Vol 15, No 3 (2020)

The study of cytokinetic and anatomical properties of the extramophile plant Thellungiella botschantzevii (German) at high concentrations of NaCl and Na2SO4 and without them (control) allowed to identify structural and functional transformations at the cellular level and evaluate the effect of salinity. Cytophotometric method showed the accumulation of cells in the root meristem in G1 and S stages, which indicated the adaptation of Thellungiella botschantzevii to high concentrations of NaCl and Na2SO4. A high level of ploidy (up to 16C) and the maximum number of polyploid cells at the level of 4C and 8C gave the plant stability. Anatomical characteristics of Thellungiella botschantzevii root and leaf were obtained on semi-thin and ultra-thin sections, and accumulation of lipid and protein inclusions in the root cell was determined. The data obtained indicate that Thellungiella botschantzevii is a unique model for various kinds of research, including genetic research, and can help to develop proposals for increasing resistance in crops.

Carrots are one of the most important root crops in the world. Due to such qualities as plasticity and relative non-wholesome cultivation, carrots are cultivated in most countries of the world. Carrot roots are a valuable source of vitamins A, B, B2, B6, B12, C, RR, E, R. Agroecological conditions of the region allow to cultivate carrots in the open ground. Astrakhan region is not yet characterized by high production rates, as its cultivation can be done only under irrigation. The article considers the influence of agroecological conditions on crop yield and adaptability of garden carrots cultivars in the arid zone of the Caspian region. Experiments on studying the carrots cultivars was carried out on the fields of Precaspian Agrarian Federal Scientific Center of the RAS in 2017-2019. The purpose of the research was to study garden carrots cultivars from collection of plant genetic resources of Vavilov Institute for the selection of high-productive and more adapted samples. The object of research was 17 types of carrots from the world Vavilov collection. Based on three-year studies on yield, we can distinguish the following cultivars: Berlanda F1 (Netherlands), Nantese (Italy) and Imperator Type 9-11 (USA) with yield of 68.4 to 75.2 t/ha. The coefficient adaptability was higher than 1, in the varieties Berlanda F1 (Netherlands), Nantese (Italy), F1 Eagle (Canada), Imperator Type 9-11 (USA), Wav-88 (Germany), Surazhevskaya-1 (Russia). They have ability to adapt to difficult growing conditions and produce consistently high yields. The samples selected can be used in the future to create new cultivars and hybrids for conditions of the Caspian region.

The foundations of the Geographic Network of Experiments with Fertilizers of Russia (GNEF), established in the 1930-1940s, have not changed fundamentally so far, which ensured the continuity of scientific research. But since then, quite a lot of new scientific data has been accumulated, there are new technologies, databases, on the basis of which GNEF can and should be modernized. The article deals only with one of the issues of the necessary modernization of GNEF - the spatial location of experimental fields and their representativeness. The Unified State Register of Soil Resources of Russia (USRSRR) was used as a basis for analysis of the optimal placement of experimental fields of GNEF. It was considered, that ideally experimental fields should characterize each soil, entered in USRSRR and used as arable land. According to the data obtained, the existing GNEF network is representative for 42 % of Russian arable land. It was shown that for full representation it should be extended by more than 90 points. Only in this case the results of the network experiments can be extrapolated to almost all arable soils in Russia. The placement of new GNEF points should be based on the information from USRSRR, as an official document adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia.

Primary hepatitis (PH) is one of the most frequently diagnosed hepatic diseases in dogs. Its popular forms are acute hepatitis (AH) and chronic active hepatitis (CAH) which can progress to hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis. This investigation aimed to evaluate the use of hepatocyte released Canine familiaris miRNAs(cfamiR)-122 and -21 as serum biological markers for the early and reliable diagnosis of PH and to reveal the onset of hepatic fibrosis. After the ultrasonographic and histological examination, fifteen healthy dogs were involved in the study as control group to compare with other thirty dogs confirmed to have AH or CAH (n = 15). Activity of liver enzymes as well as serum level of globulin and total bilirubin were significantly elevated in AH (P < 0.001) and CAH (P < 0.01) groups whereas, serum level of total protein, albumin, BUN and A/G ratio were significantly lowered in both PH groups (P < 0.01) compared to control. Cfa-miR-122 significantly expressed in AH (P < 0.001) and CAH (P < 0.01) and exhibited a potential significance in distinguishing these groups from control with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.98 and 0.96, respectively. Additionally, cfa-miR-122 displayed a potential role in distinguishing AH (P < 0.05) from CAH group with an AUC of 0.85. Cfa-miR-21 was only expressed in dogs of CAH group and displayed a potential role in distinguishing this group (P < 0.001) from AH and healthy groups with an AUC of 0.99 and 0.88, respectively. Therefore, cfa-miR-122 can be significantly expressed in dogs with two forms of PH whereas, cfa-miR-21 could be potentially enhanced only in chronic form of PH and may act as new non-invasive biomarker for distinguishing AH from CAH.