Biostimulators with chemical protection are a challenge in sustainable agriculture to obtain high yield, healthy, and pesticide-free wheat. The aim of this four-year spring wheat field experiment was to assess the effectivity of using herbicide, mixed fungicides protection, and a humic biostimulator. The following treatments were tested: biostimulator (S), sulfosulfuron (H), H + S, H + propiconazole + cyproconazole/spiroxamin + tebuconazole + triadimenol (H + F1 + F2), and H + F1 + F2 + S. Evaluations of wheat yield and fungal diseases (Septoria tritici blotch, eyespot, sharp eyespot, Fusarium spp.) were performed using visual and qPCR methods. Thirteen mycotoxins were analyzed by LC–MS/MS. Infestations of six weeds were examined visually. Temperatures and precipitation data of the vegetative seasons were monitored. Precipitation most affected the occurrence of leaf diseases despite the same chemical/biostimulator treatments (up to 48% Septoria tritici blotch severity for the S treatment). The highest mean yield was obtained for H + F1 + F2 + S (5.27 t ha⁻¹), while the lowest level of mycotoxins was obtained for H + F1 + F2 (221.68 µg kg⁻¹). For H + S, a greater reduction of mycotoxins was determined compared to the H treatment (27.18%), as well as a higher severity of eyespot (18%) and sharp eyespot (24%). In 2017–2020, the most effective reduction of weed infestation and Fusarium spp. DNA on ears was indicated for H + F1 + F2 (16 g and 0.88 pg g⁻¹ DNA, respectively). The greatest saved production value (196.15€) was determined for H + F1 + F2 + S.

Fusarium crown rot impacts wheat, causing yield and quality losses in arid and semi-arid regions worldwide. During wheat disease surveys in July 2023, crown rot symptoms were observed (20% incidence) across Aktobe Agricultural Experimental Station experimental plots (50°17'02"N, 57°09'14"E), Aktobe, Kazakhstan, from which 20 symptomatic spring durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) plants were collected. Infected plants showed brown discoloration that extended from the crown to 2-3 cm up the stem bases, with lesions on the subcrown internode and primary roots. Severely affected plants showed stunted growth. The affected tissues were washed, surface sterilized with 1% NaClO for 2 min, rinsed three times with sterile distilled water, and placed on 1/5 strength PDA plates. After a 5-day incubation at 23°C in darkness, 38 colonies exhibiting Fusarium-like morphology were observed and single spore isolates were obtained from each colony on fresh PDA and SNA, following the protocol of Leslie and Summerell (2006). The partial TEF1 and RPB2 genes were amplified and sequenced using primers EF1/EF2 (O'Donnell et al. 1998) and 5f2/7cr (Reeb et al. 2004; Liu et al. 1999). BLASTn analysis against NCBI GenBank and Fusarium-ID databases revealed that the sequences of three isolates showed 100% nucleotide identity with Fusarium nygamai holotype strain NRRL 13488 (TEF1: AF160273; RPB2: EF470114). The TEF1 and RPB2 gene sequences from the isolate 986b were deposited in GenBank under Accession Nos. PQ366035 and PQ366036, respectively. All three isolates showed white to violet mycelium, with colonies developing a central greyish-orange or dark violet spore mass; macroconidia measured 30.75 ± 2.79 × 3.61 ± 0.48 μm (n=30) and were hyaline, 3-septate, slender, and falcate to almost straight; microconidia formed on SNA measured 11.45 ± 0.95 × 2.77 ± 0.52 μm (n=30) and were produced in short chains or false heads; chlamydospores were formed in 2-4 weeks, conforming to the description of F. nygamai by Leslie and Summerell (2006). The pathogenicity of three isolates was tested on a susceptible durum wheat variety, Kızıltan 91. Seeds were surface-sterilized in 1% NaClO, rinsed, and germinated on water-soaked filter paper for 3 days. Five uniform seedlings were planted in 9-cm pots containing a sterile peat-vermiculite-soil mixture (1:1:1, v/v/v), with three replicate pots per isolate. A 1-cm mycelial PDA disc was placed on each seed and covered with the substrate, while control seeds received sterile PDA discs. Pots were arranged in a completely randomized design and incubated at 23°C with a 12-hour photoperiod. Four weeks of post-inoculation, typical crown rot symptoms appeared on plants, and the pathogen was re-isolated. The identity of re-isolated fungi was confirmed through morphological examination and TEF1 gene sequencing, establishing causation and fulfilling Koch's postulates, while control plants remained healthy throughout the experiment with no fungal growth detected in their tissues upon similar isolation attempts. Fusarium nygamai has been reported on wheat in Iraq (Minati 2020) and Kyrgyzstan (Özer et al. 2023). This report of F. nygamai causing crown rot on wheat in Kazakhstan, expanding the documented range of Fusarium species in the region, as noted by Akhmetova et al. (2022) and Bozoğlu et al. (2022), which adds complexity to disease management efforts since different Fusarium species may require tailored control approaches.

One of the main drawbacks of winter wheat varieties cultivated in Kazakhstan is their lack of resistance to common root rot. In 2020-2022, samples affected by root rot were taken in the earing phase in stationary experiments of the department of field crops and plant protection of the Kazakh research institute of agriculture and plant growing in the Almaty region. The research aimed to study the harmfulness of common root rot in commercial varieties of winter wheat. The weather did not significantly affect the harmfulness of common root rot. The harmfulness of the disease depended on the variety and degree of disease infestation. These indicators correlated with indicators of plant height, spike length, number of spikelets, and number and weight of grains (p<0.05). All varieties were affected by the disease to a low and moderate degree. In the varieties Almaly and Steklovidnaya 24, yield losses from the disease were 6.4-6.8%; in Farabi, Azharly, and Zhetysu 8.8-9.4%; and in Naz 13.0%. A total of 32-41% of plants were affected by the disease to a low degree and 10-21% to moderate and severe degrees. With a low degree of infestation, yield decreased by 2.4-7.1%, and with moderate and severe degrees by 4.5-12.1%. Factors of the degree of plant infestation and variety correlated (p<0.05) with dependent variables of productive business, stem length, spike length, number of spikelets, and weight of 1,000 grains. Using the method of linear regression, the authors concluded that the winter wheat spikelet number variable was significantly influenced by the variables of stem number (medium correlation) and spikelet length (strong correlation).

Soy is an important oilseed crop in Kazakhstan. However, its yield is significantly reduced due to an increase in the development of fungal diseases with soil infection. This study aims to identify the root rot pathogen in soybean varieties in Western Kazakhstan and assess its pathogenicity. Samples of soybean roots to determine the root rot pathogen were selected at the experimental plots of the Aktobe agricultural experimental station in 2021. Genetic analysis of isolates observed on potato dextrose agar medium from soybean root slices was carried out using the sequencing reaction of internal transcribed spacer region nucleotide sequences using the Big Dye Terminator protocol (applied biosystems) with a further comparison of data with the Gen bank database. A test for the pathogenicity of the identified isolates of the fungus was carried out. Statistical data processing was carried out using the R-studio software according to the nonparametric Kruskal Wallis test. Phylogenetic analysis of samples of soybean affected by root rot showed that the main biotic agent causing root rot was the imperfect fungus Fusarium equiseti. Sequencing of the highly informative internal transcribed spacer region of fungal isolates allowed identifying strains 1 and 2 belonging to the species Fusarium equiseti. The pathogenicity test established that isolates of the Fusarium equiseti fungus caused discoloration of seedlings and plant roots and necrosis in soybean seedlings.

Cereals in the southeastern part of Kazakhstan can be affected by the crown and common root rot and spot blotches mostly caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana and Fusarium spp. Triticale is a man-made crop obtained from the crossing of wheat (Triticum sp.) × rye (Secale cereale L.) and it is mainly cultivated as a feed grain for livestock in Kazakhstan. Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of fungi secreted by the toxigenic species Alternaria, Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium. The study aimed to determine the effect of the varietal factor and the type of mycotoxin on their content in 15-day triticale seedlings. The spread and development indices of root rot were calculated and the Liquid Chromatography coupled with tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was performed to determine the concentration of mycotoxins. The content of micro-toxins depended both on their type and the triticale variety (P-value <0.001). The maximum content of mycotoxins Ochratoxin A and Deoxynivalenol in some seedlings reached 100-120 mcg/mL, on average 12.4 and 15.1 mcg/mL, respectively. In Rondo, Fidelio 5, and Valentin varieties, the mycotoxin content was 11.2; 16.9, and 8.6 mcg/mL, with a spread of 79.0-93.0%, the development of common root rot reached 30.5-34.2%, while in Idea, TI 17, Nevo and Dokuckaevsky 9, the average mycotoxin content was lower, within 1.4-3.9 mcg/mL, with a spread of 50.0-65.0% and the development of common root rot reaching 20.5-25.0%. In the triticale Alnaiskii 5 variety, these indices equaled 0.7 mcg/mL; 55.0 and 19.2%, respectively. A high positive correlation (0.8) was found between the content of mycotoxins and the infestation of triticale seedlings with root rot.

The purpose of the study was to perform geneticidentification of the strains of fungi of the Beauveria genus andevaluate the effect of abiotic factors on the growth and survival of coloniesand the productivity of conidia of these fungi, as well as to determine thebiological effectiveness of the semi-preparative form of the drug based on Beauveriabassiana in the field. Conventional and modern methods accepted in biologyand mycology were used. Identification of strains of Beauveria fungi wascarried out by determining the direct nucleotide sequence of the TEFregion. Laboratory experiments were carried out to evaluate various factors onthe diameter of colony growth, survival in deep and surface cultivation, thetype of semi-preparative form of the drug based on B. bassiana and thetime of its exposure, and the effect on the biological effects of drugs in thefield. Statistical data processing was carried out in the R studio programusing the P value. The productivity of conidia of entomopathogenic fungi duringsurface cultivation depended on the type of strain and the duration ofcultivation of conidia. The diameter of the growth of Beauveria fungicolonies was influenced by the factors of the strain, the type of nutrientmedium, the temperature of colony cultivation, and the number of days after thestart of colony cultivation. The survival of conidia of the B. bassianafungus on the wings of Locusta migratoria L. correlated with theindicators of cultivation temperature and germination of conidia and cultivationtime. The productivity of Beauveria spp. conidia correlate with the typeof strain, the type of substrate, and the time of exposure. The conidiacontinued to germinate on the 25^th day. Fungi grew better on asubstrate based on millet. In the field, the mortality rate of Locustamigratoria L. and the biological effectiveness of biopesticides wereinfluenced by the factors of the strain, the form of spraying with the biopreparation, and the time elapsed after treatment with the biopesticide.