Usage of modern technical means for sunflower harvesting, due to their construction designs, inevitably involves yield losses reaching up to 10–11%, as well as increasing of seed injury. Aim of the research presented was to develop a header for a breeding plot combine for sunflower harvesting. As a result, an experimental four-row header for the Delta plot combine for sunflower harvesting was developed and manufactured. The main values of the adjustable parameters are given, depending on the biometric characteristics of the plants being harvested. Using this experimental header, seed injury did not exceed 1.51% at a moisture content of 5.1% and seed losses did not exceed 1%.

T he article describes the new proprietary spot-on TM technology developed by Allegro Technologies, Ltd., for nanolitre and microlitre dispensing of liquids for the drug discovery, genomics and proteomics industries. We analyze the requirements of the drug discovery industry for low volume liquid handling technologies and briefly summarize some the more common technologies currently available.A detailed description is provided of the new spot-on TM technology in terms of function and operation as well as the relevant features and potential benefits to using this new method of nanolitre dispensing.

The results of studies on the improvement of technology for producing highquality planting material of half-high blueberry and Arctic bramble by the method of clonal micropropagation are presented in the current paper. Creation of forest berry plantations in peat extraction areas allows reducing environmental damage and significantly increasing the efficiency of the timber industry. In recent decades, there has been an increasing interest in the creation of forest berry plantations on drained and cutover peatlands in Russia and other countries. It is necessary to use varietal planting material for the successful cultivation of forest berry plants on an industrial scale. Clonal micropropagation is the most effective of the vegetative methods for obtaining planting material, which allows receiving a huge amount of healthy planting material all year round in the conditions of a small laboratory area. Chloride-free ecosterilizer and bleaching agent based on sodium hypochlorite “Belizna” with an exposure of 15 and 20 min showed high efficiency in sterilization of explants of half-high blueberry and Arctic bramble. The highest viability of explants of the studied forest berry crops was observed when sterilized with a 0.1 % mercuric chloride solution and 15 min exposure, and its sharp decrease at 20 min exposure. At the stage of micropropagation, with an increase in the concentration of cytokinin 6-BAP from 0.5 to 1.0 mg/L on the nutrient Woody Plant Medium the number of shoots in regenerated plants of half-high blueberry (Northcountry and Northblue cultivars) and Arctic bramble (Anna and Sofia cultivars) increased. The effect of the concentration of IBA-derived auxin on the number and length of roots of regenerated plants was observed at the in vitro rooting stage.

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Anthocyanins obtained from raw fruit have valuable biological and antioxidant properties, hence the relevance of any research aimed at the development of technological solutions for their maximum preservation in wine. The present research features the changes in qualitative and quantitative composition of anthocyanins found in black currant during wine production with the use of enzymatic maceration of the pulp. The authors determined the most effective ways of increasing the concentration of anthocyanins in the finished product. They used the method of pH-differential spectrophotometry to evaluate the total content of monomeric anthocyanins in the samples and the HPLC method to determine the concentration of individual anthocyanins. The DPPH and ABTS methods were used to measure the antioxidant activity. The pulp of black currant was treated according to four schemes: 1) heat maceration; 2) heat maceration with enzymatic treatment; 3) enzymatic maceration at the optimum temperature for enzyme activity; 4) enzymatic maceration at a low temperature. Eleven anthocyanins were identified in the black currant juice, most of which were glycosides of delphinidin and cyanidin. The highest extraction of anthocyanins was observed when the pulp was processed with the help of Fructozim Kolor enzyme preparation at 22–23°C during four hours. As a result, the proportion of delphinidins decreased while the proportion of cianidins rose by 9%. When the pulp was heated to ≥ 45°C, it led to an intensification of the redox process and formation of insoluble complexes of anthocyanins with the nitrogenous compounds, which reduced the total concentration of anthocyanins. It was established that in the process of fermentation, the anthocyanin concentration decreased by 19–58%, depending on the race of yeast. For fermentation of blackcurrant wort, the authors recommend the following races of yeast: Moscow 30, Blackcurrant 7, and UWY SP1. The research revealed that the antioxidant properties of black currant wort and wine increased when the total concentration of anthocyanins was high.