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In this work, the main goal was to analyse the erosional hazards within the boundaries of the Kalaus River catchment area.The paper analyses the erosive state of the region's lands, for which industry and cadastral maps, a digital elevation model and satellite images were used. Official data of ministries and departments were used. Geographic information systems – QGIS and SAGA GIS – served as the basis for modelling. The article presents the results of GIS modeling of erosional hazards in the territory of the Kalaus River basin. Based on the (DEM) SRTM digital elevation model, the basic morphometric indicators of the relief were calculated: steepness of the slopes and vertical and horizontal dissection of the relief. Based on morphometric indicators, an integral calculation of the energy of relief and erosion hazard was carried out and a series of relevant thematic maps was created. The values of slope steepness obtained within the boundaries of the basin range from 0° to 51° with average values of 2.5°. The horizontal dissection varies in the range from 0 to 0.84 km/km2, and the erosion bases are characterized by a range of values from – 15.0 to 248.6 m, with an average value of 33.0 m. The formation of the erosional potential of the basin’s relief is facilitated by the location of a significant part of the region on the spurs of the Stavropol Upland, which have widely developed slopes. Based on the calculated raster of the integral energy index of the relief, 3 categories of erosional hazard are identified. Most of the basin of the Kalaus River (58.4 %) is characterised by a low erosion hazard, another 39.0 % of the territory presents an average erosion hazard, and the remaining 2.9 % belongs to territories with a strong erosion hazard. The classification of relief surface shapes based on the Iwahashi and Pike method, which was carried out on the basis of a DEM, shows a much greater prevalence of steep slopes with high convexity in the southern part of the Kalaus River basin.The identified features of the level of erosional hazard of the lands of the Kalaus River basin are recommended to be taken into account in preinvestment, pre‐design and urban project planning of the territories of administrative units located within the boundaries of the basin. Despite the fact that the results of GIS analysis cannot completely replace field erosion surveys, their value as a tool for planning rational land use is obvious. The results of the work can be used to carry out a similar assessment in other regions, primarily in the organisation of agricultural production.

The purpose of the research is to study repellent efficacy of Cyfluthrin-based drug against dipterans in young cattle.Materials and methods. In July to September (the peak of attacks by dipterans), two farm scale trials were conducted on two farms in the Stavropol Territory to study repellent efficacy of Cyfluthrin-based drug against dipterans on young cattle. The examining of the animals at the beginning of the trial found that all of them were attacked by dipterans including horseflies, gadflies, mosquitoes, midges and zoophilous flies with 100% infection prevalence and an abundance index of 23.0–35.5 specimens on one animal. The animals in two study groups received the test drug on dry, intact skin of the back, along the spine from the withers to the rump, once at a dose of 0.2 mL of the drug per 10 kg of animal weight. The drug efficacy was assessed based on a decrease in the number or absence of dipterans in the treated animals as compared to the untreated animals (control groups) before the trial and at day 3, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35. We used a visual inspection technique and counting of the number of dipterans on an animal for 3 minutes.Results and discussion. The use of the Cyfluthrin-based drug at a dose of 0.2 mL per 10 kg of animal weight showed a 100% repellent effect against dipterans. The repellent index was in the range of 78.6–96.4% for 28 days, which is higher than 70%, which indicates a high repellent effect of the drug against dipterans.

Relevance. Molecular surveillance, aimed at obtaining up-to-date information on the genetic variants of pathogens circulating in the studied region, is an important element of the surveillance of natural focal infections (NFIs). The Stavropol Territory is one of the main recreational regions in the Russian Federation; it is endemic for a number of NFIs, including: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), Q fever, tularemia, Lime disease, etc.The aim of the work is is genomic profiling of NFIs causative agents circulating in the Stavropol Territory in 2016-2021.Materials and methods. Microbial strains and samples of field and clinical material containing genomic DNA/RNA of pathogens were used as material for the study. Genetic typing of strains and isolates of DNA/RNA NFIs causative agents was performed by MLVA (Francisella tularensis and Coxiella burnetii) and genome fragment sequencing (Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, West Nile virus, orthohantaviruses, Borrelia burgdorferii s.l., Ricckettsia sp.).Results. As a result of molecular genetic typing in the ST in 2016-2021 confirmed circulation of strains of F. tularensis of genetic subgroups B.I, B.III, B.VI, genetically identical strains of C. burnetii (VNTR-профиль 4-6-6-4-7-6-3-12-3-11), rickettsia belonging to 5 species: R. raoultii, R. aeschlimannii, R. slovaca, R. massiliae, R. helvetica , Borrelia belonging to the species: B. afzelii, B. garinii, B. miyamotoi, B. bavariensis, B. lusitaniae, B. valaisiana, RNA isolates of the CCHF virus of the Europe-1 and Europe-3 genetic lines, Tula orthohantaviruses, West Nile virus genotype 2. For the first time on the territory of the CT, in insectivore lung samples, RNA isolates of orthohantavirus genetically close to Camp Ripley virus (RLPV) were detected.Conclusions. New data have been obtained on the distribution of genetic variants of NFIs causative agents in the S, also in the recreation areas. Genetic structure of the population of NFIs causative agents in the ST in 2016-2021 did not change significantly, which indicates the relative stability of the natural foci of NFIs in the region.

As a result of the revision of herbarium samples of Thymus (Lamiaceae) collected in the central part of the Russian Caucasus (Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, Stavropol Territory) and transferred to the Herbarium of the Institute of Ecology of the Volga river basin of the Russian Academy of Sciences (PVB), 17 species of the genus Thymus were identifi ed: T. buschianus Klokov et Des.-Shost., T. caucasicus Willd. ex Ronniger, T. daghestanicus Klokov et Des.-Shost., T. elisabethae Klokov et Des.-Shost., T. latissimus Klokov, T. lipskyi Klokov et Des.-Shost., T. mashukensis Klokov, T. menitskyi Vasjukov, T. nummularius M. Bieb., T. osseticus Vasjukov,T. pastoralis Iljin ex Klokov, T. pseudonummularius Klokov et Des.-Shost., T. pseudopulegioides Klokov et Des.-Shost., T. rarifl orus K. Koch, T. teberdensis Klokov,T. terekensis Klokov, T. transcaucasicus Ronniger.

Aim. Assess changes in the NDVI of agricultural land in Stavropol Territory under the influence of weather and climate conditions.Methods. Based on earth remote sensing data, the spectral/vegetation index NDVI was calculated. We used data from the Meteor‐M satellite with a spatial resolution of 60 m for the active vegetation period of 2020 (May to September), which made it possible to calculate the NDVI value at different times of the active vegetation period of the main types of agricultural land in the Stavropol Territory. To explain the spatial and temporal variability of NDVI, an analysis of the conditions of heat and moisture supply was carried out using Walter's climatograms at weather stations located in the steppe and semi‐desert landscapes of Stavropol Territory.Results. In 2020, the period of active vegetation in the steppe and semidesert landscapes of Stavropol Territory began in the first ten days of April, when the air temperature rose above +10°С, and ended in mid‐October. In accordance with the change in heat and moisture supply, the NDVI value changed: in general, maximum values were observed in spring and early summer and, as aridity increased, the areas corresponding to low NDVI values increased everywhere. In the steppe zone, where the main crops of winter wheat are located, the NDVI value decreased from 0.45–0.3 at the beginning of the active vegetation period to 0.15 at the end. NDVI values of 0.15–0.30, corresponding to different types of herbaceous vegetation, prevailed at the end of the active vegetation period.Conclusion. The spatial and temporal distribution of the NDVI value over the territory of the Stavropol Territory reflects, first of all, changes in the conditions of heat and moisture supply. The timing of the course of the phenological phases of natural and cultivated vegetation depends on the latter. 2020 was characterized by sufficient moisture at the beginning of active vegetation, as reflected in the high density of seedlings, and, accordingly, a large area of NDVI, corresponding not only to herbaceous, but also to shrubby vegetation within the steppe landscapes. The increase in moisture deficit and harvesting in the second half and end of summer leveled the differences between the steppe and semi‐desert landscapes, since the maximum areas were occupied by territories with NDVI values of 0.15–0.3.

Research objectives: To introduce a new discovery of a Turkic stone statue that was deliberately (?) buried in the mound, the authors seek to substantiate the reasons for this unusual approach to stone sculpture. Drawing on well-known and close analogies to the situation under analysis, the authors of the article seek to link such processes with some innovative phenomena within the Golden Horde. Research materials: The authors introduce into scholarly circulation completely new archaeological materials found during research in October and November 2020. The novelty of the research: The materials under consideration and their historical and cultural attributes have never been published or discussed previously, except for a volume on the mandatory and complete scientific report on the excavations (the text of descriptions, photos, and illustrations), which has been submitted to the archive of the Institute of Archeology RAS for eternal storage in accordance with the established procedure. Research results: The authors describe the stone statue as according with the Polovtsian funeral rite and compare this description with similar materials from the Don region. A.O. Dobrolyubsky (Odessa) connects the massive change in the traditional orientations of late nomads’ burials with the time of the Golden Horde when the former pre-Mongol funeral rites began to lose their traditional meaning or began to acquire some new meanings. Such innovations were made possible with the appearance of new generations in the Golden Horde (1260–1270s). Subsequently, such a population formed a new syncretic culture under the influence of new ideological influences which gradually replaced the old beliefs and, among other things, led to the rejection of the veneration of statues. Such innovations were accelerated by the process of Islamization among the nomadic population of the Golden Horde. All this led to the spread of the ritual of burial of statues as an obsolete semantic image.

The aim of this study was to investigate the current state of vertebrates populations and to determine their role in maintaining natural foci of zoonoses in the Stavropol Territory in 2015–2019. Material and methods. Organ suspensions and blood samples from small mammals and birds were studied using certified diagnostic test-systems for the markers of Crimean hemorrhagic fever, West Nile fever, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, tularemia, and leptospirosis pathogens. The data were statistically processed using Wilson’s method. Results and discussion. Identified have been the main reservoirs of natural-focal infections in the Stavropol Territory at the present stage: birds – for the West Nile fever virus, mammals and birds inhabiting the areas of semi-desert landscape-geographical zone – for Crimean hemorrhagic fever agent. The main natural reservoir of orthohantaviruses in the Stavropol Territory is the common vole Microtus arvalis, which lives in all landscape-geographical zones. The circulation of tularemia and leptospirosis pathogens has been established throughout the whole territory of the region, the small wood mouse Sylvaemus uralensis is of the greatest epizootic significance. Findings indicate the need for further epizootiologic monitoring of Stavropol Territory in order to identify the biocenotic patterns of the pathogens’ existence and the reasons that determine the dynamics of the epizootic process and epidemic manifestations of natural foci. It is advisable to determine the sites of long-term monitoring over the number of carriers and vectors of natural-focal infections and strengthen the epizootiological control over the territory, especially during periods of seasonal activity in carriers and vectors of natural focal infections.

An annotated checklist of aquatic and semiaquatic true bugs (Heteroptera: Nepomorpha, Gerromorpha) of Stavropol Territory is provided, summarizing the species records in the region. The checklist includes 33 species from 17 genera and 10 families. According to the results of collections in the summer of 2022, four species are recorded for the region for the first time: Micronecta pusilla (Horváth, 1895), Sigara iactans Jansson, 1983, Hydrometra stagnorum (Linnaeus, 1758), and Microvelia reticulata (Burmeister, 1835). New localities in the region are given for 10 species. The distribution of each species in the North Caucasus is updated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The first pandemic in the 21st century, caused by the pathogenic representative of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, began in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the first outbreak of coronavirus pneumonia was recorded in December 2019. The disease spread so quickly around the world that already on February 11, 2020, WHO was forced to declare a pandemic of the “coronavirus disease 2019” COVID-19. The first case of COVID-19 in the Stavropol Territory was registered on March 20, 2020, and three weeks later, starting from the 15th week of the year, a steady increase in the incidence began, which lasted until the 52nd week. During the study period, the incidence increased from 21.1 to 28.3 per hundred thousand of the population. Growth 1.3 times.Purpose: to determine the dynamics of population immunity among the population of the Stavropol Territory in 2020-2021. during the period of an epidemic increase in the incidence of COVID-19. Materials and methods. The SARS-CoV-2 study was carried out according to a unified methodology within the framework of the program for assessing the population immunity of the population of the Russian Federation, developed by Rospotrebnadzor with the participation of the St. Pasteur. In total, 2688 people were examined, divided into 7 age groups. In the examined individuals, the level of specific IgG to the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid was determined by the enzyme immunoassay.Results. The level of seroprevalence among residents of the Stavropol Territory was 9.8%. The largest proportion of seropositive individuals was found in the age groups 1-6 and 7-13 years old (19.2% and 19.7%, respectively). Seroprevalence had no gender differences and ranged from 9.3% to 10.8%. When assessing the distribution of the proportion of seropositive persons in different geographic territories of the region, it was found that the maximum proportion was found in the Kochubeevsky district (23.1%), the minimum in Kislovodsk (7.7%). Among convalescents, the content of specific antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 was noted in 73.3%, which is 7.8 times higher than the average population level. When conducting seromonitoring in the 2nd half of 2020, a 10-fold increase in seroprevalence was recorded, accompanied by a decrease in incidence from the 5th week of 2021. Among asymptomatic volunteers in whom SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected by the polymerase chain reaction, antibody titers to viruses were found in 78.6%, which corresponds to the seroprevalence of convalescents. The proportion of seropositive persons among those who have come into contact with COVID-19 patients was 16.4%, (1.8 times higher than the average for the population). Out of 262 seroprevalent volunteers, the asymptomatic form of SARS-CoV-2 was detected in 92% of the examined, which indicates a significant role of the number of asymptomatic forms of infection in the epidemic process of COVID-19.Conclusion. The results of assessing the population immunity of the population of the Stavropol Territory indicate that it has not yet reached the threshold level at which a decrease in the intensity of the COVID-19 epidemic process can be expected.

The possibilities of small-scale economic activities, which include peasant (farm) farms, in the preservation and development of rural areas of the country, in solving the problems of employment and income of rural residents require a deep interdisciplinary analysis in order to develop effective support measures in the future. Farmers are a significant subject of socio-economic processes in modern Russian rural areas and the implementation of state food security programs. Most of their farms are multi-industry, they are engaged in grain growing, animal husbandry, vegetable growing, beekeeping, etc. In order to understand what processes are taking place in farms, what factors constrain and what, on the contrary, contribute to their development, how the farming way of life adapts to the conditions of constantly changing socio – economic reality, how farmers are integrated into the activities of rural societies, it is important to use various research practices to study the various aspects of farms in different regions of the country. This article uses sociological information obtained from rural residents of such large agricultural regions as the Republic of Kalmykia, Astrakhan, Volgograd regions, and Stavropol territory.

The purpose of the research is to analyze the economic efficiency of planned antiparasitic deworming in sheep-breeding farms by the veterinary service of the region.Materials and methods. The studies were carried out using statistical data from the Veterinary Directorate of the Stavropol Territory for 2015-2019 and guidelines for determining the economic efficiency of antiparasitic measures. Economic losses were estimated at regional purchase prices for livestock products as of 2019. The calculations used indicators such as morbidity, mortality, and specific losses of the main product (meat, wool) per sick animal. The economic efficiency of veterinary measures for parasitic diseases of sheep was determined by the indicator of the prevented economic damage.Results and discussion. Analysis of the results of the treatment of sheep by the veterinary service of the region over a five-year period for the prevention of parasitic diseases showed that they annually carry out a large amount of antiparasitic treatments, but it should be noted that their number for all infestations decreased in 2019 compared to 2015 from 10180.0 thousand to 5231.0 thousand. Actual economic damage from parasitic diseases amounted to 10343.5 thousand rubles, and the amount of economic damage prevented as a result of planned deworming of sheep was 3.6 times higher than the amount of actual economic damage and amounted to 37895.7 thousand rubles.

In modern conditions of new threats that destabilize social interaction, it is necessary to search for those factors that restore its stability of social interaction and increase the food security of society. One of them, in our opinion, is the economic patterns that traditionally exist in rural society. This article discusses one of the rural economic systems-personal subsidiary farms, which not only preserve rural territories, but also continue to provide the population with food, provide a decent level of income for the rural population, contributing to the solution of many life problems. The author analyzes the results of a sociological study conducted in the fall of 2018 in four southern Russian regions – the Republic of Kalmykia, the Astrakhan and Volgograd regions, and the Stavropol territory. This is the first large – scale study of rural diversity in the South of Russia. The author analyzes employment in the family-consumer mode, which characterizes the process of reforming the agro-industrial complex and the ongoing structural changes in the agricultural labor market. The questionnaire survey showed that in southern Russian villages, the family-consumer mode (personal subsidiary farms) has not lost its dominance, despite the emergence of such a strong actor as peasant farms, representing the family-business mode and supported by the state. Employment in private farms is primarily due to their economic resources, specialization, including different levels of marketability. The study showed that there is a significant part of the owners who are ready to expand their production, despite the existing difficulties in the socio-economic development of the country, region, or specific village.

The authors performed the detailed analysis of collection of documents covering the work of the Southeast Cathedral in 1919 compiled by a specialist in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church in the 1920s and 1930s. Yu. A. Biryukova. A special place in the article is given to the sources and historiography of the problem, as well as to the advantages and disadvantages that the publication contains (primarily in the context of the author’s substantial limitation of his own conclusions and the lack of a concept for the history of the development of Russian parish life during the Civil War)

Aim. The aim of the study is to assess the environmental problems and develop a proposal for the identification and analysis of the state of saline and solonetzic lands. Basing on this research, it is crucial to develop proposals for the effective use of lands for the agricultural needs in the first agro-climatic zone of the Stavropol Territory.Methods. Monitoring studies of agricultural lands were carried out using modern methods which include both remote sensing and annual local surveys in areas of the first agro-climatic zone of the Stavropol Territory. Based on this, agricultural land was divided into four groups: highly productive, productive, low productive and unproductive.Results. It has been established that the territory of the first agro-climatic zone is represented by agricultural lands for more than 95%, and over the 16-year study period, the area of these lands increased by 27,906 ha. Salinization of land is global in nature, since the total area of land with a degree of salinity is 644,334 ha, that is, more than 37% of agricultural land in this agroclimatic zone is already salinized to varying degrees. In addition, solonetzic complexes are widespread here.Conclusion. We have established that in order to increase the efficiency of the use of these lands, their qualitative zoning with the subsequent development of agromeliorative measures is necessary. This division of land reflects their qualitative condition, degree of exposure to various degradation processes, the possibility of further land use, a set of measures for the preservation, restoration and protection of these lands and securing the corresponding status of a particular zone based on the developed regulations.

Objective of the study was genetic typing of the strains and nucleic acid isolates of causative agents of natural focal infections, both bacterial and viral etiology, accumulation of data on genetic features of regional strains cir­culating in the Stavropol Territory. Material and methods. To study the genetic spectrum of causative agents of natural- focal infections, analysis of the strains and nucleic acids isolates detected in the samples of field and clinical material was carried out. Indication of causative agents of natural focal infections in the samples was carried out by PCR. For genetic typing of the strains and DNA/RNA isolates of natural focal infections agents, MLVA and sequencing of genome regions with subsequent phylogenetic analysis were used. The analysis of territorial distribution of the causative agent genetic variants and mapping was performed in ArcGIS 10.1. Results and conclusions. MLVA-25 typing of 20 strains of Francisella. tularensis, MLVA-10 typing of 4 Coxiella burnetii isolates, species identification of 20 isolates of Rickettsia sp., sub-species genetic typing of 40 RNA isolates of CCHF virus and 8 RNA isolates of hantaviruses circulating in the Stavropol Territory in 2016-2017 were performed. The studied strains of F. tularensis belong to eight MLVA genotypes. They are mainly confined to specific areas. The isolates of C. burnetii have the same MLVA type. Rickettsia, belonging to 5 species: R. massiliae R. raoultii, R. sibirica, R. aeschlimannii, R. slovaca, RNA-isolates of hantavirus of the «Tula» genotype and variants of the CCHF virus of the Europe-1 and Europe-3 genotypes were identified. The obtained data can be used in the epidemiological investigation of possible cases of infectious diseases to determine the source and pathways of infection.