Sergey Anatolievich SEMERENKO
Head of the laboratory of plant protection
Leading researcher,
PhD in biology
Tel:
E-mail: protection@vniimk.ru
Eighty-three years have passed since the establishment of the department, which was founded with the direct support of academician V. S. Pustovoit, now a laboratory. V. S. Pustovoit supervised a number of research directions in the 30s.
During the years of the laboratory’s existence, the morphological and biological peculiarities of the development of diseases in sunflower, rapeseed, mustard and soybean were studied. The dynamics of accumulation and harmfulness of the main pathogens have been established. The species composition, biological peculiarities and harmfulness of diseases of rapeseed, mustard, and soybean have been studied.
Methods of inoculation of seedlings of oil plants have been proposed. In the field of entomology, the biology and harmfulness of insect pests of sunflower, cabbage and soybean during storage of the main oil crops have been studied and the system of protective measures has been developed.
Since 1985, research has been carried out into the treatment of seeds of oil crops using biologically active compositions (BAC). VNIIMK annually treats more than 700 tonnes of oil seeds in the farms of the region.
This technological method is successfully applied in the Krasnodar, Stavropol and Rostov regions on an area of 1.5 million hectares. The additional income from each hectare of sunflower seeds in 2014 prices was from one and a half to two thousand rubles.
Focus areas of scientific research for the coming period:
— Observations on the phytosanitary state of sunflower sowings in the main regions of crop cultivation;
— Development of a system of protective measures against diseases in sunflower sowings;
— Testing under production conditions of new and most effective insecticides to protect sunflower seedlings from wireworms;
— Studying the main biological characteristics of the development of the cotton moth in sunflower, as well as finding the most effective chemical and biological means to control it.
The laboratory carries out a range of scientific research on soybean, including phytosanitary monitoring of insect pests and diseases on breeding, seed and production sowings of the crop.
In addition:
— Phytopathological evaluation of soybean seeds and evaluation of the osmotic pressure of the cell juice of the mycelium of fungi of the genus Fusarium;
— Finding the most effective insecticides against the main phytophages of soybean;
— Clarification of the species composition of insect pests and diseases in different agroclimatic conditions of oil flax cultivation and determination of their harmfulness;
— Testing the best tank mixtures for treatment of oil flax seeds, as well as for protection of vegetative plants of the crop against insects and diseases;
— Studying the influence of elements of the agricultural practices of oil flax cultivation on the phytosanitary state of its sowings.
The laboratory of plant protection has received more than 14 patents and certificates of authorship. Together with other leading scientists of VNIIMK, the laboratory workers have written and published 4 monographs on the protection of oil crops from pests, published over 200 works, including 22 recommendations and guidelines. Every year the laboratory workers take part in meetings, seminars and panel discussions, held not only in the Krasnodar region, but all over the Southern Federal District.
The laboratory pays great attention to the training of scientific personnel. In 20 years — from 1995 to 2015 — the employees of the laboratory have defended 15 PhD theses and one doctoral thesis. The laboratory of plant protection provides services for phytosanitary examination of seeds of oil crops, on the basis of which it recommends the composition for pre-sowing seed treatment against a complex of diseases and soil-dwelling pests of oil crops seedlings, carries out seed treatment. At the customer’s request, the specialists of the laboratory of plant protection carry out an inspection of the oil crops sowings to determine the phytosanitary state and provide advice on the protection of oil crops from diseases, pests and weeds.