The results of a four-year (2019–2022) monitoring of weed contamination of rapeseed seed samples grown in four crop-growing regions of the Siberian Federal District (SFD) – Kemerovo Oblast, Novosibirsk Oblast, Omsk Oblast and Altai Krai are presented. Diaspores (fruits  and  seeds)  of  67  weed  species  belonging  to 56 genera from 21 families were isolated from 433 analyzed samples of rapeseed seeds. The largest number of species in the studied samples are weeds from the Brassicaceae and Poaceae families. For samples of rapeseed originating from Omsk Oblast, the largest weed species diversity of 49 species was reported. For the studied samples of rapeseed seeds, the total number of diaspores of plants contaminating them was established. The contamination of the analyzed seeds of rapeseed grown in Western Siberia is quite high. The dominant species are hard-separable small-seeded weeds: Galium vaillantii, subgen. Galeopsis (incl. G. speciosa, G. bifida), Galeopsis ladanum, Chenopodium album, Fallopia convolvulus, Persicaria lapathifolia, Panicum miliaceum ssp. rude rale, Setaria pumila, Setaria viridis, Echinochloa crus-galli. Seeds and fruits of plant species that are of quarantine status for the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) were not detected in the studied samples. It has been established that 73% of weed species isolated from rapeseed seed samples are regulated in 33 other countries. The results obtained can be used for a preliminary assessment of the compliance of rapeseed seed lots grown in the main crop growing regions of Western Siberia with the phytosanitary requirements of potential importing countries.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is the most important agricultural crop. Currently, potatoes are cultivated on more than 18 million hectares in the world. The object of study of the presented article is Potato mop-top virus (PMTV), a serious pathogen causing damage to potato all over the world. This pest reduces the yield, causes characteristic damage to the pulp and tuber surface, which affects the commercial quality and the possibility of using them for processing. Climatic conditions in the countries where the virus is spreading are similar to those for potato cultivation in the Russian Federation. Besides, its vector, fungus Spongospora subterranea f. sp. subterranea, causing powdery scab of potato, is widespread in Russia. There are no reliable methods to control PMTV, so the virus can also adapt and spread throughout Russia. In this regard, it is important to have effective methods for detecting and identifying this organism.

The study compared a commercial real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) kit with species-specific primers for the identification of PMTV. The applicability of commercial reverse transcription kits was also evaluated. The most successful combinations of reagents for cDNA synthesis, primers, and amplification modes for the detection of PMTV were tested on potato samples taken in the Irkutsk Oblast, Volgograd Oblast and Rostov Oblast, as well as Primorsky Krai.

The article describes the history of the distribution of alien Dermestidae species, which include pests of grain crops and its derivate products, and pests of zoological collections, over the past 150 years at the regional level within the territory of the modern Russian Federation. The area formation description history for 13 Dermestidae species was described: Anthrenus picturatus Solsky, Attagenus gobicola Frivaldszky, Attagenus simulans Solsky, Attagenus smirnovi Zhantiev, Attagenus unicolor (Brahm), Megatoma tianschanica Sokolov, Eurhopalus vespulae (Milliron), Тhylodrias contractus Motschulsky, Trogoderma glabrum (Herbst), Trogoderma inclusum LeConte, Trogoderma teukton Beal, Trogoderma variabile Ballion, Trogoderma versicolor (Creutzer).

The areas of the listed species were mapped in 1870, 1915, 1980, 2000 and 2020 using the software Russia_locator_name and the saturation dynamics analysis of the geographic regions. The work is based on the analysis of literary sources.

Based on the area analysis of the 13 invasive species, the saturation pattern of Russian regions with alien Dermestidae species described.

The shift of the northern boundaries of the areas for Trogoderma teukton and Trogoderma variabile on the border with Kazakhstan is shown.

The main stages of the area formation are described, including entering international logistics networks, importation, local outbreak formation, the formation of a continuous area.

It is shown that regions with an average saturation level with alien species of pests of grain crops and its derivate products appeared in the European part of Russia and Southern Siberia by 2000, and regions with a high level of saturation – by 2020 only in the European part. For museum pests, the saturation with alien species was different. Regions with medium and high saturation levels were formed in the European part already by 1970; by 2000, regions with high saturation with alien species also formed in southern Siberia, and by 2020, in Eastern Siberia. Possible reasons for the differences in the saturation pattern for the two groups of pests are discussed.

In the past few years, the Russian Federation has seen an active development of protected ground enterprises specializing in the cultivation of vegetable crops, mainly tomatoes. Successful tomato production is influenced by a number of climatic and biological factors. Tomato plants are infected by more than 200 different pests and pathogens. Plant viral diseases are an important limiting factor for many branches of crop production, including vegetable growing. The development of molecular genetic diagnosis methods has made it possible to identify and describe new viral phytopathogens unknown until recently, for example, representatives of the genus Tobamovirus – Tomato brown rugose fruit virus, ToBRFV, and Tomato mottle mosaic virus, ToMMV. The article presents an overview of scientific information about ToMMV, methods of its diagnostics, as well as an assessment of the applicability of the kit for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This phytopathogen is new, little studied, though very dangerous, causing significant losses in vegetable crops in the countries of its distribution. Controlling viral diseases is quite difficult, therefore, the earliest possible identification and elimination of virus sources is a very important prerequisite for preventing their spread to new territories. Accurate identification of viruses down to the species level is critical to prevent the introduction and reduce the severity of viral diseases. Currently, there are some difficulties in the differentiation of the genus Tobamovirus viruses during diagnosis, associated with the similarity of the morphology of viral particles and the manifestation of a cross-reaction of antibodies.

Irradiation  has  been  tested  against  stored  product pests since 1912. Subsequently, many experiments were carried out to study the effect of ionizing radiation on insects. However, these works did not give a practical way out due to the lack of sufficiently powerful radiation sources.

Currently, the maximum absorbed dose of radiation is 1000 Gy, which made it possible to test this method with higher radiation doses.

According to the standards of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), irradiation disinfection of fruits and vegetables from tropical and subtropical pests is carried out. However, there are no recommendations for stored product pest control.

Ionizing radiation doses from 6 to 20 krads cause sterilization of stored product pests, including such a stable quarantine species as the khapra beetle (males and females). Radiation treatment with high doses from 364 to 1000 Gy causes the death of the rice weevil after three days, and the confused flour beetle – after a time interval of up to 30 days.

Sterilized  pests  continue  to  cause  damage  to regulated products, as it is a food base for them. Sterilized, but not devitalized, pests also damage the quality of regulated products, contaminating it with molting skins and waste products.

Quarantine phytosanitary treatments from stored product pests require their devitalization immediately after processing, therefore, irradiation, which provides only sterilization, cannot be widely used to protect regulated products and quarantine objects from stock pests.

The widespread use of this method is also handicapped by its high cost.