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Visiometry is one of the fundamental diagnostic methods for assessing visual acuity, including the evaluation of the effectiveness of eye pathology treatment. Therefore, a precise determination of visual acuity is crucial. For a long time, visual acuity has been determined by reading optotypes on optometric charts (in Russia and the CIS countries, the Sivtsev — Golovin chart is the most widely used). With the advancement of “Eye tracking” technologies and the development of high-frequency and detailed monitors, it has become possible to determine visual acuity using induction of normal physiological nystagmus, followed by an analysis and conclusion about the presence of nystagmus on specific presented optotypes. One of the key factors in the accuracy of visual acuity determination is the correct calculation of the size and movement of optotypes, which is analyzed in this review.

Relevance. Anthocyanin pigments can be synthesised in the stem, leaves, calyx, peel and pulp of tomato fruit. These compounds protect the photosynthetic apparatus of the plant, neutralise free radicals, increase the efficiency of phosphorus and nitrogen assimilation, have an osmoregulatory function, antimicrobial activity and increase the level of adaptation to unfavourable environmental conditions. In addition, anthocyanins from plant foods play an important role in the prevention of type II diabetes, neurodegenerative processes, cardiovascular and infectious diseases. Therefore, the cultivation of tomatoes with anthocyanin-coloured fruits is a perspective area for the vegetable industry in Russia. Vegetable products containing antioxidant substances belong to the functional products and conform to the concept of a healthy diet. As one of the most popular and frequently consumed vegetable crops, the anthocyanin content of tomato is advisable to increase in the fruit (peel and pulp).Material and methods. In this work we studied breeding samples of FSBSI FSVC: L-Ch-365, L-IR-2080, L-Zemba, hybrid combination F1 Zemba x L-Ch-365, variety of Siberian Botanical Garden Bosare blue. The aim of our research was to determine the quantitative composition of phenolic compounds - anthocyanins in different tomato samples, and on this basis to determine the objectives of breeding to improve the content of phenolic compounds.Results. As a result of the research, the quantitative content of anthocyanins in fruits of dif- ferent tomato specimens has been studied, on which the dietary and medicinal quality of the fruits depends. The sources of high content of anthocyanins (L-Zemba, L-IR-2080) have been obtained, which will make possible to conduct directed breeding work for high content of phenolic compounds. It has been shown that anthocyanin-rich tomato samples can be rich in carotenoids, which gives an opportunity to create new varieties and hybrids with high content of water- and fat-soluble antioxidants. Potential samples for breeding according to the complex of biochemical indicators have been identified: L-Zemba, L-IR-2080, Bosare blue. It has been shown that selection for high content of anthocyanins can be performed at various stages of fruit ripening (large ripe fruit, blangetongue, biological ripeness), selecting the most intense colouring. The Zemba tomato variety developed at FSBSI FSVC has a sufficiently high anthocyanin content and is recommended for cultivation in production.

In this article, we for the first time fully describe the geology and petrography of the iron quartzite formation, localized in Southeast Guinea in the Simandou mountain range. In this region, a meridional distribution belt of banded magnetite quartzites (itabirite) of the Lower Proterozoic Simandou metamorphic series has been mapped. The rocks form an extended (210 km) and narrow (0.4–7 km) complex synclinal structure in the background of the Archean granite-gneiss basement. The structure of the Simandou metamorphic series includes the lower sequence of metaterrigenous rocks up to 400–500 m thick (metasandstone, quartzite, phyllite, mica schist) and the upper itabiritic sequence up to 220–450 m thick. The metamorphism of the rocks of the series increases from north to south from the greenschist to epidote-amphibolite facies. Members of two varieties of banded iron rocks are distinguished in the itabiritic stratum – itabirite and amphibole itabirite. The composition of itabirite is (wt %): magnetite 51–55, quartz 48–36, and the rest is cummingtonite and mica. The composition of amphibole itabirite is (wt %): magnetite 39–47, quartz 31– 30, amphibole (cummingtonite) 24–15, the rest is hedenbergite, mica and calcite. Rich martite and hematite-goethite ores (60–66% Fe) are formed in the lateritic weathering crust after itabirite, forming manto deposits with a depth of 9 to 350 m.

Anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) has the potential to reduce soil erosion through soil conditioning. However, a comprehensive study about its effectiveness especially when applied combined with other amendments have rarely been conducted in the tropical highland climatic conditions, such as in Ethiopia. The study assessed the effectiveness of PAM (P = 40 kg ha−1) alone or integrated with other soil amendments such as gypsum (G = 5 t ha−1), lime (L = 4 t ha−1) and biochar (B = 8 t ha−1) on runoff and soil loss at Aba Gerima watershed in the Upper Blue Nile basin, northwest of Ethiopia, where there is high erosion-caused soil degradation. A total of 79 daily runoff and sediment data were collected from eight runoff plots (1.3m × 4m) with three replications planted with teff (Eragrostis tef) crop for two years (2018 & 2019) rainy seasons. Associated changes in soil physicochemical properties and crop growth parameters were investigated. Treatments reduced seasonal runoff by 12–39% and soil loss by 13–53%. The highest reduction in runoff was observed from P + B and PAM treatments while the highest reduction in soil loss was observed from that of P + L and PAM treatments. Integrating PAM with other amendments improved soil structural stability, moisture content, soil pH (P + L) and organic matter (P + B), leading to favorable environment for crop growth (biomass yield) and reduced runoff and soil erosion. Unlike PAM, biochar and lime amendments may need more time after application to be more effective. Hence continuing the field experiment and studying physico-chemical mechanisms for extended period will better elucidate their single or combined effectiveness over time.

Irrigation of calcareous soil with saline–sodic water can modify the composition of the soil solution and exchange complexes in agricultural land of arid and semi-arid regions with low water resources. The objective of this study was to monitor (medium-term) potential changes in a calcareous clay soil irrigated with two types of sodic waters without cropping. Irrigation water with two high sodium adsorption ratios (SAR = 20 and 40) and electrical conductivity (EC < 3 dS m−1) was prepared using NaCl and NaHCO3 salts. The sodic irrigation waters were applied (June–October) in three periods (1, 2, and 4; one period = five irrigations) to bare non-saline soil with drip irrigation during two growing seasons; no irrigation action was taken in the winter–spring rainy season (period 3). Sampling (0–30 cm) was made after each period to determine the changes in soil pH, EC, water-soluble Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Cl−, and HCO3−. Relative to the control, irrigation with both sodic waters increased soil pH, EC, and water-soluble Na+ and decreased or did not change water-soluble cations (Ca2+, Mg2+). The Cl− concentration increased rapidly with NaCl-type water application, but it was leached away quickly by winter–spring rains. The HCO3− concentration increased with NaHCO3-type water application, yet it leached out slowly in the rainy period. The movement of HCO3− ions in the upper soil profile (0–30 cm) was significantly slower compared to Cl− ions. Dissolution of slightly soluble soil CaCO3 by irrigation increased the solution concentration of Ca2+ and its mobility, yet the kinetics of processes depended on water type and irrigation period. The released Ca2+ interacted with other cations in the soil, causing further significant positive physicochemical changes in the soil solution and exchange capacity (comparable with control soil) at the end of the irrigation period. The CaCO3 content in the soil would be a long-term guarantee of the Ca2+ resource in soils, even if the amount of water-soluble Ca2+ may decrease for the short-term period during irrigation. The results should be considered for rational irrigation management (with various water qualities) in semi-arid and arid regions.

Visible-near infrared (Vis-NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy are increasingly being used for the fast determination of soil properties. The aim of this study was (i) to test the use of MIR spectra (Agilent 4300 FTIR Handheld spectrometer) for the prediction of soil properties and (ii) to compare the prediction performances of MIR spectra and Vis-NIR (ASD FieldSpecPro) spectra; the Vis-NIR data were adopted from a previous study. Both the MIR and Vis-NIR spectra were coupled with partial least squares regression, different pre-processing techniques, and the same 114 soil samples, collected from the agricultural land located between boreal forests and semi-arid steppe belts (Kastanozems). The prediction accuracy (R2 = 0.70–0.99) of both techniques was similar for most of the soil properties assessed. However, (i) the MIR spectra were superior for estimating CaCO3, pH, SOC, sand, Ca, Mg, Cd, Fe, Mn, and Pb. (ii) The Vis-NIR spectra provided better results for silt, clay, and K, and (iii) the hygroscopic water content, Cu, P, and Zn were poorly predicted by both methods. The importance of the applied pre-processing techniques was evident, and among others, the first derivative spectra produced more reliable predictions for 11 of the 17 soil properties analyzed. The spectrally active CaCO3 had a dominant contribution in the MIR predictions of spectrally inactive soil properties, followed by SOC and Fe, whereas particle sizes and hygroscopic water content appeared as confounding factors. The estimation of spectrally inactive soil properties was carried out by considering their secondary correlation with carbonates, clay minerals, and organic matter. The soil information covered by the MIR spectra was more meaningful than that covered by the Vis-NIR spectra, while both displayed similar capturing mechanisms. Both the MIR and Vis-NIR spectra seized the same soil information, which may appear as a limiting factor for combining both spectral ranges. The interpretation of MIR spectra allowed us to differentiate non-carbonated and carbonated samples corresponding to carbonate leaching and accumulation zones associated with topography and land use. The prediction capability of the MIR spectra and the content of nutrient elements was highly related to soil-forming factors in the study area, which highlights the importance of local (site-specific) prediction models.

Relevance. Pepper is a common crop both for fresh consumption and for the preparation of spices. Recently, along with the increasing popularity of C. annuum L. pepper, there is increasing interest in other species of this genus, which have a number of breeding and important properties. The most important method of enriching the gene pool of cultivated plants is distant hybridization, through which valuable traits are transferred from wild species to cultivated ones. The development of a new variety is a lengthy process, stretching over several years. In this regard, breeders have faced the challenge of obtaining pure lines to create a pepper hybrid with desired properties by applying modern biotechnological methods that will accelerate this process. One of them is the method of microspore culture, which allows mass production of haploid plants, reducing the time for creating constant parental lines.Material and methods. The aim of the work was to create an interspecific hybrid of hot pepper (C. annuum L. x C. frutescens L.) with high ornamental properties, a complex of economically valuable traits, with good taste qualities. The research was carried out in the film greenhouse of FSBSI FSVC in the Moscow region. The research material was a variety population of hot pepper Capsicum frutescens Cz-544-14, used as a paternal line, which was heterogeneous, and a pure line of C. annuum L. (Pb-551) created by classical breeding.Results. The pepper hybrid F1 Christmas bouquet was created as a result of hybridization of species parental forms obtained by different methods (biotechnological and classical). To accelerate the production of an aligned paternal form of C. frutescens L., the technology of doubled haploids through microspore culture was used. As a result, doubled haploid plants meeting the planned model (compact low habit, purple fruit colouring in technical ripeness and red in biological ripeness) were obtained. The resulting hybrid combined all the necessary economic features: high ornamentality, compactness, bouquet arrangement of fruits, high taste and aroma. Thus, the use of remote interspecific hybridization in the breeding process in combination with biotechnological approaches can accelerate the production of new forms of hot peppers that meet the demands of the market.

The main direction in the selection of sweet peppers is the creation of hybrids with a high heterosis effect. The question of components choice for the greatest effect in crossings is studied by breeders and geneticists of many countries for a long time. However, until now it has not been possible to create a theory that allows breeders conducting practical work to consciously and reliably choose pairs that would provide maxi-mum and stable yield and product quality, depending on the purpose of the variety. In the work various principles of the selection of pairs were used: ecological-geographical, according to the components of attributes and selection of the maternal form. Using these methods, more than 300 combinations of crosses were obtained. It is shown that the combination of two ecologically different parental components of different origin - the local sample and the introduced one - leads to an increase in the heterosis effect. The best hybrid combinations with a complex of economically valuable traits are obtained by crossing local varieties with selected breeding lines. When selecting pairs according to the components of the signs, where local or introduced samples with a different set of features were taken as parental forms, productivity was at the level of the standard. In most cases, when used as the maternal form of the local variety, the productivity of the hybrids was significantly higher compared to the reverse crossing. As a result of our studies, it is once again confirmed and proved that the more differences in the places of cultivation and reproduction of parental components, the higher the heterosis effect and the effect of the maternal component is much higher.

Root biomass and phenotyping are vital parameters for studies on crop performance and response to environmental change, as well as abiotic stresses, crop water uptake, nutrient supply, and soil C sequestration and quality. However, root sampling and measurement, including biomass estimation, are laborious and time-consuming tasks. This study developed a novel allometric model to predict the root biomass of annual crop species using root collar diameter, an easy aboveground field measure. The root samples of alfalfa, sorghum and maize were collected (45 from each) at the harvesting stage from the irrigated agricultural field of the semi-arid region (clay soil, salinity: EC = 2–12 dS m−1, 70% of full irrigation). Crops collar diameter (CD) and root biomass (RM) increased in the following order: alfalfa < sorghum < maize. For each crop species, strong power (RM = aCDb) relations (R2 ≥ 0.90) were found between RM and CD (analogous to tree species). The coefficient (a) and exponent (b) of the relations and the soil quality indices (e.g., soil organic carbon, aggregate stability) in the root zone were concomitant with the crop (root) traits. The use of the allometric model was crucial for the fast assessment of the root biomass of the crop species, such as estimating biomass allocation. The approach could be used for evaluation of soil–root–plant interaction under abiotic stresses in the context of the sustainable agriculture (e.g., soil C deposition and respiration, crop transpiration and photosynthesis rate, and selecting the best genotypes-cultivars).

Soil spectroscopy is a promising alternative to evaluate and monitor soil and water quality, particularly in mountainous agricultural lands characterized by intense degradation and limited soil tests reports; a few studies have evaluated the feasibility of VIS-NIR spectroscopy to predict Mehlich 3 (M3) extractable nutrients. This study aimed to (i) examine the potential of VIS-NIR spectroscopy in combination with partial least squares regression to predict M3-extractable elements (Ca, K, Mg, P, Fe, Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb, and Zn) and basic soil properties (clay, silt, sand, CaCO3, pH, and soil organic carbon-SOC), (ii) find optimal pre-processing techniques, and (iii) determine primary prediction mechanisms for spectrally featureless soil properties. Topsoil samples were collected from a representative area (114 samples from 525 ha) located in the mountainous region of NW Azerbaijan. A series of pre-processing steps and transformations were applied to the spectral data, and the models were calibrated and evaluated based on the coefficient of determination (R2), root mean square error (RMSE), and the residual prediction deviation (RPD). The leave-one-out cross-validated predictions showed that the first derivative spectra produce higher prediction accuracies (R2 = 0.51–0.91; RPD = 1.20–2.29) for most soil properties. The evaluation of the model performance with optimal pre-processing techniques revealed that both calibration and validation models produce considerable differences in RPD values associated with sample size and the random partition of the calibration or validation subsets. The prediction models were excellent or very good (RPD > 2.0) for CaCO3, SOC, sand, silt, Ca, and Pb, good or fair (1.4 < RPD < 2.0) for clay, K, Cd, pH, Fe, Mn, and Cu, and poor (1.0 < RPD < 1.4) for Mg, P, and Zn. Principal component and correlation, stepwise regression analysis, and variable importance in projection procedures allowed to elucidate the underlying prediction mechanisms. Unlike the previous studies, the spectral estimations of pH, Ca, Mg, P, Fe, Pb, and Cd concentrations were linked to their correlation with CaCO3 rather than soil organic matter, whereas Mg and P concentrations were also connected to Fe-oxides. Soil particle sizes contributed to predicting K concentration but confounded the prediction of P and Zn concentration. The weaker correlations of Mn, Cu or Zn with CaCO3, particle sizes, SOC, Fe, and spectral data yielded to their lower prediction accuracy. The major prediction mechanisms for M3-extractable elements relied on their relations with CaCO3, pH, clay content and mineralogy, and exchangeable cations in the context of their association with land use. The results can be used in mountain lands to evaluate and control the effect of management on soil quality indices and land degradation neutrality. Further studies are needed to develop most advantageous sampling schemes and modeling.

Abstract. From the condition that the chemical potentials of the components of the AB compound are equal in the equilibrium liquid and solid phases, taking as pure liquid components as the standard state, equations are obtained for calculating and modeling of partial excess thermodynamic functions, of the pressure-temperature-composition diagram and liquidus surfaces of the binary compound in the ternary system A–B–C. The equations obtained are tested on the Cu–Pb–Se system in the liquidus region of the PbSe compound. It is shown that the vapor phase mainly consists of two atomic molecules of selenium Se2. For the liquidus regions PbSe(p-type)-Se and PbSe(n-type)-Pb, the following dependences are obtained, respectively: lg Se p 2 (Pa) = [–1281 + 5624(1000/T) – 9190(1000/T)2 + 6648(1000/T)3 – 1797(1000/T)4] – 10.35 xCu 2 ; lg Se p 2 (Pa) = [2026 – 8778(1000/T) + 14247(1000/T)2 – 10259(1000/T)3 + 2759(1000/T)4] – 8.36 xCu2 . For the thermodynamics calculation and modeling of surface crystallization PbSe in the ternary system Cu -Pb-Se is obtained dependence: T = [ + ( - x ) Gexs (xl )] / [ . - . ln x ( - Cu. PbSe Se Se 110693 1 0 35D 25 695 8 31 1 xSe )] Where DGexs l PbSe , = –76057 + 335550,738хSe – 2,41759E6хSe 2 + 7,33249E6хSe 3 – 9,7868E6 хSe 4 + 4,69725E6хSe 5. 3D visualization of the obtained analytical dependencies is carried out with the help of a computer program OriginLab2017.

Physalis commonly known as the husk tomato is an important vegetable crop in the diets of many nations. Their fruits are used in the making of chilli sauce, jams, candied fruits, pickles and dressing for popular dishes. Fruits can be marinated and added to the cucumber, tomato, cabbage, apple, pear, plum for canning. Boiled fruit of Physalis is used to prepare fillings and decorations for cakes. The number of fruits set is variable. The lateral and sub-lateral branches produce more flower buds, but they do not produce harvestable fruits. The elimination of sub-lateral branches would be very important for restricting fruit set. The ‘Lakomka’ variety produces 53 commercial fruits, but only 22 of them reach biological maturity (41.5%). Such traits as “number of fruits per plant” and “average fruit weight" vary substantially Cv = 36.98% and Cv = 33.5%, respectively. At the same time, in the variety ‘Lakomka’ weight of matured fruits on plant (1.76kg) is 73.3% at the total fruit weight -2.4 kg. This is because of the weight of one ripened fruit on the plants that is greater than not ripened one. The same results we observed in the cultivars ‘L–Fioletovy’ and ‘Lejkiy’. Weight of ripened fruits on the plant is about 50% from the total weight in the varieties ‘Lacomka’ and ‘Korolyok’. The "number of fruits per plant” and “average fruit weight” were the most stable in varieties ‘Konditer’, ‘Lacomka 2’ and ‘Lejkiy’. Totally, 320-450 seeds are developed in the fruit, where productivity reaches to 7.4-15.5 g/plant, depending on the variety. Tomatillo is genetically highly variable. To become a viable commercial crop, it will be necessary to develop plants with uniform fruit size and to breed a determinant plant type suitable for mechanical harvesting with most of fruits maturing simultaneously on the plant.

35 viruses have been reported to infect peppers (Capsicum spp.) and those lead to economic losses like low and variable yield. Viral diseases are an important factor provoking low yield and reduced fruit quality. In low volume hydroponics the spread of virus infection had local character. The two types of symptoms were revealed. The plants with symptoms of green mottle, chlorosis, deformation of mid-rib in top leaves, and leaf blade rolling by edges inwardly were observed in breeding accessions with light-green fruit color such as ‘Maria’, ‘L-Ochrovanie’, ‘Belosnezhka’. The deformation, mottle and symptoms of inner necrosis can be seen on fruits. The degree of disease development reached 100%. The results of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and ImmunoStrips assays enabled to identify the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). There were blight-yellow mottle, wrinkling on entire plants and deformation and mottling on fruits. The symptoms appeared on the top leaves by the end of vegetation period that was caused by late viral impact. The degree of developing the disease was 10.5-25% on leaves and fruits that was less than on plants with green mosaic. Immunological tests carried out in open field showed the combined virus infections, consisting of TMV+CMV with degree of disease development was 37.5%. The rod-shaped particles, 30 nm in size, belonging to tobacco mosaic virus were discovered with the use of electron microscopy in pepper plants showing the symptoms of green and yellow mosaic.

Physalis (Physalis L.) is grown worldwide. P. pubescens L. is most widespread in Russia. The analysis of development of biochemical properties in fruits of P. pubescens L. in temperate climate was presented in the article. The berries of physalis have acid reaction and high nutrient value due to polyphenols, carotenoids that give orange color, also contain moderate quantity of vitamin C. Moreover in the berry juice there are significant quantities of potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, manganese and boron. P. pubescens L. is a promising exotic crop that can be used for production of functional foodstuffs. Physalis berries are usually used as fresh vegetables for salad recipes, providing the sweet and sour balanced taste. The whole fruit berries are also processed into syrups or dried, so that they are regarded as ‘elegant raisins’. Our study showed that the dry matter content was 15.5% in cultivar ‘Zolotaya Rossiyp’ in temperate climate, while the ascorbic acid content was 9.9 mg per 100 g. of wet weight. In temperate climate 318 mg GAE/100 g. polyphenols were accumulated in the berry of P. pubescens L. The titrated acidity of ‘Zolotaya Rossiyp’ berries was 0.90%, at pH 4.72. The level higher than 4 confirms the low acidity. This can be explained by the fact of presence of organic acids as a free forms in the berry juice.

In the genus Solanum there are a number of less common vegetables. S. aethiopicum L. and S. macrocarpon L. are a two popular species of eggplant, traditionally grown in tropical Africa. The object of research was breeding lines and hybrids of S. melongena L. and accessions of S. aethiopicum and S. macrocarpon. Plants were grown in condition of low-capacity hydroponics according to all agrotechnical requirements. The fruits for analysis were collected from one layer of plants at the phase of technical maturity. Phenolic compounds are unique secondary metabolites that are synthesized in all plant cells and have increasingly wide application in pharmacology and medicine. Flavonoids was in the range of 0.7-1.1% in lines and F1 hybrids of S. melongena, however more flavonoids was obtained in the African eggplant accessions, such as S. aethiopicum L., 1,4% and S. macrocarpon L., 1.2%. The total content of phenolic compounds was in the range of 1.7-2.3% in the pulp of S. melongena L. fruits. The total content of phenol carbonic acids ranged from 1.0-1.5% in the lines and hybrids F1 studied, as referred to S. melongena. The content of phenol carbonic acids is higher from 1.5% to 1.8% in S. aethiopicum and S. macrocarpon. In the pulp of the interspecific hybrid fruits the total content of flavonoids and phenol carbonic acids was 2.6-2.7% that was 1.5 times as much as in S. melongena.

Capsicum chinense Jacq. is the rich source of phytochemical substances, such as vitamin C, phenolic compounds, carotenoids, and occupies a significant place in the cooking of many peoples. The pigment composition, the amount of carotenoids, ascorbic acid and their contribution to the formation of antioxidant properties were studied. The total content of carotenoids and red/yellow pigments varied greatly among the accessions of C. chinense. The highest content of carotenoids 0.581 mg/g was observed in the varieties ‘Ognennaya Deva’ with the red fruit color in the phase of biological ripeness, where red pigments accumulated 56% more than in yellow ones. Fruits of accessions ‘Kolokolchik’ only accumulated yellow pigments, 0.318 mg/g. Presence of significant amount, 2.03 times as much red pigments as yellow ones in the variety ‘Trinidad Scorpion Chocolate’, with protein complex could cause the formation of a brown fruit color. Another tendency was observed in ‘Trinidad Dglahou’. The yellow pigment is 1.5 times as much amount as red, as estimated 0.119 mg/g of yellow and 0.077 mg/g of red pigment. The ascorbic acid content did not depend on the fruit color. Fruits of the ‘Ognennaya Deva’ accumulated the highest amount of ascorbic acid, 301 mg%. The maximum total antioxidant content, was detected in the variety ‘Ognennaya Deva’ 2.65 (TAC, mg.eq. GA/g). Analysis of the dependence of the content of thermo stable antioxidants to the total ones showed the contribution of the unstable antioxidants to thermal effects (particularly ascorbic acid) on the level of 16%, on average. A comparative assessment of the pungency level and quantitative capsaicin content in the fruit was carried out by organoleptic, spectrophotometric and HPLC methods. The intervals of observed concentrations of capsaicin were 1.0-7.5 mg/g of dry weight (HPLC), the level of pungency on the Scoville scale was 17440-153120 SHU. There was a direct correlation between the organoleptic assessment of the pepper fruit pungency and capsaicin content studied by spectrophotometry and HPLC methods.

The paper is devoted to analysis of methods for automatic generation of a specialized thesaurus. The main algorithm of generation consists of three stages: selection and preprocessing of a text corpus, recognition of thesaurus terms, and extraction of relations among terms. Our work is focused on exploring methods for semantic relation extraction. We developed a test bench that allow to test well-known algorithms for extraction of synonyms and hypernyms. These algorithms are based on different relation extraction techniques: lexico-syntactic patterns, morpho-syntactic rules, measurement of term information quantity, general-purpose thesaurus WordNet, and Levenstein distance. For analysis of the result thesaurus we proposed a complex assessment that includes the following metrics: precision of extracted terms, precision and recall of hierarchical and synonym relations, and characteristics of the thesaurus graph (the number of extracted terms and semantic relationships of different types, the number of connected components, and the number of vertices in the largest component). The proposed set of metrics allows to evaluate the quality of the thesaurus as a whole, reveal some drawbacks of standard relation extraction methods, and create more efficient hybrid methods that can generate thesauri with better characteristics than thesauri generated by using separate methods. In order to illustrate this fact, one of such hybrid methods is considered in the paper. It combines the best standard algorithms for hypernym and synonym extraction and generates a specialized medical thesaurus. The hybrid method leaves the thesaurus quality on the same level and finds more relations between terms than well-known algorithms.

Vegetables are considered essential for well-balanced diets since they supply vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and chemicals. Thechilli pepper fruits (Capsicum spp.), like many other vegetable crops, are a source of important biological components – the macro-, microelements and antioxidants. In this regard, the chilli pepper can be included in the category of dietetic foods.The most cultivated in Russia chilli pepper varieties belong to the Capsicum annuum L. At present, in the world and in Russia huge number of varieties are selected, with different color, shape and hot and pungent taste of the fruits with a high content of carotenoids, capsaicinoids and ascorbic acid. These varieties belong to the species C. chinense, C. frutescens, C. baccatum and C. pubescens. The fruits of these forms and products of their processing are suitable for industrial applications and are the basis of many sauces, pastes, ketchups, and ingredients, which is used in food, pharmaceutical, confectionery, alcoholic beverage, military and other industries. Chilli peppers, in addition to nutritional value, are ideal for ornamental horticulture, because of the compactness or vice versa weeping form of the stems, suspended like bells and differently colored like a rainbow, fruits, colorful combinations color of leaves and fruits. You can use them and direct planting in the ground, and as a potting culture in balconies, loggias, winter gardens, in combination with other plants.

The important goal of breeding program is to achieve the heterosis effect and develop the appropriate breeding lines to be used for crossing. The cultivation of the variety or breeding line for a long time and selection process under the same environmental factors lead to decrease of livability and productivity of the variety or breeding line. The intra-varietal and intra-line crossing is the method that enables to improve the genetic basis of the existing breeding accessions, when increasing the recombination ability, particular-ly among valuable and rare characteristics. The accessions of sweet pepper of different ecological origin: local varieties ‘Aeneas’, ‘Ivanhoe’ (Ukraine), ‘Sladkiy’ (Italy), breeding line ‘n 138d’ (Russia) were taken to study the influence of intra-varietal crossing on recovery of combining ability in breeding lines. The progeny produced from intra-varietal crossing has been assessed for the fruit number, average fruit weight, yielding ability and marketability, and then consequently compared with control accession. As results showed the yielding ability had increased by 2.3-25.7%, depending on genotype, while the fruit weight had increased by 2-11%. Phenological observation showed that there is no significant difference at the phase of growing and development between control plants and plants produced through intra-varietal crossing. The detailed progeny assessment has revealed the different effect of adaptive ability among different plants when the plants crossing within the same accession. This enables to select the best accessions to be used in further heterosis breeding pro-gram.

The Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations call for applying soil management practices that contribute land degradation neutrality. Our objectives were to investigate the effect of (i) soil management—conventional tillage (CT under crop) and no-tillage (NT under grass)—and (ii) an amendment (polyacrylamide (PAM)) application on the structure stability indices of soils from a semi-arid region. Two sets of experiments were conducted using the high-energy moisture characteristic (HEMC) method for the assessment of (i) land-use type (CT vs. NT) in soils (30 samples) varying in texture, and (ii) the effect of six PAM concentrations (0, 10, 25, 50, 100, and 200 mg L−1) on three typical soils (sandy clay loam, clay loam, and clay) under CT management; then, the contributions of PAM concentration (CT) and NT were compared. Water retention curves of samples were obtained at a matric potential from 0 to −5.0 J kg−1 and characterized by a modified van Genuchten model that yields (i) model parameters α and n, and (ii) a soil structure stability index (SI). The treatments affected the shape of the water retention curves. Change of land use from CT to NT and PAM application to CT soil increased the SI and ɑ, and decreased n compared to CT-managed soils. The magnitude of the NT and PAM effect was inversely related to soil clay content. CT-managed soils treated with a low PAM rate (10–25 mg L−1) gave SI comparable to that obtained for the NT-managed soils, while CT-managed soils treated with a high PAM rate (50–200 mg L−1) yielded 1.3–2.0 and 2–4 times higher SI than that for NT and CT-managed soils, respectively. Our findings suggest that both the change of land use to NT or the addition of small amounts of PAM are viable alternatives for stabilizing CT-managed weakly alkaline semi-arid soils, whose soil structure stability is a priori limited.

The development of technology of vegetable growing in the condition of protected area is presented. Data of planting acreages and assortment of crops growing in greenhouses in different countries are shown. Development of the popular in recent years hydroponic culture is presented. The problem of information acquisition about acres, structures and yield capacity of protected ground of different countries is underlined.

The article analyzes the current state and prospects of protected ground development in the Russian Federation based on the data of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Federal State Statistics Service. The indexes of production of vegetable crops in different regions of the Russian Federation are given. The problems, which are holding back the greenhouse business, are discussed. The possibilities of increasing the area of protected ground and vegetable production are shown.

A comparative evaluation of 20 hot pepper varieties according to pungency determination by organoleptic, spectrophotometric methods, and HPLC has been done. The capsaicin concentrations were in the range 1.0-7.15 mg/g d.w., pungency value - (17440-153120) SHU. A direct correlation between organoleptic analysis and capsaicin content determined spectrophotometrically and using HPLC was determined. Spectrophotometric method was shown to give elevated values of capsaicin concentration especially in samples with low pungency, that was related to lack of chromatographic separation of capsaicin extract.

The current state of vegetable production in Russia is discussed in the article. Comparative assessment of the dynamics of vegetable production in the agricultural organizations, farms and private farms since 2008 has been conducted. The contribution of these organizations in the bulk yield of vegetable crops on an annual basis in each regions is presented. The private farms produce up to 80% of the bulk yield of vegetables. Such rearrangement of production has negatives and benefits. This production is low-gain and oriented toward to domestic consumption. In 2012 and 2013, the production of vegetable crops was almost equal and accounted more than 14 million tons.

On 2-4th of September, 2013 the International «XV EUCARPIA Meeting on Genetics and Breeding of Capsicum and Eggplant» was held in Torino (Italy). The problems of utilization of genetic resources, evaluation and release of breeding material were discussed. Achievements in the field of molecular genetics and biotechnology of pepper and eggplant are presented.

There are more than 1200 vegetable crops belonging to 78 families, 600 of which are cultivated, the others are used as a wild species. At the most countries about 30-35 vegetable crops are produced industrially, while in Russia only 10-15 vegetable crops have commercial application. The global trend in vegetable growing is an increasing of overall production of vegetables. Since 1993 up to 2013, the vegetableproduction has increased from 516,98 million tons up to 1,136 billion tons, cultivated area has increased up to 70%, and average yield has increased up to 29%. Most of vegetables are cultivated in the open field, and only 23% is the vegetable growing in the protected ground. In 2013, there are 14,689 million tons of vegetables produced in Russia.

In arid and semi-arid zones with a short water resources studying the effects of water quality on soil water retention and structure is important for the development of effective soil and water conservation and management practices. Three water qualities (electrical conductivity, EC ~ 2, 100 and 500 μS cm-1 with a low SAR representing rain, canal-runoff and irrigation water respectively) and semi-arid loam and clay soils were tested to evaluate an effect of soil texture and water quality on water retention, and aggregate and structure stability using the high energy moisture characteristic (HEMC) method. The water retention curves obtained by the HEMC method were characterized by the modified van Genuchten (1980) model that provides (i) model parameters α and n, which represent the location (of the inflection point) and the steepness of the S-shaped water retention curve respectively, and (ii) a volume of drainable pores (VDP), which is an indicator for the quantity of water released by the tested sample over the range of suction studied, and modal suction (MS), which corresponds to the most frequent pore sizes, and soil structure index, SI =VDP/MS. Generally (i) treatments significantly affected the shape of the water retention curves (α and n) and (ii) contribution of soil type, water EC, and wetting rate and their interaction had considerable effect on the stability induces and model parameters. Most of changes due to the water quality and wetting condition were in the range of matric potential (ψ), 1.2-2.4; and 2.4-5.0 J kg-1 (pore size 125-250 μm and 60-125 μm). The VDP, SI and α increased, and MS and n decreased with the increase in clay content, water EC and the decrease in rate of aggregate wetting. The SI increased exponentially with the increase in VDP, and with the decrease in MS. Contribution of water EC on stability indices and model parameters was not linear and was soil dependent, and could be more valuable at medium water EC. Effect of wetting rate was more pronounced at low water EC. Results indicate that effectiveness of water EC in the field condition has no simple outcome on water retention and soil structure, and that its application should consider and be adjusted to soil properties and condition, such as soil texture, and moisture content and solution EC. Detailed contribution of treatments on structure induces and model parameters are discussed in the paper.

The paper presents an agent substitution algorithm for a dataflow network implemented on the Smart-M3 platform. Such a substitution allows to transfer control and computational context from an unexpectedly disconnected agent to a programmable substitute agent for the period of absence of the first agent in the network. It also guarantees integrity of the information flow, i.e. the functioning of all dependent services is not disrupted after the agent disconnection. When the agent returns to the network the reverse substitution occurs also with keeping integrity of the information flow. The paper gives a description of the dataflow network implementation and substitution mechanism structure on the Smart-M3 platform. The detailed description of the substitution algorithm including initialization, registration, and bidirectional substitution phases is given. The proposed substitution algorithm was implemented by the authors in the substitution mechanism as a part of the RedSIB semantic information broker on the Smart-M3 platform.

Based on the results of molecular-genetic analysis of pepper accessions of VNIISSOK's breeding, the parental lines were selected. The diallel crossing among them has been conducted. The F1 hybrids were developed. The hybrids vigor (heterosis) for main agronomic traits was estimated. The best pepper hybrids were selected. The potential correlation between genetic divergence determined by molecular markers and heterosis effect is speculated.

August 28-29, 2012, in Grodno region of Belarus the Eurasian Forum of vegetable growers took place. This meeting was held in order to improve the efficiency of agriculture, to increase integration and mutually beneficial cooperation among the countries of the EuroAsian zone.

The studies found that in the crosses of S. melongena with wild species, used as a male and female component, the interspecific hybrids have the traits of the generative organs of wild species: the shape and flower size, color, shape and fruit size.