Vegetable oil is essential in everyday life of people. Lately, peonies are being widely used in food-processing industry of China – the seeds are processed for oil which is actively used as a food product, containing more than 90% unsaturated fatty acids. The problem of healthy eating is becoming more and more urgent. The task of Russian Federation science and all branches of AIC (agro-industrial complex) is to satisfy the physiological requirements of population in high-quality, biologically complete and safe food products. Production of peony oil in Russia would be of great importance for the economy of our country, as it is ecologically pure and safe food product for human health. In the article we researched the peculiarities of seed propagation and possible reasons for seed dormancy in some Paeonia L. genus. We carried out some bio-chemical tests in order to define the content of peroxidase enzyme, lignin and cellulose in seed peel. We also examined the intensity of photosynthesis and transpiration in 5 species of Paeonia L. genus: P. tenuifolia L., P. suffruticosa Andrews, P. lactiflora Pall., P. anomala L., P. mlokosewitschii Lomak. It was defined that the highest photosynthesis intensity can be observed in P. tenuifolia L. (86.1 mg/dm2h). Then P. mlokosevitschii Lomak. (65.1 mg/dm2h), P. suffruticosa Andrews. (59.3 mg/dm2h), P. anomala L. (32.8 mg/dm2h), P. lactiflora Pall. (2.15 mg/dm2h) follow. The examined species of Paeonia L. genus have high indices of photosynthesis intensity, and are able to adapt to changes in environment. The photosynthesis intensity is known to be one of the most important indices of high seed productivity and yielding capacity. We recommend using peony seeds in food industry for production of quality peony oil.

The authors analyze the results of tree taxation of different apple trees varieties on the territory of I V Budagovsky research and development center at Michurinsk State Agrarian University. The plantation valuation and the establishment of locality class were carried out using the methodology of Michurinsk State Agrarian University. Studies have shown that class quality of the garden can be characterized as high – from 85 to 100 points, which corresponds to the first class of quality. Thus, all graft-rootstock combinations are normally developed, while it was found that within the studied population for a number of graft-rootstock combinations the percentage of normally developed trees is on the verge of transition to a lower quality class. The authors proposed a method for developing a program to automatically determine the state of each tree based on using digital recognition technology, the proposed technology will significantly reduce time and labor costs and exclude the subjective assessment factor.

The article shows the possibilities of practical application of the four-factor analysis of variance in research with fruit and berry crops, since the multifactorial experience, in contrast to the one-factorial experience, allows us to reveal not only the influence of two or more factors in one stationary experiment, one or another effective indicator and their combination, but also establish the presence of interaction of factors. The use of multifactorial experiments makes it possible to obtain significantly more information than single-factorial ones, which makes it possible to reduce the cost of funds, labor and time for the scientific solution of certain issues. Algorithms for mathematical processing of the results of a multifactorial experiment are given on specific examples of comparing the length of annual growth of branches of 9-year-old apple trees when studying the effect of four factors and eight options (variety, crown shape, crown orientation and sample size) in two gradations each (2x2x2x2). A compact, reduced algorithm for analysis of variance is presented, which has a number of advantages and can be used for various factorial schemes of multivariate stationary and other experiments, primarily due to a significant reduction in the time for data processing and analysis. Calculations according to the full scheme of the four-factor complex coincide with the final estimates of the differences in the mean values of the NDS of the proposed compact scheme.

Rational use of energy resources determines the efficiency of a modern agricultural enterprise. Growth of energy gap sets fixed boundaries on the use of energy-intensive forms of production and puts forward the requirements for revising the existing system for assessing the use of technologies in the agro-industrial complex. The relevance of the transition to resource-saving technologies in the current economic situation is due to the fact that, firstly, any processes in the production sector are associated with energy consumption, and secondly, energy resources are scarce today and determine the limits of economic development. In this regard, energy conservation and energy efficiency should be considered as one of the main ways of economic growth. The structure of a software package that automates the calculation of bioenergy assessment of agricultural production technologies is discussed in this article. This software product can be used in the professional activities of an agronomist, agroecologist, scientists, as well as in the process of educational activities by teachers and students.