Today, the global food security is one of the most pressing issues for humanity, and, according to Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the increasing demand for food is likely to grow by 70% until 2050. In this current condition and future scenario, the agricultural production is a critical factor for global food security and for facing the food security challenge, with specific reference to many African countries, where a large quantities of rice are imported from other continents. According to FAO, to face the Africa’s inability to reach self-sufficiency in rice, it is urgent “to redress to stem the trend of over-reliance on imports and to satisfy the increasing demand for rice in areas where the potential of local production resources is exploited at very low levels” The present study was undertaken to design a new method for land evaluation based on soil quality indicators and remote sensing data, to assess and map soil suitability for rice crop. Results from the investigations, performed in some areas in the northern part of the Nile Delta, were compared with the most common approaches, two parametric (the square root, Storie methods) and two qualitative (ALES and MicrioLEIS) methods. From the qualitative point of view, the results showed that: (i) all the models provided partly similar outputs related to the soil quality assessments, so that the distinction using the crop productivity played an important role, and (ii) outputs from the soil suitability models were consistent with both the satellite Sentinel-2 Normalize Difference Vegetation Indices (NDVI) during the crop growth and the yield production. From the quantitative point of view, the comparison of the results from the diverse approaches well fit each other, and the model, herein proposed, provided the highest performance. As a whole, a significant increasing in R2 values was provided by the model herein proposed, with R2 equal to 0.92, followed by MicroLES, Storie, ALES and Root as R2 with value equal to 0.87, 0.86, 0.84 and 0.84, respectively, with increasing percentage in R2 equal to 5%, 6% and 8%, respectively. Furthermore, the proposed model illustrated that around (i) 44.44% of the total soils of the study area are highly suitable, (ii) 44% are moderately suitable, and (iii) approximately 11.56% are unsuitable for rice due to their adverse physical and chemical soil properties. The approach herein presented can be promptly re-applied in arid region and the quantitative results obtained can be used by decision makers and regional governments.

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The chemical-technogenic strategy of intensifying agriculture on irrigated lands based on the use of energy-rich wide-sprinkling machines with elements of irrigation technology inconsistent with agrotechnical requirements provoked the intensification of erosion processes. At the same time sprinkling as the most perfect method of irrigation prevails over the others, because it simulates natural processes of adding moisture to the soil. When raindrops affect the soil, the structure of soil aggregates destroys, particles release and microparticles are transported together with the raindrops being sprayed. To reduce the negative impact of the sprinkling process we designed the ejection nozzle, which can be used on drum-type irrigation systems with consoles (for example, DSHF 90 Agros, DSHF 110 Agros), on wide-reach machines with reduced pressure (for example, "Fregat-N", EDM "Kuban-L", "Kuban-LK"), on small-sized machines based on the units "Kuban", "Frigate". Sprinkling with a water-air mixture in comparison with nozzles without air ejection allows to reduce the size of the raindrop from 24 to 36 %, and to expand the area of capture by rain by 12 %. Modernization of sprinkling machines by ejection nozzles provides an increase in the effective irrigation coefficient to 0.75.

1Российский университет дружбы народов ул. Миклухо-Маклая, 6, Москва, Россия, 117198 2 ФГБОУ ВО «Рязанский государственный агротехнологический университет имени П.А. Костычева» ул. Костычева, 1, Рязань, Россия, 390041 3 ФГБНУ Всероссийский НИИ гидротехники и мелиорации им. А.Н. Костякова ул. Большая академическая, 44-2, Москва, Россия На торфяных землях ежегодно в солнечную погоду наблюдается подсушение и самовозгорание верхнего слоя вследствие прекращения подтока грунтовых вод при разрыве капиллярной каймы и нарушения водоподъемной способности. На осушенных торфяных почвах большая роль в противо-пожарном плане и водном и минеральном питании растений принадлежит грунтовым водам. Одним из приемов поддержания грунтовых вод на оптимальном уровне является шлюзование. Оно наиболее эффективно на объектах грунтового питания при наличии хорошо водопроницаемых грунтов. При этом увлажняемые земли имеют небольшие уклоны, и когда возможно подать воду в почву в не-обходимых количествах для покрытия расходов на испарение, транспирацию. В то же время многие вопросы, связанные с регулированием водного режима торфяных почв шлюзованием, остаются неизученными, поэтому тема наших исследований является актуальной и имеет большое значение для последующего сельскохозяйственного использования этих почв. Цель работы -изучение водного режима торфяных почв Мещерской низменности и научное обоснование его регулирования шлюзованием. Натурный полевой эксперимент проведен на торфяных почвах Мещерской низменно-сти в ОПХ «Полково» Рязанского района Рязанской области в 2012-2016 гг. с вариантами стан-дартного осушения, шлюзование 0,5 м и 0,8 м. Контролем служил участок на низинном болоте. Методика исследований и технология возделывания однолетних трав (вико-овсяной смеси на зеле-ный корм) общепринятые. Для более точного описания процессов шлюзования, характеристики влажности грунта, оценки изменения статей водного баланса в модели используются термодинами-ческие и геосистемные (ландшафтные) подходы. Нами использовалась математическая модель влагопереноса «Шлюзование», разработанная А.И. Головановым и Ю.И. Сухаревым с введением в нее рельефа местности опытного участка. В наших прогнозных расчетах глубину систематических дрен принимали равной 1,0…1,2 м, ограждающей сети (ловчих дрен) назначали в пределах 1,2…1,4 м. Нами установлено, что результаты зависят от варианта шлюзования, погодных условий, законо-мерного уменьшения глубины грунтовых вод и увеличения влажности торфа при подъеме уровней в каналах. Выявлено, что при подъеме уровня воды в канале до 0,8 м и до 0,5 м от бровки глубина грунтовых вод уменьшается с 0,85 до 0,58 м, а влажность в слое 0…25 см растет с 63 до 74% по-ристости. Шлюзование с подъемом уровня воды в каналах до 0,5 м обеспечивает достаточную про-тивопожарную влажность, но связано со значительным расходованием воды -почти в два раза

On a worldwide basis increasing of meat production, especially beef, improving of its quality and reducing of costs are of great economic importance, and therefore intensification of livestock industry through introduction of advanced technologies, organization of full feeding, creation of optimal conditions for animals' welfare, breeding of the most productive breeds of young cattle are important. Young cattle of various productivity areas in Russia are grown to different weight conditions with different technologies of keeping and battening and their live weight and carcass weight are evaluated according to the interstate standard GOST 34120-2017 according to 7 categories. In 2018 production of livestock and poultry for slaughter (live weight) in farms of all categories in Russia amounted to 9 million tons and increased by 3.7 % compared to the same period in 2017. According to the Russian State Statistics of Federal Agency the volume of industrial meat production amounted to 1 690.6 thousand tons for the period from January till August in 2018 (11.2 % more than at the same period in 2017). Agricultural organizations produced 626.1 thousand tons of meat for the period from January till August in 2018 (almost 8 % more than at the same period in 2017). In 2018 according to the data from the Russian Ministry of Agriculture the average price of agricultural producers for cattle (live weight) was 109.57 thousand rubles per ton (w/o VAT), for half-carcass beef-209.25 thousand rubles per ton (w/o VAT), which are also higher compared to the data for 2017. Average consumer costs for beef-325.91 rubles per kg. In this work comparative assessment of average purchasing and consumer prices of live weight and carcasses of bulls and bullocks of various productivity areas was made, taking into account age of animals and technology of growing and battening by the category-super, prima, extra, excellent, good, satisfactory, low and evaluation of economic prospects for growing young stock to different weight conditions was given.