Sweet potato is one of the most economically important crops for addressing global food security and climate change issues, especially under conditions of extensive agriculture, such as those found in developing countries. However, osmotic stress negatively impacts the agronomic and economic productivity of sweet potato cultivation by inducing several morphological, physiological, and biochemical changes. Plants employ many signaling pathways to respond to water stress by modifying their growth patterns, activating antioxidants, accumulating suitable solutes and chaperones, and making stress proteins. These physiological, metabolic, and genetic modifications can be employed as the best indicators for choosing drought-tolerant genotypes. The main objective of sweet potato breeding in many regions of the world, especially those affected by drought, is to obtain varieties that combine drought tolerance with high yields. In this regard, the study of the physiological and biochemical features of certain varieties is important for the implementation of drought resistance measures. Adapted genotypes can be selected and improved for particular growing conditions by using suitable tools and drought tolerance-related selection criteria. By regulating genetics in this way, the creation of drought-resistant varieties may become cost-effective for smallholder farmers. This review focuses on the drought tolerance mechanisms of sweet potato, the effects of drought stress on its productivity, its crop management strategies for drought mitigation, traditional and molecular sweet potato breeding methods for drought tolerance, and the use of biotechnological methods to increase the tolerance of sweet potato to drought.

Industrial waste in the form of abandoned mine tailings from a former lead plant in South Kazakhstan amounts to about 2 million tons, and this has led to environmental pollution with heavy metals (HMs) in Shymkent city. The concentrations of Pb, Zn, and Cd in the mine tailings were 1354.50, 262.90, and 61.08 mg/kg, respectively. The contamination of the adjacent soils with Pb, Zn, and Cd ranged from 7.76 to 551.49, from 8.25 to 245.74, and from 5.40 to 19.23 mg/kg, respectively. In this study, the phytoremediation properties of sweet potato on soils contaminated with HMs adjacent to mine tailings were investigated. The phytoremediation efficiency of sweet potato was assessed in terms of its capacity to biotransfer and bioaccumulate HMs. The concentrations of Pb, Zn, and Cd in sweet potato in the experimental fields were 28.70–45.10, 70.0–94.20, and 1.19–1.80 mg/kg, respectively. It was determined that the pollution class of the studied soils according to I_geo was high pollution (5.28–8.80), and the potential risk of HM accumulation according to the ecological risk index proposed by Hakanson was moderate pollution.

Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) constitute one of the most economically important annual crops. In terms of tissue culture, potato microtubers (MTs) have a number of advantages over conventional plants. These advantages include their small size, which greatly facilitates storage, transport, and germplasm exchange compared to in vitro plants. One effective solution for the production and mass propagation of healthy MTs is the use of temporary immersion systems (TISs). In this study, in a SETIS^TM system containing kinetin/gibberellic acid (GA)/indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) hormones, we investigated the effects of different nutrient media on the morphological characteristics of potato explants and MTs. We determined the optimal cycling duration (3 h) with an immersion frequency of 2 min. The results revealed that the optimal nutrient medium for culturing single-node potato explants in a SETIS^TM bioreactor was the M7 medium containing kinetin (2 mg/L), GA (0.5 mg/L), and IBA (0.5 mg/L). The optimal nutrient medium for obtaining potato MTs was the M1 medium (hormone-free) with a high concentration of sucrose (9%) at 18 °C under dark growing conditions. Thus, a universal nutrient medium, employed in a bioreactor, was selected for the mass propagation of potato MTs for both domestic and foreign potato varieties.

Doubled haploids (DH) were obtained from two interspecific hybrids between Brassica napus and Brassica rapa. Seeds of doubled haploid plants differed in colour and size. The hybridity of the obtained doubled haploid is shown using genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) analysis. Evaluation of drought tolerance during seed germination on PEG-6000 showed the advantage of doubled haploid plants of interspecific hybrids over the parent cultivars. The oil from seeds of doubled haploid plants showed good nutritional value.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most important food crops in the world, ranking fourth after rice, maize, and wheat. Potatoes are exposed to biotic and abiotic environmental factors, which lead to economic losses and increase the possibility of food security threats in many countries. Traditional potato breeding faces several challenges, primarily due to its genetic complexity and the time-consuming nature of the process. Therefore, gene editing—CRISPR-Cas technology—allows for more precise and rapid changes to the potato genome, which can speed up the breeding process and lead to more effective varieties. In this review, we consider CRISPR-Cas technology as a potential tool for plant breeding strategies to ensure global food security. This review summarizes in detail current and potential technological breakthroughs that open new opportunities for the use of CRISPR-Cas technology for potato breeding, as well as for increasing resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses, and improving potato tuber quality. In addition, the review discusses the challenges and future perspectives of the CRISPR-Cas system in the prospects of the development of potato production and the regulation of gene-edited crops in different countries around the world.

This study aimed to evaluate the chemical composition of milk from Kazakh mares kept under free-grazing conditions on natural pasture without supplementary feeding. Fifty Kazakh mares were aged 3 to 13 years, kept in herds, and categorized by age, number of foalings, and lactation stage for statistical analysis. Milk samples were collected, chilled, and analyzed on the same day using a Milkoscan FT2. The composition of fat, protein, lactose, total solids, casein, and other components was examined. Statistical analyses, including ANOVA, PCA, CDA, and Pearson correlation analysis, were performed using JMP 17 Pro to assess the effects of lactation stage, mare age, and foaling number and to identify key relationships. The results showed that milk composition was significantly influenced by these factors. Milk from the late-lactation stage contained higher protein, lactose, and total nutrients, while milk from the early-lactation stage had a higher sugar content and acidity. Older mares and those with higher foalings produced milk with higher concentrations of glucose and galactose, while younger mares and those with fewer foalings produced milk with higher fat. A key aspect of this experiment was that all mares grazed exclusively on natural pastures without supplementation, allowing for an objective assessment of their inherent productive potential. These findings deepen the understanding of mare milk composition dynamics in Kazakh breed horses under extensive management, supporting its potential for organic dairy production.