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The relevance of the study is conditioned upon the necessity to explore the possible influence of chimerisation on the productivity of germinative duck chimaeras and their descendants. To obtain duck chimaeras, the method described by Aige-Gil & Simkiss and Tagirov was applied. Shanma duck embryos were used as recipients and Shaoxin duck embryos homozygous for the plumage colour gene (wild type) were used as donors. To evaluate the egg production of germinative chimaeras of ducks, the analysis of experimental animals and their control counterparts was performed. Analysis of the age of sexual maturation (laying the first egg) indicates that the chimaeras matured later. While in the control group the average age of puberty was 139±9 days, in the chimaera group it was 148±13 days. Thus, it can be concluded that in this experiment chimaeras matured later than control animals, which may be related to the effect of busulfan during the sterilisation of recipient embryos. The average live weight of ducks in the control group was lower, and the group itself was more united. Thus, in control ducks, the weight was 1422.40±57.00 g, and in chimaeras – 1608.80±94.76 g. The advantage of chimaeras over the control group in terms of live weight may be related to the fact that the control group consisted of recipients of the Shanma breed. Egg production of ducks for the entire research period was 87.5±0.05% (control) and 79.5±0.12% (busulfan). The weight of eggs in ducks of two groups for the entire period was: 70.62±0.199 g (control) and 71.15±0.157 g. Morphometric parameters of eggs of the researched groups of ducks: average values of egg length – 6.056±0.0564 cm (control) and 6.269±0.1341 cm (busulfan); egg width – 4.520± 0.0053 cm (control) and 4.529±0.004 cm (busulfan). There were no statistical intergroup differences in the morphometric parameters of the eggs of the research groups. Analysis of the productivity of daughters of germinative duck chimaeras demonstrates that, in general, the chimerisation of parents did not affect the productivity of their daughters. The analysis of the productivity of the group of daughters obtained from chimeric animals demonstrates that, by most indicators, this group occupies an intermediate place between the groups whose breeds served as donors and recipients. The method author of the research uses to obtain chimaeras is of practical value for the conservation of genetic resources

The aim of the study was to determine the effects of genotype and sex on carcass composition and selected meat quality parameters of Dworka and Pekin ducks after two reproductive seasons. The research material consisted of 24 carcasses of Dworka ducks (breeding strain D11) and 24 carcasses of Pekin ducks from the herd of genetic resources (French Pekin, strain P-9). After cooling the carcasses (18 h, 2 °C), the pH values and electrical conductivity of the pectoral and leg muscles were determined, and then the carcass was dissected using a simplified method. After dissection, the pectoral and leg muscles were sampled for quality characteristics assessment. The Dworka ducks from breeding strain D11 compared to Pekin duck from conservative strain P9 were characterized by significantly (p < 0.05) higher carcass weight, protein and salt content, thermal drip, yellowness, thickness of perymisium and endomysium and lower water content of the pectoral muscle. Dworka ducks were also characterized by higher protein, salt and collagen content and higher electrical conductivity (EC24) of leg muscles than Pekin ducks. Regardless of genotype, male ducks had a higher gutted carcass weight with neck, salt content, muscle fiber cross-sectional area, fiber perimeter and diameters of pectoral muscle, and also higher protein and collagen, and lower fat content, pH24 and electrical conductivity of leg muscles. The genotype by sex interaction was significant (p < 0.05) for water, protein, fat content, perimisium thickness, cohesiveness, springiness of the pectoral major muscle, and for water content and protein of the leg muscles. The results obtained in this study demonstrate the effects of genotype and sex on the nutritional value and some technological parameters of duck meat. The studied ducks after two reproductive seasons satisfactorily meet the requirements of duck meat for consumers and duck meat processing plants.

In the article we investigate the socio-economic efficiency of land use in agriculture. The peculiarities and tendencies of development of land relations in the conditions of a multi-faceted economy are established. The main indicators of land use efficiency are analyzed: crop yields and gross output of all categories of farms per 100 hectares of agricultural land. The economic and legal aspects of the modern land use in the conditions of the final stage of the reformation of land relations are determined. We analyzed the legal and regulatory framework for land tenure and possession (Law of Ukraine on Land Conservation, Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine “On Approval of the Norms of Optimal Crop Relations in Crop rotations in Various Natural-Agricultural Regions”, Procedure for the Development of Land Management Projects, Providing Ecological and Economic substantiation of crop rotation and landscaping). We outline the problems of raider seizure of agricultural land. We substantiated the prospects for further transformation of land use in the conditions of the formation of the land market.