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Subject. Effectiveness of state interventions aimed at stabilising domestic prices. Objectives. To study the effectiveness of procurement and commodity interventions in the grain market regarding their ability to stabilise grain prices within Russia. Methodology. Correlation analysis, economic and mathematical modelling based on regression models, calculation of statistical indicators of variation. Conclusions. Procurement and commodity interventions conducted in Russia are not effective enough to ensure price stability in the grain market, which was confirmed by the low values of average linear deviations of actual market prices from the values calculated by regression equations for the periods of interventions. Building economic and mathematical models of the relationship between grain prices and significant factors showed that domestic prices considerably depended on global grain prices and were also highly influenced by the dynamics of production factors in grain-consuming industries. Thus, it is necessary to supplement the mechanism of interventions used in Russia, specifically through measures that help to reduce the dependence on external factors with a high influence. The results of the conducted study may be further used to determine a wider range of factors that affect domestic grain prices and, based on this, to improve the conducted state interventions.

The article presents the results of the study of the composition of fungal species that cause staining, necrotization of grain tissue, stems to common wheat leaves, durum wheat, barley. The fungi with the highest incidence were Alternaria alternata (33.8 %), Fusarium avenaceum var. herbarum (20.6 %), Helminthosporium avenae (19.4 %). Culture filtrates of the F. avenaceum var. herbarum isolates involved in the study inhibited the germination of the kernels, the growth of the embryonic root with different intensity, the largest share in the source of variation of the growth of the embryonic root returning to the isolate factor of the fungus (65.7 %%). The role of genotype and isolated genotype x interactions was 25.5 % and 5.7 %, respectively

The paper dwells on the results obtained via long-term monitoring over food grain contamination with such a mycotoxin as deoxynivalenol (DON); monitored grains include wheat, barley, corn, oats, and rye. From 1989 to 2018 6,800 grain samples were analyzed; they came from Zentralny, Juzhniy, Privolzhskiy, Uralskiy, Sibirskiy, Severo-Kavkazskiy, Dalnevostochniy, and Severozapadniy Federal Districts (FD) in the RF. Depending on a year when a specific crop was gathered, frequency of DON detection in food grain samples varied from 0 to 42 % and maximum toxin contents reached 6.65 mg/kg. Over the whole examined period 10 % samples turned out to be contaminated and one forth of them contained the toxin in quantities exceeding maximum permissible levels (MPL). DON detection frequency amounted to 24–42 % in years when mass epiphytoties occurred (1989, 1992 and 1993) as well as in crops gathered in 2014 and 2017; DON was detected in quantities exceeding MPL in 9–27 % examined samples in those years. 78 % contaminated samples came from Juzhniy and Severo-Kavkazskiy FD and another 10 % were from Dalnevostochniy FD. An authentic correlation between frequency of toxin detection and a number of rainy and sunny days in May was established on the example of wheat samples that came from Krasnodar region. Analysis of contamination dynamics has revealed that over the last years there has been an ascending trend in frequency of DON detection in wheat that came not only from regions where Fusarium head blight was widely spread but also from regions in Severozapadniy, Sibirskiy and Privolzhskiy FD. Health risks related to DON introduction with products obtained via wheat grains processing were assessed; the assessment revealed that DON was introduced in doses higher than conditional acceptable daily intake (ADI) for people living in Juzhniy and Severo-Kavkazskiy FD in 1992, 1993, 2014 and 2017. Average frequency of DON detection amounted to 4.2; 11.9; 3.0 and 0.6 % for barley, corn, rye, and oats samples and its maximum contents amounted to 8.95; 0.95; 0.96 and 0.44 mg/kg accordingly. Just as it was the case with wheat, the greatest share of contaminated samples came from Juzhniy, Severo-Kavkazskiy and Dalnevostochniy FD. Contamination tended to grow for all the examined grains and it calls for relevant measures aimed at controlling food grains safety.

On the basis of long-term meteorological data and research results in a long-term stationary experiment of 1971-2020 a retrospective analysis of changes in air temperature and precipitation in the eastern region of the central climatic zone of the Kirov region was carried out and the influence of these characteristics on the dynamics of the yield of spring cereals was estimated. It has been established that the average annual air temperature during the research period was 2.4±1.0 °C. At the same time, its stable positive trend was observed at the rate of 0.39 °С /10 years. Two decades from 2001 to 2020 were recorded as the warmest for 50 years, when the temperature was 0.7...2.6 °C above climate normal. Selyaninov hydrothermal coefficient (0.7...2.1) testifies to the contrasting conditions of humidification of the vegetation periods during the research years – from drought to excessively humidified. In a long-term experiment, the yield of spring cereals increased in the row wheat – barley – oats: 2.17±0.86, 3.04±0.61, 3.39±0.65 t/ha, respectively. Strong correlations were marked between the average yield (spring wheat) and weather conditions in June: reverse with air temperature (rр = -0.735) and direct with the amount of precipitation (rр = 0.686). It has been established that the use of phosphorus fertilizers (and their aftereffect) in combination with nitrogen-potassium fertilizers weakened the influence of weather conditions on the productivity of spring wheat: the determination coefficients (R2), which reflect the portion of variability due to weather conditions, were 0.59-0.73 for the variant without fertilizers and decreased to 0.50-0.56 when applying NP3K.

Results of mycotoxicological survey of representative samples of feed and procured wheat, barley, oat and maize grain batches are demonstrated. The samples were submitted by the Veterinary Service officials, livestock farmers and feed mill operators, agricultural producers, specialized commercial business operators and farm owners in seven Federal Districts of the Russian Federation in 2009-2019. Similar amounts of wheat and barley grain samples were received from the Central, Volga, Ural and Siberian Federal Districts. The amount of wheat samples delivered from the Southern Federal District prevailed over the number of barley samples, and the maize samples were mostly delivered from the regions of the Central Federal District. Fusarium toxins including T-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone and fumonisins of group B as well as alternariol, ochratoxin A, citrinin, aflatoxin В1, sterigmatocystin, cyclopiazonic acid, mycophenolic acid, ergot alkaloids and emodin were detected and measured according to the validated competitive ELISA procedure. Generalization of the results demonstrated domination of fusarium toxins and active involvement of alternariol in the contamination of all types of feed grains as well as high occurrence of emodin in ear cereals and increased occurrence of T-2 toxin and ochratoxin A in barley. Shift of medians and 90%-percentile of the basic contaminants to lower values as compared to mean and maximal ones was reported thus being indicative of their possible accumulation at the levels outside the typical range. The highest levels of T-2 toxin, deoxynivalenol and ochratoxin A as well as 90%-percentile values exceeded the acceptable levels. The maize grains demonstrated the whole complex of the tested fusarium toxins with the prevalence of T-2 toxin, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone and fumonisins; and the maximal amounts of these mycotoxins by several times exceeded the accepted regulatory levels. Diacetoxyscirpenol, aflatoxin В1, sterigmatocystin, cyclopiazonic acid and ergot alkaloids are classified as rare feed grain contaminants. High prevalence of alternariol and emodin known as “diarrhea factor” as well as maize grain contamination with mycophenolic acid (mycotoxin having an immunosuppressive effect) are for the first time reported in this paper. These data support the need of their introduction in the group of regulated substances significant for public health. Original monitoring data systematized and summarized in the paper are given in electronic format in section Additional materials.Part 1: Veterinary Science Today. 2020; 1 (32): 60–65. DOI: 10.29326/2304-196X-2020-1-32-60-65.

Background. Increasing the drought resistance of the main food crops in the face of increasing climate and weather changes on the planet is one of the most urgent tasks facing scientists. The need to find new effective, inexpensive, safe methods led to the appearance of this work. The purpose of the research is to determine the nature of the effect of microwave treatment on the drought resistance of spring and winter cereals. Materials and methods. The relative drought resistance was determined by the method of germination of seeds in a solution of osmotic (sucrose). The research objects were the seeds of spring wheat varieties Novosibirskaya 31, spring barley varieties Sibiryak, spring oat varieties Kreol, winter rye varieties Petrovna, soft winter wheat varieties Moscowskaya 56, winter triticale varieties Omskaya. The experimental scheme included 8 variants combining different concentrations of sucrose solutions(1.4, 7.4, 16.6 %) and microwave processing (magnetron frequency 2.45 GHz, power 0.42 W, exposure 11 sec.). The control was a variant with distilled water, without microwave treatment. The seeds were germinated at a temperature of 21 °C for seven days. On the seventh day, seed germination was determined and expressed as a percentage of the control. Results. The presence of increased osmotic pressure during the germination of cereal seeds (without microwave treatment) leads to a decrease in the number of seedlings. An increase in the concentration of sucrose in the solution reduces the number of sprouted viable seeds. However, the degree of this decrease is more pronounced in spring crops. The effect of high osmotic pressure on germinating seeds (without preliminary microwave treatment) leads to the fact that all the studied winter cereals belong to the group with medium drought resistance, spring cereals – to the group of weakly resistant ones. Preliminary microwave treatment of seeds significantly increases the drought resistance of cereal seedlings, which is especially pronounced in spring crops. Conclusions. The electromagnetic field has a positive effect on the level of drought resistance of winter and spring cereals. The stimulating effect of the microwave EMF is more intense in relation to spring crops – soft wheat, barley, oats, however, it also has a positive effect on the resistance to water deficiency of winter crops – rye, wheat, triticale. At the same time, the most significant increase in relative drought resistance during microwave treatment was registered for spring barley seeds of the Sibiryak variety.

Unfavourable phyto sanitary situation in the republic of Buryatia, connected with a growth of infected grain crops, including rots, needs study of seed disinfectors. Eight varieties of spring wheat zoned in Buryatia have been studied. According to the laboratory experiments the share of infected sprout on the control variants was above admissible harmfulness (from 17 to 36%). After disinfection with ‘Tebu-60’, ME and ‘Skarlet’, ME the level of seed infection with phyto pathogens decreased to 2-8%. However, the treatment with the disinfectors suppressed the development of coleoptile and roots. The experiments showed the difference of physiological response of spring wheat varieties on drugs. The article has presented the study results of the influence of disinfection with ‘Tebu-60’ and ‘Skarlet’ on the seed infection, germination and development of germinal organs of five varieties of barley. The seed infection significantly decreased after disinfection, especially after the use of ‘Tebu-60’. The disinfector ‘Tebu-60’ showed the strongest phyto toxic property and ‘Skarlet’ showed the weakest one. Biologic productivity of the spring wheat variety ‘Buryatskaya ostistaya’ was 2.42 t/ha without the application of disinfectors. The productivity of the grain crop after disinfection with ‘Tebu-60’, ME was the similar to the control. The drug ‘Skarlet’, ME increased wheat productivity on 0.41 t/ha. The wheat variety ‘Lyutestsens 937’ and the barley variety ‘Krasnoyarsky 80’ are the most resistant to phyto toxic effect of the disinfectors.

In vegetative experiments with summer grain wheat and barley, heterogeneity of varieties in their resistance to an increasing soil drought has been revealed. It is established that the degree of expression of heterogeneity in varietal populations depends on the conditions of mineral nutrition and the duration of a stress.

According to the Food Security Doctrine of the Russian Federation, there are plans for the nearest future to expand the assortment of healthy food products for the country’s population, so a search for relevant food sources is needed. The substances that may aid to prevent a number of serious human diseases include antioxidants, while one of the important quality parameters in food products and their ingredients is their antioxidant activity. Today, the aggregate content of antioxidants and their antioxidant activity have been identified with sufficient accuracy for vegetables and fruits. At the same time, the whole cereal grain has been found to provide higher quantities of bound polyphenols than the equivalent portion of soft fruits or widely consumed vegetables. These compounds are available for metabolism in the large intestine, and thus can produce a beneficial effect on human health. Additionally, a case study of 30 different breakfast cereals has shown that the levels of polyphenols in an average portion of oat-based cereals (40 g) are matchable with those of vegetables or fruits. It is widely known that oat and barley grains have high nutritional value, contain unsaturated fatty acids, basic minerals, proteins and β-glucans (the highest levels among cereal crops), and are characterized by the presence of diverse chemicals with antioxidant properties. In recent years, research efforts have been started in a number of Western countries to analyze the content of antioxidants in the grain of various cereal crops. In today’s Russia, only a small number of works are dedicated to studying these important chemical compounds in oat and barley grain. It should be mentioned that, although cereal crops are recognized as one of the main components in human diet, the research conducted to determine their antioxidant activity has clearly been insufficient. In order to attract the attention of Russian plant scientists, plant breeders, plant physiologists, geneticists and biotechnologists, a survey of modern publications on this problem is presented.

The transition from vegetative to reproductive development in wheat is regulated by seasonal cues, including vernalization and photoperiod. Here we present a simple logical model of the wheat development gene network. Vernalization accelerates flowering in winter cereals. It is regulated mainly by the vernalization genes VRN1, VRN2, and VRN3. After vernalization, VRN1 downregulates the VRN2 flowering repressor, thereby increasing the VRN3 level. The expression of VRN3 promotes further increases in the VRN1 transcription level, generating a positive feedback loop, which enhances VRN1 transcription to a threshold level required to initiate flowering. The products of the PPD1 and CO2 photoperiod genes increase VRN3 expression under long daylight conditions. Seasonal changes in day length are perceived by plant photoreceptors and transmitted to the circadian clock to modulate flowering time. Here we integrate data on vernalization and photoperiod genes in a gene network. Using a synchronous Boolean model, we have simulated the network dynamics. This model can be useful to test the coherence of experimental data and to hypothesize gene interactions that remain to be discovered.

This work presents the results of investigations in testing the phytosanitary use products Diuches 425 EC and Abacus, VSC as fungicides on winter cereal crops during the period of vegetation in the period of 2008. On the basis of the experimental results, the obtained preparations - Diuches 425 EC at a rate of 0,5-0,7 l/ha and Abacus, VSC at a rate of 1,25-1,75 l/ha - have been included in the protection system of the winter barley.