The global production of oilseed crops is a rapidly evolving sector. Soybean, rapeseed, sunflower, and cotton hold the leading positions among oilseed crops. Among technical oils, linseed oil ranks first. In the Republic of Kazakhstan, cultivated areas dedicated to oilseed crops cover approximately 2.5 to 3 million hectares. Sunflower, flax, and rapeseed account for 75% of the total sown area, primarily concentrated in the northern regions of the country. Soybean, grown on irrigated plots, and safflower, cultivated in rainfed areas, are expanding in the south of Kazakhstan. The number of foreign varieties and hybrids of oilseed crops included in the State Register of recommended crops in Kazakhstan is updated annually. For 2024, the register includes 124 sunflower hybrids, 56 soybean varieties, 45 rapeseed hybrids, 9 flax varieties, and 2 safflower varieties. The national breeding programme for oilseed crops is conducted by 10 scientific institutions. Between 2015 and 2024, 18 domestic varieties and hybrids of sunflower, 16 varieties of soybean, 5 of rapeseed, 3 of flax, and 2 of safflower were approved for production in Kazakhstan.

The presented study comprehensively assessed barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) hybrid populations of F3– F5 generations, comparing with the standard barley cultivars, Karagaydinckiy-5 and Astana-2000. The crossing of isolated barley cultivars of the international collection (obtained from Australia) proceeded under intense continental climatic conditions of Northern and Central Kazakhstan. Barley promising selected populations, i.e., Macguarie × Arna, Flinders × Tselinniy golozerniy, and Flinders × Omskiy golozerniy, showed early maturity (79–83 days), superior plant height (34.4–69.5 cm), and enhanced 1000-grain weight (56.6 g, 56.4 g, and 58.0 g, respectively), and populations, viz., Buloke × Karagandinckiy-6, Fathom × Donezckiy-9, and Onslow × Karabalykckiy-43, for productivity (1 m2) at 184 g, 116.4 g, and 140.1 g, respectively. Identified in the study were the correlation of productivity and its structural elements, particularly the grain weight per ear (r = 0.486) and grain weight per plant (r = 0.828), mainly determining grain productivity. The determination of structural features variation showed a significant excess (more than 20%) with varying levels. The level of variability of grain mass per plant has shown in hybrid lines, i.e., Fathom × Karagandinckiy-5, Onslow × Karagandinckiy-10, Admiral × Karabalykckiy-150, and Admiral × Donezckiy-9. In grains, the protein content ranged from 10.45% to 16.63%, and the excess over the standard cultivar resulted in the hybrid lines Franklin × Sabir (16.63%), Anodolu-86 × Donezckiy-8 (16.04%), and Flinders × Omskiy golozerniy (15.31%). Based on an average of the study years, the drought-resistant and highproductivity hybrid lines were Buloke × Karagadinckiy-6, Fathom × Donezckiy-9, Onslow × Karabalykckiy-43, Onslow × (Karagandinckiy-5 × Аrna), Bass × Karabalykckiy-150, Granal × CMB93H-805-F-1Y-1M-OY-17TRS-OAP, and Granal × CMB89A-380-1M-OGH-105GH-1B-1OY-OAP- 19AP-OAP. These promising genotypes can benefit the development of drought-resistant and highyielding barley cultivars through future breeding programs under prevailing environmental conditions.

В 2021 году площадь посевов сои в Республике Казахстан составила 113,3 тыс. га, а в 2022 году - 128,0 тыс. га с валовым сбором зерна - 250,4 тыс. тонн. В последние годы в посевах сои в стране доля отечественных сортов составляла от 55 до 65 %. Лидером по величине посевных площадей сои является Алматинская область, где сосредоточено 83,6 % посевов (94,7 тысяч гектар); далее следует Костанайская – 7,7 % (8,8 тыс. га); Восточно-Казахстанская – 5 % (5,6 тыс. га); Северо-Казахстанская – 2,8 % (3,2 тыс. га); Туркестанская – 0,1 % (0,2-0,3 тыс. га); и другие области. За годы селекционной работы в Казахском научно-исследовательском институте земледелия и растениеводства созданы 34 сорта сои, из них 22 сорта допущены к использованию. Селекционная работа этой культуры направлена на создание сортов широкого спектра по группам спелости для внедрения в различных регионах республики. Направление селекционных работ охватывает такие важные признаки как продуктивность, качество, засухоустойчивость, солеустойчивость, фотопериодическая чувствительность. Современные сорта сои имеют потенциальную урожайность 48 - 52 ц/га, с содержанием белка не ниже 40 % и масла не ниже 20 %.

Soybeans are a major global commodity. A major challenge in soybean production is premature bean cracking, which leads to seed shedding and crop loss. Consistent breeding efforts are being made to minimize seed shedding in soybeans worldwide. Soybean breeding for increased abdominal suture strength has not resulted in varieties that are guaranteed to be resistant to premature cracking. Therefore, for further study of the issue, the study of the structural features of the soybean hilum is of practical interest. The trait of fusion of the seed hilum with the pod safe seeds from shedding. The paper presents studies of a soybean collection based on cracking features and resistance to seeds shedding. The largest number of cracking forms were found in the varieties of the first four maturity groups (000, 00, 0 and I). A positive correlation was observed between the cracking and non-shedding seeds traits (r = 0.48). The trait of fusion of the seed hilum with the pod valves turned out to be dominant. Our findings suggest that this trait may be influenced by a single gene or exhibit intermediate inheritance, but further genetic analysis is needed. The average yields of the control nursery numbers with a fused seed stalk (4.36 t/ha) are lower than the average yields of numbers without this trait (4.75 t/ha).

For the rational use of rain-fed lands in the south-east of Kazakhstan, the influence of various methods of tillage on their water-physical properties was studied. The density of the soil under the studied crops in the arable layer of 0-30 cm showed significant differences in the methods of its processing, in spring it was in a loose and slightly compacted state and amounted to 1.17-1.22 g/cm3, and during harvesting, soil compaction was observed at the level of 1.29-1.32 g/cm3, especially with zero tillage. Tillage methods had a greater impact on the structural and aggregate composition of the soil than on the growth and development of the studied crops. The structural condition of the crops was at a medium-high level, amounting to 58-71% of agronomically valuable aggregates (0.25-10 mm), the following crops well demonstrated this soil condition with zero tillage (69-71%): safflower, spring barley, Sudanese grass. But safflower also showed a minimum number of structural aggregates (58%) at a processing depth of 20-22 cm.The water resistance of the aggregates is highest in zero-treatment variants with a range of indicators from 17.6 to 18.9%. When plowing the soil, the water resistance of the aggregates decreases to 13.1% due to the unstable composition of the soil. Grain yields of crops differed between soil treatments, so the highest average for three years of research with minimal tillage was observed on barley crops –25.3 c/ha, and the lowest grain yield was when plowing on Sudanese grass crops –5.7 c/ha.A three–year study showed that high grain yields were obtained with minimal tillage for spring barley, peas and safflower, and for Sudanese grass -with zero tillage