Dear Colleagues,

New interesting scientific approaches and solutions to the main problems of crop production and animal husbandry are currently emerging in all agriculture branches. Crop production and animal husbandry are the main branches of agricultural production ensuring food security on our planet. At the present time, special attention is being paid to the issues of obtaining environmentally friendly and safe products as well as the development of offers reducing the impact of specific factors—seasonality, weather conditions, etc.

Modern animal husbandry dictates new approaches to the development of genomic technologies in animal breeding, ensuring high productivity, quality, and safety of animal products.

The development of genomic and marker breeding of animals makes it possible to predict the breeding value of animals and quickly obtain animals with the specified characteristics of productivity and product quality and resistance to various diseases in addition to reducing the spread of undesired genetic mutations in the population. In solving the problems of accelerated breeding, creating new breeds, lines, and types of animals, the methods of genomic evaluation, embryo transfer, genomic editing, and in vitro fertilization along with the development of breeding programs are highly effective. At present, there is intensive development of genomic research in this direction.

In recent decades, the main problems of a possible reduction in the yield of agricultural plants and animal productivity and longevity as well as the decrease in the quality of the obtained products are clearly visible. These are influenced by climate change, sharp deterioration in the environment, decrease in fertility and soil degradation, irrational use of natural resources, uneven distribution of productive forces, and stark differences in energy availability, resource availability, and the availability and use of modern adaptive resource-saving, environmental, and environmental-oriented agricultural production technologies. Nevertheless, due to various objective and subjective reasons, these areas have different levels of development, both in individual countries and around the world. Therefore, the acquisition of new scientific data in the field of crop and animal husbandry and the widespread expansion of best practices and knowledge remain the most relevant at the present stage. The world’s population is constantly growing, and ensuring the need for human food and animal feed has been and will remain a priority and strategic direction for the development of agriculture.

A certain result has already been achieved in this direction. New scientific and theoretical approaches have been developed to regulate the productivity of agricultural plants and reduce the dependence on any factors. To maximize the profit for farm enterprises, new approaches are proposed, including methods of cultivation diagnostics, varietal agricultural techniques, and use of adapted genotypes, among others.

Hence, this Special Issue is devoted to the issues of innovative technologies in crop production and animal husbandry; the submission of scientific articles or reviews covering a wide range of fundamental and applied scientific research, including genetics, animal science, virology, microbiology, immunology, food processing technology, pharmacology, as well as those of particular interest to the scientific community and farm enterprises are welcome for consideration. Of particular interest are discussions of gene technologies in the field of breeding and gene editing of farm animals, modern methods for ensuring the epizootic well-being of livestock farms, improving the productivity, quality, and safety of livestock products, and methods for the containment and control of the spread of antibiotic resistance. 

We look forward to receiving your contributions to our Special Issue “Innovative Technologies in Crop Production and Animal Husbandry”.

Prof. Dr. Andrey Georgievich Koshchaev
Dr. Irina M. Donnik
Dr. Viktor Stanislavovich Kukhar
Dr. Dzintra Dēķena
Guest Editors

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• agricultural plants (genotypes)
• agrochemistry
• agricultural engineering
• agrometeorology
• physiological–biochemical and genetic methods
• biotechnology
• breeding and seed production
• plant biologization
• organic farming
• quality of agricultural products
• ecology
• genomic research
• gene editing
• gene knockout
• CRISPR/Cas9
• mutations
• animal products
• biological safety
• plant breeding
• plant protection
• innovative garden care systems
• the effect of soil

1. Control of Postharvest Gray Mold at Strawberry Fruits Caused by Botrytis cinerea and Improving Storability of the Fruits Through the Use of Origanum onites L. and Ziziphora clinopodioides L. Volatile Essential Oils

Authors: İbrahim Kahramanoğlu; Olga Panfilova; Tuba Genç Kesimci; Ayse Usanmaz Bozhüyük; Ramazan Gürbüz; Harun Alptekin
Affiliation: Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technologies, European University of Lefke, Gemikonagi, Northern Cyprus, via Mersin 10 Turkey Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding (VNIISPK), Zhilina, Orel District, Orel Region, Russian Federation) Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Iğdır University,Turkey
Abstract: Present research was undertaken to study the antifungal activities of Origanum onites L. and Ziziphora clinopodioides L. essential oils against three different isolates (M1-5, M2-1 and M3-5) of Botrytis cinerea (in vitro tests) and to investigate the vapor contact impacts on fungus and strawberry fruit quality (in vivo tests). Antifungal activities of these oils were tested by following the poisoned food technique at four different concentrations (0.25, 0.50, 1.00 and 2.00 mL/L) against B. cinerea. In vitro studies suggested that the 0.50 mL/L and 1.00 mL/L doses of O. onites and 1.00 mL/L and 2.00 mL/L doses of Z. clinopodioides provide high mycelial growth inhibition, 85.29-94.12% and 39.12-94.12%, respectively, by direct addition to food. Thus, these doses were tested in in vivo conditions, as a vapor contact treatment against two isolates (M1-5 and M3-5) of B. cinerea inoculated on strawberry cv. Camarosa fruits. Results showed that both O. onites and Z. clinopodioides essential oils have moderate-to-high impact on the prevention of disease severity of grey mold. The oils were also found to have slight-to-moderate impact on the prevention of weight loss and loss of soluble solids concentration. Overall results demonstrated that tested oils are potential biodegradable alternative to fungicides.

2. Methodological Approach to Determining the Optimal Location of the Organic Crop Production

Authors: Natalya Zaruk; Maria Kagirova; Anna Kharitonova; Elena Kolomeeva; Rishat Migunov; Yulia Romantseva; Anastasia Babanskaya
Affiliation: Russian State Agrarian University - Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy
Abstract: The purpose of the study is to substantiate the methodological approach to the optimal distribution of organic crop production across the territory, taking into account soil-climatic, environmental, economic and social characteristics. The object of the study is the regions of Russia located in various climatic zones and differentiated by the level of economic development. The system of statistical indicators has been developed to identify typical groups of units according to the possibility of producing organic products. It includes 33 elements, providing a description of the regions in terms of the state and potential of economic development; level of agricultural production; climatic and ecological conditions; demand potential for organic products. The methodology is based on Factor and Cluster analysis. Factor analysis selected five components underlying the grouping of regions. The use of cluster analysis made it possible to identify with a high level of accuracy seven groups of regions with different agricultural conditions and the potential for the development of organic production, which, according to individual characteristics, are justified for the production of certain types of crops. Optimization of the location of the organic production is explained by the satisfaction of requirements of plants and consumers within the territories. Keywords: organic products; crop production; statistical indicators; location of agricultural production

3. Methodological Approach to the Analysis of the Efficiency and Competitiveness of Crop Production Organizations, Taking Into Account Environmental Parameters

Authors: Anastasia Babanskaya; Natalya Zaruk; Maria Kagirova; Anna Kharitonova; Elena Kolomeeva; Rishat Migunov; Yulia Romantseva
Affiliation: Russian State Agrarian University - Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy
Abstract: The article is devoted to the development of a methodological approach to the analysis of the efficiency and competitiveness of crop production organizations, taking into account environmental parameters to ensure the development of the production of environmentally friendly products. The authors propose a definition and a system of classification characteristics of environmentally responsible producers as the basic category of the theory of resource-saving production in the conditions of the Green Economy. The object of the study is the sample of 65 crop production organizations of grain and mixed specialization, differentiated by the level of economic development. To ensure comparability of data, organizations located in regions favorable for growing crop products were selected. The initial database contains enterprise reporting indicators and aggregated data by region in the form of categorical data and time series. The study used the methods of statistical grouping, comparative analysis, and approaches to identifying trends in the time series. The result of the study is an information-analytical model for evaluating the effectiveness and competitiveness of enterprises in order to determine the directions for the development of environmentally responsible and traditional producers of crop products.

4. Breeding grape varieties resistant to biotic environmental factors based on the introgression of genomes from immune species of Vitis L. in the Crimea conditions

Authors: Vladimir Volynkin, Irina Vasylyk, Nataliya Rybachenko, Vitalii Volodin, Valentina Risovannaya, Elena Matveikina, Ekaterina Lushchai, Vladimir Likhovskoi, Elena Potokina
Affiliation: All-Russian National Research Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking Magarach, Republic of Crimea, Russian Federation
Abstract: Grapes are one of the main agricultural crops in terms of budget filling in the agro-industrial complex of Crimea. Traditionally, the viticulture of the region was formed on the cultivation of crop varieties belonging to the species Vitis vinifera L. However, biotic environmental stresses are observed annually associated with the intensive development of such pathogens as Plasmopara viticola (mildew), Erysiphe necator (oidium) and Daktulosphaira vitifoliae (phylloxera). Undoubtedly, one of the most effective methods for solving this problem is the breeding and cultivation of pathogen-resistant grape varieties. In accordance with this, the Magarach Institute (Crimea) has developed and is implementing a breeding program for breeding grape varieties based on introgression into the genome of the Vitis vinifera L. genome of immune grape species of the Vitis L genus. Initially, such studies were carried out at the level of genotypes, but recently studies are being carried out to identify resistance genes to the Crimean isolates of the above designated pathogens, moving on to the marker of associated selection (MAS). The results of the identification of such resistance genes in the Crimean gene pool of grapes selected by the Magarach Institute and the results of the implementation of the breeding program in the form of new varieties are presented.

5. The Nature of Inheritance and Genetic Control of Avenin Components in the Population of F2 Hybrids of Oats

Authors: Anna V. Lyubimova*; Dmitry I. Eremin; Evgeny P. Renev
Affiliation: Tyumen Scientific Centre, Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 86 Malygina., Tyumen, 625026, Russia
Abstract: The use of avenins as biochemical markers successfully complements the use of molecular markers in oat breeding. Currently, the genes that control the synthesis of oat prolamins are not well understood. The aim of the work was to study the nature of inheritance and genetic control of avenin components in populations of F2 hybrids of oats and to describe new allelic variants of component blocks. The component composition of avenins in F2 grains in 19 hybrid oat populations was studied by native electrophoresis. Varieties with new combinations of avenin components were used as parental genotypes to obtain hybrids. Separation of proteins was carried out in vertical plates of 13.2% polyacrylamide gel. The observed ratio of the number of grains that make up the phenotypic classes for pairs of alleles for each of the loci corresponded to the theoretically expected for codominant monohybrid inheritance. Our results support the hypothesis that avenin synthesis is controlled by three independent gene clusters located on three chromosomes. In the course of the studies, hybrid combinations were not identified, in the spectra of which avenin components were manifested, which are absent in both parents. Consequently, the blocks of prolamin components in oats are characterized by high stability and are inherited without changes. As a result, 15 new allelic variants of blocks of components of the electrophoretic spectrum of avenin were identified. This expands the possibilities of using prolamins as biochemical markers of economically valuable traits of oats and certification of new varieties and valuable breeding lines.