One of the main challenges in modern animal husbandry in North Kazakhstan is ensuring an uninterrupted supply of sufficient fodder crops. This research, conducted from 2019 to 2023, aimed to develop strategies for cultivating environmentally sustainable fodder crops capable of providing a stable fodder crop base under the changing climatic conditions of the North Kazakhstan region. The studies included analysis of air temperature and precipitation data as well as monitoring of fodder grass mixtures within a green fodder conveyor system. Different sowing dates for fodder crops and mixtures were selected for the development of the conveyor system. The range of experimental variants included fodder crops and their mixtures from various botanical families. The experiment involved both perennial (alfalfa and festulolium) and annual (corn, pea, sunflower, Sudan grass, oats, and rapeseed) crops. The highest green mass yields were achieved by the following variants: fodder crops of corn + pea—74.40 c/ha; mixtures of annual legume–grass crops in the pea + oats variant of the first sowing date—43.64 c/ha; Sudan grass + pea—45.72 c/ha; mixtures of perennial grasses in the second utilization term of alfalfa + festulolium—64.9 c/ha; and rapeseed sown at the first sowing date—46.61 c/ha. In terms of crude and digestible protein content, the best among the annual grass variants was the mixture of Sudan grass and pea (crude protein—33.59 g/kg, digestible protein—24.5 g/kg), and the best among the perennials was the variant of the first utilization term (crude protein—50.42 g/kg, digestible protein—38.2 g/kg). Regarding metabolizable energy content, the annual crop variant of corn + pea had a yield of 1.92 MJ/kg, and in the perennial variant, the mixture of alfalfa and festulolium in the first utilization term had a yield of 2.68 MJ/kg. Such an approach to creating green fodder conveyors can be crucial for developing effective strategies for adapting agriculture to climate change, including the selection of promising fodder crops and optimization of their placement. The results obtained can contribute to enhancing the productivity and sustainability of agricultural production in the North Kazakhstan region.

Improving food security and preventing further loss of biodiversity are two of humanity's most pressing challenges. However, efforts to address these challenges often lead to conflicts between the interests of agricultural production and the interests of biodiversity conservation. Here we will focus on the conflicts between animal husbandry and the conservation of wild herbivores, which receive little attention in the scientific literature. We argue that addressing these challenges will require the introduction of collaborative management approaches that promote the participation of relevant stakeholders in environmental monitoring, impact assessment, decision-making, and active knowledge sharing. Saiga antelopes are migratory antelopes that live in the meadows of Eurasia. Over the past century, saigas have been brought to the brink of extinction due to mass deaths and intensive poaching. However, despite the high status of the saiga as an animal of interest to nature conservation, little is known about its impact on pasture resources. Research data has shown that wild animals (saigas) have had a significant impact on the current state of the pasture ecosystems of the semi-desert zone by changing their quantitative and qualitative indicators. The effects of saiga antelope also had a negative impact on the biometric indicators of pastures, such as height and yield of green mass. If, with regulated grazing, agricultural for animals without saiga exposure, the yield of the green mass of pastures at a height of 33.10 cm was 6.85 kg/ha, while free-range saiga reduced the height of pasture stands by 11.30 cm compared to the regulated grazing option, and the productivity of the green mass in the summer season by 4.21 kg/ha

Оценка современного состояния растительности пастбищ включала измерения проективного покрытия, видового состава, высоты и урожайности травостоев, а также показателей кормовой и энерго-протеиновой ценности, такие как сбор кормовых единиц, переваримого протеина и выхода обменной энергии. Интенсивное использование пастбищ путем бессистемного выпаса с.х. животных оказывает отрицательное влияние на динамику продуктивности их растительного покрова, что согласуется с данными наших исследований, где в результате интенсивного способа установлено снижение урожайности пастбищ полупустынной зоны Западного Казахстана. Это исследование показало, что на изученных пастбищах продуктивность и показатели качества растительности зависит от способа их использования. При этом, более эффективные показатели пастбищного травостоя получены при использовании ротации пастбищ, где урожай зеленой массы за летний пастбищный сезон составил 0,60-0,75 т/га, сбор кормовых единиц 0,11-0,15 т/га, переваримого протеина 0,01-0,02 т/га при выходе обменной энергии 1,54-2,03 ГДж/га. Это исследование будет полезным при использовании пастбищных угодий и земель лиманного орошения для производства полноценных кормов в контексте устойчивого управления в странах с схожими принципами управления кормовыми угодьями.

Upland cotton (G. hirsutum L.) is one of the world’s most important commercial fiber crops. The Turkestan region of Kazakhstan is the world’s northernmost cotton-growing region. A four-year field experiment was conducted at the experimental station of the LLP “Agricultural experimental station of cotton and melon growing” from 2021 to 2024. A total of750 lines of G. hirsutum were studied based on phenological, morphological, and agronomic traits. A total of 8 hectares was dedicated to the experiment. The soil comprises light sierozems, which include low humus content, high carbonate content, and relatively low absorption capacity. The study was conducted under average temperatures of 22.9 °C and precipitation totals from 0.9 to 71 mm in 2021–2024. Results revealed significant differences among these years for all studied traits (p < 0.001). According to the average membership function values of 13 traits, the cluster heat map indicated a clear separation into groups, such as low-yielding and late-maturing accessions, and high-yielding and early-maturing accessions. Overall, 41 accessions out of 750 accessions were selected as early-maturing and high-yielding from the 2021–2024 period. This study is the first report on the development of a classification system based on more valuable phenological, morphological, and agronomic traits in the Kazakhstan Cotton Collection. The results demonstrate substantial genetic variability and highlight the potential for developing cotton cultivars adapted to stress-prone environments.