The study aimed to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of putrescine (Put: 0, 2.5, 5, and 7.5 mg L⁻¹) and forchlorfenuron (CPPU: 0, 0.4, and 0.8 mg L⁻¹) on the in vitro growth and multiplication of shoots in Japanese orange (Citrus japonica). Explants cultured on a Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium received supplements of 2 mg L⁻¹ BA (benzyl adenine) and 0.1 mg L⁻¹ NAA (1-naphthaleneacetic acid) for four weeks. Results revealed that increasing Put concentration in the multiplication medium significantly improved stem length, the number of leaves, fresh weight, and plant survival. The highest values were notable at Put (7.5 mg L⁻¹) for stem length (2.127 cm), leaves/explant (8.268), and 0.7944 mg and 85.6% survival, respectively, compared with the control. The latter recorded the lowest values (0.843 cm, 5.911, 0.7333 mg, and 67.8%, respectively). Similarly, increasing the CPPU concentration (0.8 mg⁻¹) revealed the highest values for shoots/explant (CPPU: 4.025), shoot length (2.090 cm), leaves/explant (8.687), fresh weight (0.8975 mg), dry weight (0.2192 mg), and survival (91.7%). The interaction between CPPU (0.8 mg L⁻¹) and Put (7.5 mg L⁻¹) concentrations recorded the topmost average stem length (2.750 cm), leaf number (9.533 leaves/explant), and survival percentage (100.0%).

Keywords: Kumquat (Citrus japonica), plant tissue culture, putrescine (Put), CPPU, NAA, BA

Key findings: The interaction between CPPU (0.8 mg L⁻¹) and Put (7.5 mg L⁻¹) concentrations recorded the highest average stem length (2.750 cm), leaf number (9.533 leaves/explant), and survival percentage (100.0%) in the Japanese orange.

The concerned study aimed to evaluate the biological control of root rot disease of common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), which causes considerable yield losses, using endophytic bacteria isolated from halo-xerophytic plants. The vegetative experiment revealed P. vulgaris plants have the potential to control virulence of the fungus Rhizoctonia solani, which causes root rot, based on consortia of endophytic bacteria and chemicals. The severity levels of plant disease, as determined, employed the damage scale method. Using the damaged background + conditional microbial preparation + Topaz (10 μg/ml), very light damage (1 ≤ 1; 10%) was evident in the common bean. By treating P. vulgaris with conditional microbial preparation, the yield gained a significant increase, and the phytopathogen damage level decreased. The study proved the potential of microbial preparations based on endophytic bacterial strains for inhibiting the effects of R. solani in common beans. These results can become initial data that could serve to expand the diversity of agents used against diseases in crop production.

Keywords: Bacteria, common bean (P. vulgaris L.), damage, endophyte, Rhizoctonia solani, seeds, severity levels, Topaz

Key findings: The biological control of R. solani in common beans (P. vulgaris L.) using bacterial strains isolated from halo-xerophytes has provided a unique solution. The results could help in the development of strategies for biological control and reduce the use of chemicals in crop production.

With minimal soil tillage in mid-March, disking fields with LDG-10 harrow to a depth of 8–12 cm effectively destroyed emerging weeds and loosened the soil surface. In the favorable crop season of 2024, the highest dry hay yield (3.74 t/ha) obtained was under minimal tillage with simultaneous sowing of the early-maturing lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) cultivar Krasnovodopadskaya and safflower cultivar Irkas, exceeding pure lucerne by 1.68 t/ha (with a 1.8-fold increase). Compaction of lucerne with Sudan grass produced 2.84 t/ha (1.4 times higher than pure lucerne). In the extremely dry crop season of 2025, minimal soil cultivation in integration with sowing lucerne alongside the safflower cultivar Irkas resulted in a dry hay yield of 2.09 t/ha. A comparable hay yield of 2.04 t/ha resulted in the sowing of early-maturing lucerne cultivar Krasnovodopadskaya in combination with the Sudan grass cultivar Ailana-2017, which obtained a hay yield 2.2 times higher than the yield of pure lucerne. Under minimal soil cultivation with a single-species lucerne sowing, dry hay yield reached only 0.93 t/ha, remaining substantially lower than in the compacted cropping systems.

Keywords: Lucerne (M. sativa L.), safflower, Sudan grass, minimal soil tillage, mineral fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, dry hay yield

Key findings: Under rainfed conditions, minimal soil tillage with direct sowing of lucerne (M. sativa L.) with simultaneous intercropping with safflower and Sudan grass significantly enhanced lucerne yield and produced a balanced fodder for livestock.

Nanomaterials and their use can be powerful tools for managing plant resistance and disease control and could play a remarkable role in the agrotechnological revolution. Addressing food supply issues using modern methods also requires increased efficiency and in-depth understanding of their impact on the environment and humans. Furthermore, it is also critical for producers to ensure the sustainable use of such technologies and understand their mechanism of action, cost-effectiveness, and ease of use. The concerned study aimed to examine the modern approaches for improving the use of nanoparticles in plant disease management and control. Several methods for producing and analyzing nanoparticles, as well as their application in plant pathology, were in focus. The results associated with the synthesis of silver, copper, and zinc oxide nanoparticles were notable, with their morphology, structure, and biological activity also studied. Nanoparticles (<40 nm) appeared to exhibit the highest fungicidal activity against Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria solani, Phytophthora infestans, and Helminthosporium turcicum. The study described mechanisms of nanoparticles’ antimicrobial activities, proposing improved approaches for their beneficial use in plant protection.

Keywords: Nanoparticles, plant diseases, silver, copper, zinc oxide, fungicidal activity, nanotechnology, environment and human’s health

Key findings: Metals and metal-oxide nanoparticles (AgNPs, CuNPs, ZnONPs, and FeNPs) (<40 nm) exhibited robust antifungal activity against primary phytopathogens through membrane damage and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. The integration of AgNPs + ZnONPs revealed the highest efficacy, providing 90%–95% pathogen suppression with enhanced seed germination.

Crop breeding innovations with sustainable attributes are crucial for food systems of tomorrow; however, the economic worth of such innovations to producers and consumers has not received substantial assessment. This research aimed to fill up that gap by evaluating the effects of particular breeding-based parameters. Among these are climate resilience and nutrient-use efficiency (NUE) and other factors affecting consumer choice, willingness to pay (WTP), and welfare outcomes in food chains in Turkey and Eastern Europe. The study used the microeconomic model integrating farm-level production data with life-cycle assessment and a discrete-choice experiment (N = 472 consumers). The random-parameter logit model showed that breeding variables were the most influential determinants of market preferences, attributing 21%–35% variance in WTP and consumer welfare, which emerged considerably larger than sustainability labels (1%–3%) and income heterogeneity (4%–20%). Resistant cultivars considerably contributed to consumer welfare, and the producers were surplus by 15.8 index and 10.2 USD/ha, respectively. By providing evidence to breeders and policymakers, integrating climate resilience and NUE into germplasm, the congruent economic benefits reached their development across the entire value chain. This provided a scalable avenue for breeding programs to directly affect the sustainable agricultural consumption.

Keywords: Sustainable agricultural consumption, breeding innovations, agri-food systems, climate resilience, nutrient-use efficiency, discrete choice experiment, economic benefits

Key findings: Sustainability factors based on breeding innovations were the most significant consumer choice determinants, which enhanced the consumer’s willingness to pay and purchase likelihood. The disparity in income diminished the attained welfare of the lower-income consumers, showing distributional bottlenecks to adopting sustainable products.

This study aimed to develop special paths for genetic-environmental interference and classify them based on their economic yield. As for genetic composition, the appropriate environment is the basic condition in developing superior cultivars through breeding programs. Genetic variation helps in distinguishing genetic compositions under different environments and maintaining their economic yield for long and short terms. Flexible genetic variation enables the genotypes to adapt to the changing environment and develop genes for resistance to various stress factors while stabilizing their production. Based on this, the classification of environments depended on their productive capacity into ideal, very suitable, suitable, and weak, depending upon the crop goals. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the percentage of genotypes’ contribution to ideal, appropriate, and specialized environments and their patterns of environmental distribution. The genetic-environmental interactions also reached either a positive or negative interpretation, depending on the genotypes’ response to the existing environment, as per plastic models and diagrams that facilitate the classification process.

Keywords: Genotypes, breeding programs, genetic pathways, environmental variations, environmental classification, genotype-by-environment interactions

Key findings: The results confirmed that knowledge of genotype-by-environment interactions is the key factor in developing plant cultivars resilient and adaptable to climate change.

The comparative analysis of the productivity indicators of several less-cultivated technical grape (Vitis vinifera L.) cultivars in comparison with the standard cultivar Ag Aldara was the focus of this study conducted in the Nakhchivan Region of Azerbaijan. The results revealed that in the studied grape cultivars, the main productivity indicators were relatively high, ranging from 73.7% to 84.8%. However, except for the cultivar AgKalampur (51.0%), the proportion of two-clustered shoots was quite low in other grape cultivars. In certain cultivars, the total number of fruitful shoots ranged from 10.6% (Khatmi) to 23.5%, having an association with the biological traits of Eastern grape cultivars. The average number of clusters per fruitful shoot ranged between 1.15 and 1.60, and the highest fertility coefficients varied from 0.84 to 1.35 clusters per shoot based on genotypes. Although the fertility coefficient of the buds on the canes with load was considerably low, the large size of the clusters ranged from 237 to 285 g. This ensured that, on average, the vineyards established with the studied grape cultivars yielded between 24.3 and 31.2 tons per hectare.

Keywords: Grape (V. vinifera L.), cultivars, ecological farming, productivity indicators, fertility coefficients, vine, shoots, buds, clusters

Key findings: The results based on the comparative analysis of less cultivated technical grape (V. vinifera L.) cultivars in the Nakhchivan Region of Azerbaijan revealed that the productivity indicators were quite high.

Phytochemical traits in crop plants reflect both genetic characteristics and environmental conditions and could serve as useful markers for germplasm evaluation. This study compared the phytochemical profiles of purple and white Dioscorea alata L. tubers cultivated in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Proximate analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) were methods used to characterize biochemical composition in raw and steamed tubers. The results revealed clear phytochemical differences between the two tuber types, with purple tubers showing relatively higher carbohydrate levels and greatly abundant phenolic-related compounds. FTIR spectra indicated functional groups associated with carbohydrates, phenolics, and lipid derivatives, while the GC-MS analysis identified phenolic compounds and fatty acid ethyl esters as major constituents. The agroclimatic data describe the environmental conditions during tuber development and provide contextual background for interpreting the observed phytochemical profiles. These findings highlight the potential use of phytochemical traits as biochemical markers for D. alata germplasm characterization and will support the selection of nutritionally valuable yam varieties in breeding programs.

Keywords: Dioscorea alata, phytochemical variation, agroclimatic influence, germplasm characterization, FTIR, GC-MS, crop improvement

Key findings: Purple and white Dioscorea alata L. exhibited distinct agroclimatic-driven phytochemical variations, with purple tubers consistently containing higher levels of phenolic compounds and fatty acid ethyl esters than white tubers. Favorable agroclimatic conditions, particularly stable temperatures and high solar radiation, enhanced secondary metabolite accumulation, supporting the use of these phytochemical traits as biochemical markers for D. alata germplasm evaluation and varietal selection.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a key food crop in Kazakhstan, though its productivity is low due to inefficient utilization of nutrients in Southeastern Kazakhstan. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of biological products and biostimulants on potato growth and development, tuber yield and quality, and economic efficiency. A potato field experiment with seven treatments (T1–T7), including an untreated control (T1), completed its conduct in 2024–2025. The results revealed foliar application of biostimulants accelerated phenological development and improved plant biometric traits. The most pronounced improvement was visible in the growth and yield of treatments T2 (Oboki), T3 (Celobacirin AS-24K + Phosphobacirin-S), T4 (BioSok Energy⁺), and T6 (Fitolaza + Nano-sulfur). The highest tuber yield resulted in T2 (27.4 t/ha) and excelled control by 46.08% (8.65 t/ha). Biochemical analysis displayed increased dry matter, sugar, and starch contents (up to 17.2%); however, nitrate level was below permissible limits. Economic analysis showed the highest profitability with T4 (257%), with a net return of USD 1590.84/ha, followed by T3, T6, and T2 with high economic efficiency (203%, 188%, and 176%, respectively). The results suggested that integrated application of biological products in potato cultivation under semi-arid conditions could effectively improve plant growth, tuber yield and quality, and profitability.

Keywords: Potato (S. tuberosum L.), biostimulants, biological products, productivity, tuber quality, profitability, the foothill zone of Southeast Kazakhstan

Key findings: The foliar and root-applied biological products significantly improved potato (S. tuberosum L.) growth, yield, and tuber quality. The results confirmed biostimulants and biological fertilizers enhance resource-use efficiency, productivity, and economic returns while reducing dependency on chemical inputs.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of row spacing (15 and 30 cm) and biological seed treatments with biofertilizers (phosphobacillin and nitragin) on the yield formation of three lentil (Lens culinaris L.) cultivars. These were on large-seeded cultivars Shyraily and Sakura and small-seeded Krapinka, with the experiment held during 2024–2025 under irrigated conditions of southeast Kazakhstan. The results revealed the highest grain yield emerged in the lentil cultivar Shyraily with a 30-cm row spacing and phosphobacillin in 2024 (1.68 t/ha) and with nitragin in 2025 (1.74 t/ha), exceeding the control by 0.52–0.55 t/ha. However, the narrow-row spacing (15 cm) showed reduced productivity in all lentil cultivars during both crop seasons. The results demonstrated the optimized row spacing combined with biological treatments enhanced the lentil yield formation.

Keywords: Lentil (L. culinaris L.) cultivars, row spacing, biofertilizers, nitragin, phosphobacillin, productivity, dryland farming

Key findings: The large-seeded lentil (L. culinaris L.) cultivar Shyraily achieved the highest grain yield at a 30-cm row spacing with phosphobacillin in 2024 (1.68 t/ha) and with nitragin in 2025 (1.74 t/ha), exceeding the control by 0.52–0.55 t/ha.