshod” this indicator was 1.9 mg/kg, "Druzhba” (southern region) - 0.91, "Zarya” - 2.6mg/kg, "im. Kalinina” - 1.1 (northern region). The results of the study on the cobalt content in the soils (2005-2010) in ammonium acetate buffer solutions (pH 4.8) showed that the cobalt content remained at the same level on all the sites (0.11 0.12 mg / kg), it indicated low availability. The total survey of the soils conducted according to Peive and Rinkis method revealed that the cobalt content was 1.5 mg/kg, which corresponded to the average value. However, 17% of the areas were characterized by low content. Therefore, soils with low cobalt content need cobalt-containing fertilizers, it is also necessary to treat seed with them and to perform foliar top dressing. Feed crops need it mostly, due to their ability to increase livestock productivity.

Among the Central Asian deserts Kyzylkum is one of the largest in terms of area and economic importance. In addition to typical sand deposits this desert is characterized by Minbulak, Besh-Bulak and other hollows. The fertility of these pastures is low, these lands are characterized by the sharp continentality of the climate, complexity, low feed productivity, sharp yield fluctuations. The test was carried out on 87 halophytes. The perspective phytomeliorants were Climacoptera lanata (Pall.), Atriplex nitens, Kochia scoparia, Bassia hyssopifoliа (Pall.) O. Kuntze. The perspective perennial halophytes were Haloxylon aphyllum (Minkw.) Ilin., Halothanus subaphyllus (C.A.Mey.) Botsch., Salsola orientalis S.G.Gmel., Artemisia halophilla Krasch., Aeluropus littoralis (Gonan) Parl. and others. The following agrotechnical methods were tested: seeding time, seeding rate and depth of seeding. Climacoptera lanata (Pall.) showed the best germination indicator during after the seeding in December and March. Atriplex nitens showed the same result; the survival of seedlings was recorded after the seeding in February, the later seeding decreased the yields. The seeding of Climacoptera lanata (Pall.) and Atriplex nitens to a depth of 1-2 cm increased their field germination by 30.6-53.6%; the deepening of seeding of both halophytes decreased their germination.