Soybeans are one of the most required and profitable crops in the world. Diseases caused by fungal pathogens are one of the main factors limiting its production. The article provides information about soybean diseases common in Russia and the Far East region in particular, with the description of the course and the symptoms. In 2022, employees of FGBU “VNIIKR” conducted a survey of the phytosanitary state of soybean plantings of the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Soybean in Amur Oblast. The survey was carried out to determine the species composition of pathogens of soybean fungal diseases in the conditions of the Far East of the Russian Federation and methods for their identification. As a result of the research, fungal pathogens belonging to 14 species, 9 genera, 7 families, 5 orders and 2 classes were detected. The most numerous were members of the genus Fusarium – 6 species. The genus Colletotrichum included 4 species. The rest 7 genera were represented by 1 species. Among the detected and identified pathogens, the most harmful and economically significant are representatives of the genera Colletotrichum and Diaporthe, causing anthracnose, canker and soybean phomopsis. Three anthracnose pathogens were simultaneously detected on soybean plants – C. truncatum, C. incanum and C.sojae, which can greatly complicate control of this disease. Also, such dangerous and export-significant species for Russia were detected on soybean plants, such as Diaporthe phaseolorum var. caulivora and Phomopsis longicolla. When conducting a study of the pathogens’ morphological structures, a previously unknown D.caulivora strain was identified, containing a pycnidial stage in its development cycle. Moreover, both α- and β-spores were simultaneously present in the pycnidia. The results obtained by the cultural and morphological method were confirmed by sequencing nucleotide sequences using the internal transcribed spacer ITS of ribosomal DNA with further comparison with reference sequences in the NCBI GenBank.

Bacterial blight of pea is a main pea phytopathogen and is spread through seeds. In some countries, including those importing peas from Russia, Pseudomonas syringae pv. pisi causing bacteriosis of some leguminous crops is included in quarantine lists. Introducing detection and identification methods of the pathogen and determining resistant cultivars have become important in strategies for maintaining the level of pea exports from Russia. For this purpose, during this work, pea cultivars were selected and tested for their resistance to the phytopathogen. Five pea cultivars were planted for research. After germination occurred in the 2–3 leaf phase, 10 plants of each cultivar were inoculated with a bacterial suspension at a concentration of 106 CFU/ml. One plant was left as a negative control using sterile distilled water for inoculation. During the development of seedlings, infected plants were compared with a control sample, and the manifestation of disease symptoms was recorded. On the 22nd day after inoculation, samples of vegetative parts of the plants were taken and the presence of pathogen cells was monitored using PCR with primers AN7F/AN7R. According to the PCR results, in all plant samples (including asymptomatic ones), the presence of an amplification product with a size of 272 base pairs specific to the bacterial blight of peas pathogen was confirmed. As a result of the study, the susceptibility of pea cultivars to bacteriosis was revealed in the pea cultivars of Varyag, Altaisky Usatiy, Astronavt. The study determined that the most suitable cultivar for breeding, resistant to Pseudomonas syringae pv. pisi, was Ambrosia. The necessity of evaluating the development of phytopathogen infection symptoms together with molecular genetic methods for identifying bacterial DNA in plant cells to confirm the resistance of a cultivar to pea bacterial blight was also confirmed.

Foliar nematodes of the genus Aphelenchoides are not of quarantine status for the Russian Federation, though are regulated in some countries importing Russian products: China, Argentina, Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Chile, Mexico, etc. In accordance with international and national phytosanitary legislation, should these nematode species be detected in imported products, appropriate phytosanitary measures may be taken (for example, return, destruction, treatment or the introduction of temporary restrictions on the import of products, including grain, from Russia), which lead to significant economic costs.

Strawberry foliar nematode Аphelenchoides fragariae (Ritzema Bos, 1890) Christie, 1932 and chrysanthemum foliar nematode Аphelenchoides ritzemabosi (Schwartz, 1911) Steiner & Buhrer, 1932 are widespread in agrocenoses of Russia and affect grain and leguminous crops. Export of products from the Russian Federation requires compliance with the phytosanitary requirements of the importing country, in particular, the absence of these pests in the products. Failure to comply with these requirements may cause serious damage to Russia’s reputation as a supplier.

The tasks of the phytosanitary service are to detect these nematode species in exported regulated products, as well as to identify them in agrocenoses. Currently, there are no methodological recommendations for detection and identification for these species.

The present work studied host plants of foliar nematodes of the genus Aphelenchoides from various regions of the Russian Federation and signs of their damage by nematodes. The lists of host plants for each species have been supplemented. Damage symptoms are illustrated with original photographs by the authors.

Solanum carolinense L., Carolina horsenettle, is an invasive species of North American origin. This is a perennial vegetatively mobile plant quickly colonizing new territories. It contaminates soybean, corn, wheat crops, as well as gardens, pastures and uncultivated lands. Its main pathway is food shipments contaminated with its seeds from countries where it is widespread. The weed is extremely drought-resistant due to its fleshy, succulent roots that penetrate deeply into the soil; shade-tolerant, although prefers illuminated habitats. It grows in various soil types, and can withstand flooding. However, its underground organs are sensitive to low positive temperatures and cannot withstand negative temperatures. This limits its advance to the northern regions and mountainous areas. In recent decades, new detection cases of Carolina horsenettle have been registered in European countries in various crops, along roads, near port areas. Specialists from the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) conducted a pest risk analysis, as a result of which Carolina horsenettle was included in the EPPO list of quarantine pests with the status of a limitedly present species (EPPO..., 2022). This species is absent in the Russian Federation, though has the status of a quarantine pest, since there is a high risk of its introduction from neighboring countries (for example, from Georgia) or when importing corn, soybean, and wheat seeds (Moskalenko, 2001). In the context of ongoing global climate change, the question arises in what latitudes can Carolina horsenettle can adapt on the territory of the Russian Federation. This article is devoted to the study of the growth and development characteristics of this species under controlled experimental conditions.

Currently, there is a constant international movement of seeds for various purposes: growing food products, obtaining animal feed, applying them as medicinal raw materials, using them in cosmetology, conducting scientific research, and others.

Seeds pose a pest risk if introduced into an environment where any seed-associated pests are likely to adapt and spread.

A search was carried out for pests associated with the carrot and other Umbelliferae seeds. A systematization of the list and categorization of pests associated with Umbelliferae seeds has been made. When systematizing the generated list, the identified pests were divided into 3 groups:

– regulated pests potentially associated with carrot and other Umbelliferae seeds;

– non-regulated pest species potentially associated with carrot and other Umbelliferae seeds and spread in the Russian Federation;

– non-regulated pest species potentially associated with carrot and other Umbelliferae seeds and absent in the Russian Federation.

For countries supplying seeds of Umbelliferae crops, an integral risk index was calculated, determining the number of inspected batches of products, using a risk matrix. Based on a comparison of risk indices, a comparative rating of supplying countries was constructed according to the degree of pest risk associated with the import of carrot and other Umbelliferae seeds from these countries.

For importing countries, the importance of export potential has been established, a comparative rating of importing countries has been constructed according to the degree of severity of the phytosanitary requirements imposed by these states on carrot and other Umbelliferae seeds.

A list of quarantine objects associated with carrot and other Umbelliferae seeds, limitedly present in the Russian Federation, has been compiled.

Pest risk management measures connected with import, export and movement of carrot and other Umbelliferae seeds has been assessed.

Sheath brown rot is a bacterial disease affecting wheat, rice, corn and sorghum in almost all regions where they are grown. The causative agent is a bacterium of the species Pseudomonas fuscovaginae (ex Tanii, Miyajima and Akita, 1976) Miyajima, Tanii and Akita (1983), of quarantine status for some countries importing Russian wheat. To enhance the diagnosis of the bacterium Pseudomonas fuscovaginae in phytosanitary laboratories, the development of a method for isolating a culture from wheat seeds is required. In the study, wheat plant extracts obtained as a result of sample preparation were inoculated with P. fuscovaginae suspensions in various concentrations and sown on R2A nutrient medium. P. fuscovaginae colonies grown on plates with R2A medium were tested by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to determine the dependence of the threshold cycle on the bacteria concentration in the sample. It was determined that P. fuscovaginae isolation is possible if the sample contains bacteria in concentration 1 * 10⁴ CFU/ml and higher, which corresponds to a threshold fluorescence cycle (Ct) of 32.0 on the DTprime 5M6 cycler (DNA-Technology, Russia) and (Ct) 31.5 on the CFX cycler (Bio-Rad, USA) when using the “Pseudomonas fuscovaginae-RT” kit (Syntol, Russia). Sowing should be done in a depleting manner on R2A medium using 20 µl of concentrated seed extract and searching for colonies P. fuscovaginae 3–7 days after sowing. This technique is recommended for conducting research in laboratories in the field of phytosanitary and plant protection.