Middle Volga Region Research Articles

Оценка продуктивности сортообразцов рыжика ярового

The aim of the research was to evaluate the productivity and adaptability of camelina varieties in the conditions of the Middle Volga Region. The yield of camelina samples over the years of research varied within the range of 1.52 to 1.72 t/ha. The collection numbers k-4164 (Sweden) and k-4178 (Armenia) demonstrated high yields (1.71 and 1.72 t/ha, respectively), which exceeded the common Yubilyar variety by 0.09 and 0.10 t/ha, correspondingly. The sample from Armenia (k-4178) was characterized by the maximum adaptability (1.07) and homeostasis (28.7) coefficients. The sample from Sweden (k-4164) was remarkedly strong by ecological resistance, genetic flexibility and stability. All the studied samples had a high selection value.

Agroecological Assessment of Arable Lands in the Middle Volga Region

The article presents the results of a soil study in the Saratov Oblast, particularly in the Khvalynsk District. Soil-ecological and reclamation characteristics of the studied soils are provided. Sampling was conducted using the envelope method, and agrochemical analysis was performed in accordance with standard methodologies. The study examined the content of organic matter, NPK complex (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), iron, copper, and manganese. Soil fertility was assessed based on the availability of essential nutrients. The findings indicate low levels of macro- and microelements in the soil.

MACROMYCETES AS INDICATORS OF ANTHROPOGENIC POLLUTION OF FOREST ECOSYSTEMS WITH HEAVY METALS

Mycobiota is a group of living organisms characterized not only by high resistance to anthropogenic factors, but also by the ability to accumulate such substances as heavy metals. This property allows the use of certain macromycetes in environmental monitoring of forest ecosystems. Objective. The aim of the study is to determine the influence of abiotic and anthropogenic factors on the accumulation of heavy metals by fruiting bodies of macromycetes. It can help to assess the forest ecosystem pollution by pollutants in the Middle Volga region. Materials and Methods. Fruiting bodies of dominant macromycetes (soil and wood-destroying fungi) were studied in forest ecosystems with different levels of anthropogenic load. Lead, nickel, copper, cadmium, zinc, cobalt and iron content was determined. The sampling areas were the park of Ulyanovsk city “Vinnovskaya grove”, a site in the Ulyanovsk forestry (2 km from Ulyanovsk) and a site in the Kuzovatovo forestry (100 km from Ulyanovsk, control). The sample areas were of a similar forest site type. Results. It was revealed that among ecological groups of macromycetes, the sorption capacity in relation to the total amount of heavy metals is most clearly expressed in mycorrhiza-forming fungi. In the evolutionary development, a decrease in the content of pollutants was observed as we move from obligate saprotrophs to obligate parasites, i.e. from evolutionarily old to evolutionarily young species. Under the increasing impact of the anthropogenic factor, HM Accumulation in soil fungi is more intensive than in wood-destroying ones. It is explained by the type of substrate on which the fungi grow. In the ecological chain “soil - wood - tinder fungus” an increase in the content of heavy metals is observed as we move from saprotrophs to the highest trophic link of consumers.

Contacts of Kazan business circles and the Tatar educator K. Nasyri

The article, dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the Tatar scholar and encyclopedist Kayum Nasyri (1825–1902), highlights the contacts between the educator and the Tatar business circles of Kazan. In the second half of the 1850s – 1860s, Nasyri acted as a representative of the Moscow guild merchant, his elder brother Gabdelkhay. In the following decades, in most cases, the educator contacted entrepreneurs as a home tutor of the Russian language and secular subjects for their sons, as well as a translator of documents and a writer of petitions. It was these contacts that provided a stable income, part of which he invested in publishing his works. Only in the 1870s, several entrepreneurs – supporters of the dissemination of socially relevant information among Muslims – became partners with Nasyri as a publisher of his annual calendars. In general, the cooperation of booksellers with Nasyri was local in nature and was based on the conjuncture of the book market. For this reason, K. Nasyri was forced to publish works at his own expense and sell them himself. For citation: Zagidullin I.K. Contacts of Kazan business circles and the Tatar educator K. Nasyri. From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2025, vol.15, no.1, pp. 133–147. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2025-15-1.133-147 (In Russian)

Woman: worker, defender, mother (based on the memoirs of participants in the Leningrad siege of 1941–1944)

The article analyzes the memoirs of people who survived the siege of Leningrad in 1941–1944. The study is conducted through the prism of Maslow's pyramid, and the identification and structuring of issues raised in the memoirs allow us to consider the transformation of human needs in extreme conditions of wartime. Memoirs help to identify the conditions in which families survived and the responsibility that lay on women, not only working, but also on duty in air defense units, dealing with issues of nutrition, organization of everyday life and daily life in general, sanitary conditions of family members, in creating an environment of mutual support and care. In the course of the analysis of memories, general and specific plots and assessments were revealed concerning intra-family relations, organization of everyday life, provision of food, sanitary living conditions. An analysis of the plots and facts allows us to conclude that the need for relationships and belonging to a family were the basic foundation, without which it was impossible to achieve and solve all the others – food, water, shelter, warmth, security, consisting of stability, health, lack of fear. For citation: Sinova I.V. Woman: worker, defender, mother (based on the memoirs of participants in the Leningrad siege of 1941–1944). From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2025, vol.15, no.1, pp.89–99. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2025-15-1.89-99 (In Russian)

Peculiarities of demographic behavior of the Kazan province nobles in the second half of the 19th century

The article is devoted to the models of demographic behavior using the example of the nobles of the Kazan province in the second half of the 19th century. The study was conducted on the basis of the Genealogical Dictionary of the Nobles of the Kazan Province and a number of memoirs. Without claiming to be comprehensive, individual cases or groups of cases related to birth rate, marriage and mortality are studied. These characteristics are compared with those of representatives of other classes of the population of Russia as a whole and changes are shown over five decades of the second half of the 19th century. It is concluded that the demographic behavior of representatives of the upper class in this period was characterized by a new type of relationship that developed as a result of the emancipation of women. In connection with this, there were changes in the marriage age of noblewomen, and the first attempts to regulate the birth rate were made. Promising directions for further research are outlined. For citation: Mironova E.V. Peculiarities of demographic behavior of the Kazan province nobles in the second half of the 19th century. From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2025, vol.15, no.1, pp.38–45. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2025-15-1.38-45 (In Russian) Financial Support: The research was carried out at the expense of a grant provided in 2024 by the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences to young candidates of science (postdoctoral fellow) for the purpose of defending a doctoral dissertation.

Muslim woman in the context of modernization processes of the early 20th century (based on materials of the Ufa province)

The article is devoted to the study of the participation of Muslim women in the social and cultural life of the Ufa province in the early 20th century. At the turn of the century, Ufa became a major center of the Russian ummah. The Orenburg Mohammedan Spiritual Assembly was located in the provincial center. Considering this circumstance, as well as the specifics of the region (confessional diversity), the historical experience of the Muslim women's movement in the Ufa province is of great interest. Based on a wide range of sources, the work examines the forms of manifestation of the socio-cultural activity of Muslim women under the influence of modernization, closely related to the process of formation of fundamentally new social institutions and the evolution of traditional institutions. The effectiveness of various initiatives of the Muslim women’s society is revealed. The study showed that the socio-political situation prompted the consolidation of Muslim women. They had more opportunities for self-realization, especially in the provincial capital, to reveal their creative potential and form an active life position. As a result, liberal circles of the Muslim clergy recognized the need to reconsider their attitude toward the social status of women. For citation: Akhtyamova A.V. Muslim woman in the context of modernization processes of the early 20th century (based on materials of the Ufa province). From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2025, vol.15, no.1, pp. 68–88. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2025-15-1.68-88 (In Russian)

Letters of Kazan merchant's wife M.V. Myasnikova to her husband as a historical source

The article analyzes sources of personal origin – letters of Kazan merchant's wife Matryona Myasnikova to her husband, a well-known bookseller in Russia in the first half of the 19th century, merchant Andrei Gavrilovich Myasnikov. All the letters were written during periods when the merchant was forced to leave home on business. They reflect important events in the life of Kazan: the arrival of Emperor Nicholas I in 1836, the bringing of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God (in 1843, 1858). The letters help to clarify some features of the book trade and can also serve as a source for reconstructing women’s everyday life and intra-family relations in the merchant environment of the first half of the 19th century. For citation: Koreeva N.A. Letters of Kazan merchant's wife M.V. Myasnikova to her husband as a historical source. From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2025, vol.15, no.1, pp.10–25. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2025-15-1.10-25 (In Russian)

On the traditional norms of the marriage age of Tatar women at the turn of the 19th – 20th centuries (sources, methods of analysis and interpretation)

For a long time, there have been views in historiography about Tatar women getting married at a young age. This was also facilitated by contradictory statements on this matter by various authors of pre-revolutionary times. In many ways, this view arose due to the lack of a full-fledged analysis of mass statistical sources, such as parish registers and census materials from the turn of the 19th – 20th centuries. This publication not only analyzes the literature on this issue, but also offers the results of examining the data of the 1926 census, which provide reliable information on the marriage age of Tatar women at the turn of the 19th – 20th centuries. Indirect information on this issue is also available in the materials of the First General Population Census of the Russian Empire in 1897. Taken together, these materials allow us to conclude that the majority of Tatar women at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries got married at a fairly mature age, and this was the case for all ethnoterritorial groups of the Tatar people. For citation: Iskhakov D.M. On the traditional norms of the marriage age of Tatar women at the turn of the 19th – 20th centuries (sources, methods of analysis and interpretation). From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2025, vol.15, no.1, pp.46–54. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2025-15-1.46-54 (In Russian)

“Women’s world” of a merchant family in the Russian Empire of the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries

The article, based on an analysis of sources of personal origin, examines the “women’s world” in a merchant family as a complex of characteristics that make up a complex dynamic structure, which included the factor of consciousness and individual personal qualities of the merchant’s wife, behavior in everyday life and attitude to various moral values. Possessing a certain worldview and lifestyle, the mistress of a merchant family created a specific socio-cultural reality in it. The merchant women were charged with the responsibility of educating the younger generation in Christian morality, respectful attitude towards elders and methods of social interaction. By forming spiritual and moral attitudes in the process of raising children, implementing functions for housekeeping, maintaining a certain psychological microclimate among household members, participating in philanthropy, merchant wives became actors, that is, active subjects, whose activities were ultimately aimed at maintaining the authority of the merchant family, which positively influenced its business reputation. For citation: Maslova I.V. “Women’s world” of a merchant family in the Russian Empire of the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries. From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2025, vol.15, no.1, pp. 26–37. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2025-15-1.26-37 (In Russian)

On the 150th anniversary of Musa Jarullah Bigiev

The article is devoted to an overview of the significance of the scientific and religious-social activities of the outstanding Tatar religious thinker, theologian and philosopher of the first half of the 20th century Musa Jarullah (Yarullovich) Bigiev, whose 150th anniversary is celebrated in 2025. For citation: Khairutdinov A.G. On the 150th anniversary of Musa Jarullah Bigiev. From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2025, vol.15, no.1, pp.148–154. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2025-15-1.148-154 (In Russian)

Abdurrashit Ibragimov on the problems of marriage ceremony (nikakh) and marriage among the Tatars: an ethnopsychological aspect

The publication provides an analytical review of the article by Abdurrashit Ibragimov (1857–1944), “Nikyakh vә kyzny kiyaүgә birmәk” (“The marriage ceremony and the marriage of the daughter”), devoted to the criticism of negative phenomena in the practices of marriage (nikakh) and the arrangement of family life among Muslim Tatars. Being a prominent Tatar religious and public figure, who knew the life of his fellow tribesmen in all its nuances and subtleties, A. Ibragimov considered it extremely important to find happiness and well-being not only for the Muslim Ummah as a whole, but also for each of its members individually. For this reason, he drew attention to and criticized the ethno-psychological features of marriage, which are contrary to the interests of girls. The appendix contains a commented transliteration of the source from the Old Tatar language. For citation: Khairutdinov A.G. Abdurrashit Ibragimov on the problems of marriage ceremony (nikakh) and marriage among the Tatars: an ethnopsychological aspect. From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2025, vol.15, no.1, pp. 109–119. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2025-15-1.109-119 (In Russian)

Book review: Dolgov E.B. Architectural pearl of the Kazan Kremlin: the governor’s palace in the past and present (Kazan, 2024)

The review presents the characteristics of the book, which was published in 2024 by a Russian scientist, candidate of sciences E.B. Dolgov. The publication is dedicated to the history of the construction of the governor’s palace of the Kazan Kremlin, the activities of the governors of the Kazan province, as well as the leaders of the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and the Republic of Tatarstan. The review highlights the relevance, great scientific and practical significance of the reviewed work, which covers a period of more than three centuries – from the formation of the Kazan province, when the first governors appeared, until the beginning of the 21th century. The advantages of the book are noted, as well as the problematic field for future scientific research, the starting point for which it should serve. For citation: Koreeva N.A. Book review: Dolgov E.B. Architectural pearl of the Kazan Kremlin: the governor’s palace in the past and present (Kazan, 2024). From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2025, vol.15, no.1, pp.120–132. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2025-15-1.120-132 (In Russian)

Tatar woman at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries: traditions and innovations in child care

The article examines the everyday practices of Tatar families in the sphere of childhood. Traditional aspects of child care, conditioned by the Muslim worldview, are outlined. The author emphasizes that Tatars and outside observers had different views on the organization of child care. Educated Tatars were critical of their own traditions. The article identifies the main domestic assistants in child care: wet nurses, nannies, older children; various strategies for choosing nannies, assessment of their work in ego-documents, age and ethnocultural features are analyzed. In addition, the article includes an episode related to the construction of new terms in pedagogy by Tatar publicists of the early 20th century. Fot citation: Gabdrafikova L.R. Tatar woman at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries: traditions and innovations in child care. From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2025, vol.15, no.1, pp.55–67. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2025-15-1.55-67 (In Russian) Financial Support: The research was carried out at the expense of a grant provided in 2024 by the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences for the implementation of fundamental and applied scientific work in scientific and educational organizations, enterprises and organizations in the real sector of the economy of the Republic of Tatarstan.

“I am probably the happiest person in the world”: Saima Safievna Karimova

The article examines the life of the Hero of Socialist Labor, Honored Geologist of the RSFSR Saima Safievna Karimova (1926–2013) in a concept updated from the point of view of women's history. In the 1960s and 1980s, S.S. Karimova had All-Union fame as the head of the geological exploration complex in the South Yakut coal basin. Its success in completing the exploration of the Neryungrinsky coal deposit is now well known due to widely available information from open sources. Based on an in-depth interview conducted in 1994, this article presents exclusive material that reveals S.S. Karimova as a whole person, her worldview as a professional, wife, mother, and representative of the Tatar people. Many-hours' conversation with her led to the conclusion that the status achieved in society and a brilliant career do not give a woman a full sense of happiness. Having reached the top in professional growth and deservedly awarded valuable regalia, Saima Safievna, by her own admission, was not ready to repeat her fate if such a hypothetical opportunity presented itself. She summed up our meeting with the words: “A woman is naturally destined for something different, higher: family, home, children”. For citation: Gallyamova A.G. “I am probably the happiest person in the world”: Saima Safievna Karimova. From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2025, vol.15, no.1, pp.100–108. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2025-15-1.100-108 (In Russian)

Первые геологические исследования А.П. Павлова (Мезозой Поволжья)

The article examines first independent research of Aleksey Pavlow in the Middle Volga region (summer of 1883). The results obtained during his first field season were partially presented in his master's thesis, defended in the spring of 1884, and determined the topic and region of Pavlow's main scientific interests for many years to come. Main issues of Pavlow's master’s thesis are listed and the results of their refinement by subsequent researchers up to the present day are presented.

Feeds prepared with domestic bio-preservative in feeding of lactating cows

In the context of the import substitution strategy, the preparation of bulk feeds for farm animals with domestic biopreservatives is an important task of food security of the state. Therefore, research aimed at creating environmentally friendly agents for preserving the quality and nutritional value of feed, in particular biopreservatives is of great importance. The purpose of the research was to study feed prepared with a domestic biopreservative in feeding of lactating cows. The biological preservative Silo Twice has been developed, researched and implemented under the conditions of the Middle Volga region, the use of which in alfalfa haylage and corn silage helped to optimize metabolism, increased milk productivity of cows and improved the technological properties of milk. The biological eff ectiveness of the infl uence of the biopreservative Silo Twice on improving the quality of bulk feed and ensuring their safety as well as the economic efficiency of the implementation of this ration has been established. Thus, the use of haylage with the biopreservative Silo Twice in the ration of lactating cows resulted in an increase in the level of profitability of milk production over 90 days of the experiment by 33.1 and 12.9 abs.%, and over 305 days of lactation by 32.8 and 18.0 abs.% compared to the control (without preservatives) and 1st experimental (with the biopreservative Sil All 4×4) groups. The use of silage with the biopreservative Silo Twice in the ration of lactating cows resulted in an increase in the profi tability of milk production for 90 days of the experiment by 39.4 and 19.6 abs.%, and for 305 days of lactation by 29.5 and 16.2 abs.%, compared to the control (without preservatives) and 1st experimental (with the biopreservative Sil All 4x4) groups. Within the framework of the priority direction of import substitution, in order to improve the financial and economic indicators of agro-industrial enterprises, it is recommended to use the biopreservative Silo Twice when preparing silage and haylage in the amount of 1 g per 1 t of ensiled raw materials, preliminarily diluted in water according to the instructions.

Soviet Economic Policy in Middle Volga Region during Early 1920s

This article examines the implementation of the New Economic Policy (NEP) in the Tatar Republic, Ulyanovsk, Samara, and Saratov provinces. The institutional principles governing the organization of the internal market, developed within the framework of Lenin’s project, are identified as the foundation of economic activity. The results of a comparative analysis of the regional network are presented. It is established that the rapid growth of trade was driven by the dynamics of absolute indicators in the private sector and the strengthening positions of state and cooperative sectors. It is emphasized that while there was a shift towards state entities in provincial trade turn-over, a balanced ratio of trading competitors with an advantage for private capital was observed in the Tatar Republic. The study argues that the revival of market conditions, influenced by prior experience, initiated an evolutionary direction for the policies being implemented. It is shown that regulation reflected a measured approach by authorities towards private competition and their desire to critically assess their actions regarding cooperation. However, instances of incompetence and simplified solutions to pressing issues suggest that the legitimization of arbitrary state power to interfere in the recovery process is merely a matter of time. The author concludes that the counterbalance to the destructive force of class hatred can only be found in the constructive potential of social partnership, which builds an economy based on compromise.

Cesium-137 Distribution Patterns in Bottom Sediments of Beaver Ponds in Small Rivers in the North of the Volga Upland, European Russia

This paper presents the results of the analysis of the redistribution of cesium-137 (137Cs) in the bottom sediments of beaver ponds in two small rivers in the forest-steppe north of the Volga Upland, which is one of the most contaminated areas of the Middle Volga region (European Russia) with artificial radionuclides. This study is based on fieldwork materials, laboratory analyses of the specific radioactivity of 137Cs in soil and bottom sediment samples, their granulometric composition, and the content of organic matter in them. The obtained results indicate a significant decrease in the specific activity of 137Cs in the direction from near-water-divide surface soils (on average, 54 Bq/kg) to the bottom sediments of beaver ponds of the studied rivers (on average, no more than 6 Bq/kg). A weak (statistically insignificant) tendency towards a decrease in the specific activity of 137Cs in the bottom sediments of beaver ponds downstream of rivers was also revealed. With this detected trend, no statistically significant relationship was found between changes in 137Cs and changes in the granulometric composition of bottom sediments. However, a relatively good relationship was identified with changes in the content of total organic matter. The stage-by-stage accumulation of sediment thickness in one of the beaver ponds was revealed, with the highest concentration of 137Cs in the layer with the highest content of finely dispersed fractions and organic matter. The obtained results indicate that for a correct quantitative assessment of the migration of pollutants (including radioactive ones) in floodplain-channel systems, it is necessary to consider beaver structures (primarily ponds), which act as zones of their intensive accumulation.

УРОЖАЙНОСТЬ СОРТОВ СОИ РАЗЛИЧНОГО ПРОИСХОЖДЕНИЯ В УСЛОВИЯХ ЗАПАДНОЙ СИБИРИ

The studies were carried out in 2012–2022 in the southern forest-steppe of Western Siberia on the fields of the laboratory for the selection of leguminous crops of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution of the Omsk ARC according to generally accepted methods. The purpose of research is to search for valuable sources for breeding and the creation of high-yielding soybean varieties adapted to the soil and climatic conditions of the forest-steppe of Western Siberia. Of the 243 collection samples of VIR of foreign selection, studied for the first time, 128 pieces matured. (52.8%). Valuable for breeding are varieties: Maple Ridge and Optimus (Canada); Fiskeby 4 (Sweden), Sito (Germany), Varsovie (Poland); Avanta, SibNIISKhoz 6, Bezenchukskaya uluchshennaya, Lydia (RF) and others. It is extremely risky to cultivate varieties that are not included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements for the 10th region, since they are not early enough and not stable in yield. For 2012–2023 the state register of the Russian Federation includes 7 early maturing soybean varieties bred by the Omsk ANC, of which 5 (Zolotystaya, Sibiryachka, Cheremshanka, Sibiriada, Sibiriada 20) are recommended for the 10th region. They need to be introduced into production in the forest-steppe of Western Siberia. On average, over 11 years, the yield of Omsk soybean varieties in the Competitive variety trial amounted to 2.79 t/ha, in favorable 2016 and 2017. – more than 3.5 t/ha. The Omsk Agricultural Research Center has created a new early maturing variety Sibiriada 20, which has been included in the State Register of the Russian Federation since 2023 and approved for use in the Central, Volga-Vyatka, Middle Volga, Urals, West Siberian and East Siberian regions. In 2018–2022 in the Competitive variety trial, its average seed yield was 3.11 t/ha (0.49 t/ha higher than the Sibiryachka standard), the maximum in 2018 was 4.46 t/ha.