Bacterial communities associated with medicinal plants are an essential part of ecosystems. The rhizosphere effect is rather important in the cultivation process. The purpose of the study was to analyze the rhizosphere effect of oregano (Origanum vulgare L.), peppermint (Mentha piperita L.), thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.), creeping thyme (Thymus serpillum L.) and sage (Salvia officinalis L.). To estimate the quantity of 16S bacteria ribosomal genes, qPCR assays were used. To compare bacterial communities’ structure of medicinal plants rhizosphere with bulk soil high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA targeting variable regions V3–V4 of bacteria was carried out. The highest bacterial abundance was associated with T. vulgaris L., M. piperita L. and S. officinalis L., and the lowest was associated with the O. vulgare L. rhizosphere. Phylum Actinobacteriota was predominant in all rhizosphere samples. The maximum bacterial α-diversity was found in S. officinalis L. rhizosphere. According to bacterial β-diversity calculated by the Bray–Curtis metric, T. vulgaris L. root zone significantly differed from bulk soil. The rhizosphere effect was positive to the Myxococcota, Bacteroidota, Verrucomicrobiota, Proteobacteria and Gemmatimonadota.

This article presents data from experiments to determine the cryoresistance of Charollais sheep embryos, depending on the stage of embryo development and the method of freezing, as well as the results of embryo transfer. The study design consisted of a study on the cryopreservation of ewe embryos at different developmental stages (early, 2–8 blastomeric and late, at the morula/blastocyst stage), two cryopreservation protocols (slow freezing and ultra-fast vitrification), and embryo transfer of cryo- and fresh embryos. Embryos from Charollais sheep donors (n = 12) were recovered after induction of superovulation. The embryos were recovered surgically (laparotomy) on days 2 and 6 after insemination. Before there was transfer to recipients, part of embryos was cryopreserved using standard slow freezing and ultra-fast vitrification methods. The average ovarian response was 7.54 ovulations per donor, and 5.83 embryos per donor were collected. No effect of the cryopreservation method and embryo development stage on the preservation of the morphological structure of embryos was found. There were no significant differences in the survival rate of cryoembryos at different development stages, frozen using different techniques, and after transfer to recipients. Differences in cryoresistance between embryonic developmental stages in favor of the morula/blastocyst stage were found (survival after thawing 86.4% vs. 75.0% in early embryos). At different stages of development, the survival rate of fresh embryos (45.8%) compared to cryopreserved ones (30.2%) was significantly higher (p < 0.05), while among fresh ones, the best survival rate (50.0%) was observed after the transfer of morules and blastocysts.

Goats with diverse economic phenotypic traits play an important role in animal husbandry. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying complex phenotypic traits are unclear in goats. Genomic studies of variations provided a lens to identify functional genes. The work aimed to search for candidate genes related to body measurements and body weight of Karachai goats and develop an experimental PCR-RV test system for genotyping significant SNPs. Comparison of GWAS results for ages 4 and 8 months revealed 58 common SNPs for significant genotypes. 11 common SNPs were identified for body weight, 4 SNPs—for group of traits withers height, rump height, body length, 2 SNPs—for withers height and rump height, 1 SNP—for body length and chest depth. Structural annotation of genomic regions covering a window of ±0.20 Mb showed the presence of 288 genes; 52 of them had the described functions in accordance with gene ontology. The main molecular functions of proteins encoded by these genes are the regulation of transcription, cell proliferation, angiogenesis, body growth, fatty acid and lipid metabolism, nervous system development, and spermatogenesis. SNPs common to body weight and localized within a window of ±200 kb from the structural genes CRADD, HMGA2, MSRB3, FUT8, MAX, and RAB15 were selected to create a test system. The study of meat productivity after slaughter and chemical analysis of muscle tissue in Karachai goats at the age of 8 months of different genotypes according to the identified SNPs revealed that rs268269710 is the most promising for further research and use in breeding. The GG genotype is associated with a larger live weight of animals, a larger carcass yield, the content of the boneless part in it, and the ratio of protein and adipose tissue in meat preferred for dietary nutrition. These results will contribute to the genetic improvement of Karachai goats.