To increase the organic potato yield, it is necessary to provide the crop with sufficient nutrients and effective means of biocontrol the diseases. The research goal was to characterize the biorationals’ efficacy to achieve competitive organic potatoes’ yield under various weather conditions. A 4-year trial was carried out in the Leningrad region using Udacha variety potatoes. The tests used liquid forms of new polyfunctional biologicals Kartofin based on highly active Bacillus subtilis I-5-12/23 and organic fertilizer BIAGUM obtained from poultry manure by aerobic fermentation in a closed biofermenter. Significant stimulation in plant growth and development to the flowering phase regardless of the hydrothermal conditions of the growing season was noted. The stimulating effect was determined by the combined use of biorationals pro rata to BIAGUM dose. Kartofin biologicals and BIAGUM almost doubled the potato tubers’ yield compared to the control, regardless of the growing season conditions. At the flowering phase, the biological efficacy in potato fungal diseases incidence and development was near 90% under optimal and 50–75% under drought hydrothermal conditions. At the end of vegetation, the efficiency in fungal diseases incidence and development made up 45–65% under optimal and 45–70% under dry conditions. BIAGUM effectiveness in reducing disease development reached 45–50% regardless of growing season conditions.

The southern Ural is consistently among the 10 best regions in Russia for agricultural production, including wheat. Breeding in the Chelyabinsk Research Institute of Agriculture aims to develop wheat cultivars genetically protected from the main diseases (leaf and stem rust, septoria leaf blotch and tan spot). The genes for resistance to leaf rust, Lr1, Lr9, Lr10 and Lr26/Sr31, alone or in combination, are widespread in cultivars grown in the southern Ural. In 2012, a new wheat cultivar, Chelyaba 75, was proposed for commercial production in the southern Ural, being highly resistant to leaf rust with the highly effective genes LrSp and SrSp transferred from the cuckoo line with the genetic material Aegilops speltoides. Isolates virulent to cv. Chelyaba 75 were not found in Russian populations of Puccinia triticina. Additionally, for a long period, genes Lr29, Lr 41, Lr42, Lr45, Lr47, Lr50, Lr51, Lr53 and Lr57 were characterized by high efficiency. Virulence frequencies to other Lr genes vary annually, but no races with new virulence have been identified. The resistance of lines with the Sr31 and Sr24 genes indicates that the Puccinia graminis population does not contain genotypes with the potentially damaging race Ug99. Mixed septoria and tan spot infections occurred in the southern Ural, with the latter dominating. Races producing the exotoxin ToxA are widely distributed in Pyrenophora tritici-repentis populations. Two causal agents of septoria leaf blotch (Parastagonospora nodorum and P. avenae f. sp. tritici) occur in the region, with the first dominating. Aggressiveness of P. nodorum isolates to wheat cultivars was higher than that of P. avenae f. sp. tritici. All Parastagonospora isolates showed the presence of the SnTox3 marker. SnToxA and SnTox1 markers were found in P. nodorum isolates, usually separately, but in one isolate, these genes were found together. The analysis of the genetic diversity of wheat cultivars grown in the southern Ural, and the pathogenic complex present, indicate that pathogens continuously evolve under the influence of the host plant.

White button mushrooms yield instability in artificial cultivation, often caused by crop diseases. The main disease is wet bubble disease. The appearance of its causative agent, M. perniciosa, may lead to total yield loss. The microbiocontrol of M. perniciosa is focused on casing soil antagonist use. Since no industrial producer strains of polyfunctional biologics have been used in previous studies, our research goal was to characterize the effect of B. subtilis B-10 and M-22 on a mycopathogen and reveal its control possibilities. The reason for B. subtilis B-10 and M-22 use in mycopathogen control has been revealed by interactions between producer strains and the studying of M. perniciosa. The suppression of M. perniciosa development by producer strains was established, indicating a prolonged B-10 and M-22 effect on the mycopathogen. High biological efficacy in both strains at the early stages of mycopathogen development upon introducing them into the wells and spraying was shown: B-10—50.9–99.6% and M-22—57.5–99.2%, respectively (p ≤ 0.05). Significant differences between producer strains were not revealed, although during the first day of exposure to developed M. perniciosa colonies, M-22 showed greater activity. The high efficiency of preventive treatment when producer strains completely suppressed mycoparasite development permits us to recommend them both for introducing when preparing casing for M. perniciosa control.

A total of 17 biologics based on the producer strains Bacillus subtilisand Trichoderma asperellum (= T. harzianum) are currently approved in Russia to protect potatoes from diseases. Great world experience has been gained in producing and use of traditional dry and liquid biologics. However, multirecycled industrial wastes as substrates for biologics are still not used anywhere in the world, and there is little information on effectiveness of formulations produced by industrial wastes’ multistage biorecycling. This paper reports a successful experience of the sequential use of plant wastes as substrates for mushrooms and then for microbial strains to produce granular antifungal biologics. This is a relevant approach to biotechnologies for safer utilization of wastes as resources of cheap and affordable raw materials and their transformation into useful products. Our objective was to develop brand new multirecycled biologics based on plant pathogen antagonists and to estimate their efficacy. Plant wastes were converted to substrates for B. subtilis B-10 and T. asperellum T-36 producer strains by shiitake Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Peglerand oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq.: Fr.) P. Kummer НК-35 serial cultivation. The nutritional value of the obtained double biorecycled substrate, due to decomposition of cellulose and lignin of sawdust and wheat bran mixture by shiitake and oyster mushroom, was higher as compared to that of the initial substrate used for shiitake growing or of peat, a common solid-phase fermentation substrate. In particular, the protein content was higher (9.4±0.3 % vs. 2.7±0.3 % and 4.3±0.1 %, respectively), the nitrogen level was higher (1.5±0.3 % vs. 0.4±0.1 % and 0.6±0.1 %), and the C:N ratio reduced (38.3 vs. 81.2 and 92.9). Liquid microbial inoculums were cultured in standard Czapek (Biocompas-СLtd., Russia) and corn-molasses (Carguil Ltd., Agroresource Ltd., Russia) nutrient media. Solid-phase fermentation of the double biorecycled lignin- and cellulose-containing substrate inoculated with 0.9×109 spores/ml B. subtilis B-10 and 2.8×1010 CFU/ml T. asperellum T-36 to produce the biologics took 10 days at 25-28 °C. The obtained biologics were tested on potato cv. Elizaveta in plot trials in the Leningrad Province (Producers’ Cooperative Shushary, 2011). A reciprocally orthogonal scheme was used, and the plotswere arranged in 4 replicates over 0.5 ha, with 10 m2 test plot sizeand 482 plants sampled in total. A single application was performed at planting on May 12, 2011. The tubers were mixed with the biologics in the bunker of the potato-planting unit at a rate of 1 kg per 1.5 tontubers (2 kg/ha). The basic potato growing technology included i) post-planting application of Sencor® herbicide (800 g/l, Bayer Crop Science, Germany); ii) post-germination double application (with one-week interval) of Terraflex® 17/17/17 inoculant (2.8 and 1.6 kg/ha, Nu3 N.V., Belgium); iii) post-germination single application of Aquadon micro inoculant (2.0 l/ha, Orgpolymersyntes, Russia), Extrasol® microbe fertilizer agent (2.0 l/ha, BisolbyInter Ltd., Russia), Zircon inoculant (10 g/ha, ANO Nest-M, Russia), herbicides Lazurite (0.5 l/ha, AO Avgust, Russia) and Titus™ (20 g/ha, DuPont, USA); and iv) treatments with fungicides after row closure as follows: Bravo® (1.5 l/ha, Syngenta AG, Switzerland) and Ridomil gold® (1.5 l/ha, Syngenta AG, Switzerland) in 2 weeks; Revus® (250 g/ha, Syngenta AG, Switzerland) in 4 weeks, and Shirlan® (0.4 l/ha, Syngenta AG, Switzerland) in 6 weeks.The final fertilization with Terraflex® (2.8 kg/ha) combined with Shirlan® treatment (0.4 l/ha) were carried out 2 weeks before harvesting. The basic agrotechnology without biologics served as the control. Standard biometric and phytopathological indicators were used. The disease signs and biometric parameters were assessed in 3-week seedlings (1-2 leaf layer phase) and at row closure. Then two disease surveys were performed at the beginning and at the end of blooming, and final indicators for tubers were estimated at harvesting. Data processing by ANOVA and Student’s t-test for pairwise comparison revealed that the biologics caused a significant increase in plant growth rate and the leaf area growth at the beginning of vegetation. The healthy tuber yield was 240 and 690 g/m2 higher for B. subtilis B-10 and T. asperellum T-36 biologics, respectively, as compared to the control (р ≤ 0.10). Due to the biologics, the late blight intensity was 7.2 times lower and 11.6 times lower, respectively (р ≤ 0.01). The number of affected tubers, including those with signs of secondary bacterial infection, decreased almost 2 times, by 140 and 130 g/m2, respectively (р ≤ 0,01). Thus, solid plant waste multirecycling is a prospective way to produce granular environmentally safe biologics for plant protection against diseases. In the developed three-step technology, the wastes from edible mushroom double cultivation on sawdust mixed with wheat bran possess high nutritional value as a substrate for solid microbial cultures.

Genus Trichoderma strains as the natural plant residues’ biodestructors, highly active antagonists of soil phytopathogens and phytoregulators with the widest range of optimum conditions for their development, are widely used in biologics development. Of particular importance in Russia’s northern regions, especially in winter crop cultivation, is the ability of a microorganism’s strain used in agro-technologies to maintain viability and target biological activity at low temperatures. In this connection, this work purpose is to select a psychrotolerant strain of T. asperellum for the rapid crop residues’ polymer utilization and soil enhancement at low temperature, as well as to evaluate its activity under laboratory and field conditions. In the work process, the following tasks were addressed: selecting psychrotolerant strains of T. asperellum with high cellulolytic activity; further controlled breeding of psychrophilic strains capable of rapid growth, active colonization of plant substrates and high sporulation at 4–8 °C; evaluating the target activity of the selected psychrophilic strain as a cellulolytic as well as antagonistic activity against cereal pathogens; obtaining laboratory samples of bioformulations by deep-surface cultivation on non-sterile peat and multirecycled wastes from the edible mushrooms production and assessing their efficacy in field small-plot trials. The methods for inoculum cultivation, sporulation capacity determination, modified wet chamber, estimating antagonistic activity and biologics’ quality, field small-plot trials management, quantitative estimates of biomass losses, cellulose and lignin content were used in the work. The active psychrophilic strain for the rapid crop residues’ polymer utilization and soil enhancement controlled breeding was selected during a four-step screening of 29 T. asperellum strains from All-Russian Research Institute of Plant Protection (VIZR) State Microorganisms’ Collection with high cellulolytic and antagonistic activities. In terms of linear growth rate, antagonistic and hyperparasitic activities at 4–8 °С, a high rate of wheat and maize stubble residues’ colonization, a perspective psychrophilic strain G-034 of T. asperellum was selected for developing the laboratory samples of biologics and for running field trials. In small-plot trials, the active maize crop residues’ decomposition under the T. asperellum G-034 influence was revealed, resulting in the complete loss of plant intact state in 12 months due to more than 80 % cellulose and 20 % lignin biodestruction. The maximum loss of maize crop residues biomass for 12 months was more than 70 %. The T. asperellum strain G-034 was active after field hibernation in an amount of ×104 cfu/g, resulting in a titer increase with seasonal temperature rising and the trophic base bioavailability growth.