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.

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.

The research conducted in this preclinical study assesses QazCovid-live, a live attenuated COVID-19 vaccine created in Kazakhstan, by conducting preclinical evaluations of safety, immunogenicity, and allergenicity in various animal models, including mice, rats, hamsters, and guinea pigs. The vaccine, developed by attenuating SARS-CoV-2 via numerous Vero cell passages, had no significant adverse effects in acute and subacute toxicity assessments, even at elevated dosages. Allergenicity testing indicated the absence of both immediate and delayed hypersensitivity reactions. Immunogenicity evaluations revealed strong virus-neutralizing antibody responses, especially following intranasal and intratracheal delivery. Studies on reversibility and transmission further validated the vaccine’s stability and non-pathogenicity. The data indicate that QazCovid-live is safe, immunogenic, and prepared for clinical trials, presenting a potential strategy for COVID-19 prevention.

Biotechnological methods are becoming an integral part of biological research. This review presents some of the most significant scientific results of Kazakhstan biologists in the field of plant biotechnology over the past 10 years. One of the recent important areas of application of biotechnological methods is the conservation and study of plant genetic resources and bioremediation. Studies on the flora lead to the identification of new sources of previously unknown biologically active materials, especially among wild plants growing in Kazakhstan. In addition, various biotechnological approaches are used to increase the efficiency of breeding practices for the production of new crop varieties.

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