As the impact of global climate change increases, the interaction of biotic and abiotic stresses increasingly threatens current agricultural practices. The most effective solution to the problem of climate change and a decrease in the amount of atmospheric precipitation is planting extremely drought-resistant and high-yielding crops. Sorghum can grow in harsh conditions such as salinity, drought and limited nutrients, also it is an important part of the diet in many countries. Sorghum can be introduced in many zones of Kazakhstan. Plant height and yield of green plant biomass of 16 sorghum samples in arid conditions were determined based on a set of agrobiological characteristics for field screening. The height of the studied samples of grain sorghum was 0.47 ±0.03 m, and the height of sweet sorghum was much longer, reaching up to 2.88 ±0.12 m. Also, there was a strong difference in green biomass in cultivated areas under different soil and climatic conditions, the green biomass of sweet sorghum was 3.0 Mg∙ha ^–1, and in grain sorghum, it reached up to 57.4 Mg∙ha ^–1. Based on the data of the field assessment for various soil and climatic conditions, the following samples were identified for introduction into production: samples of sweet sorghum for irrigated and rainfed lands of the Almaty Region and in the conditions of non-irrigation agriculture of the Aktobe Region – a promising line ICSV 93046. For non-irrigation agriculture of the Akmola Region, genotypes of sweet and grain sorghum are ‘Chaika’, ‘Kinelskoe 4’ and ‘Volzhskoe 44’.

This paper aims to improve understanding of the drivers and barriers to digital transformation in asset management. Accordingly, this paper contributes to the literature by conducting a qualitative Delphi study with 15 experts (including academia, consultancy and industry) to identify, validate, and classify the drivers and barriers affecting digital transformation in asset management. As a result of the experts’ interactions, 20 barriers were identified. The main barriers to digital transformation in asset management are the following: Misunderstanding of the strategic importance of asset management, no clear vision/strategy, existing mindset and culture, inadequate asset management system, lack of understanding of digital trends, and lack of employee knowledge and skills. The study also highlights 12 drivers that are critical to the digital transformation of asset management. These include cost reductions, opportunities in condition monitoring of assets, expected benefits in asset management processes, expected benefits in risk management and others.

Sustainability manufacturing is crucial in many aspects in terms of environmental impact. It concerns the consumption of energy, raw materials and materials, as well as the emission of harmful substances and waste. The implementation of sustainability manufacturing requires many actions at various levels, including strategic, tactical and operational ones. In order to implement measures aimed at minimizing the negative impact of the company on the environment, employees’ competencies are needed. The article presents preliminary research on key green competencies for sustainability companies. The research was carried out in the form of individual interviews with medium and large production companies. The result of the research is the division of competencies (knowledge, skills and attitudes) into three stages of the organization’s development, indicating the key competencies for each stage of the development of sustainability management.

Propagation of linearly polarized light beams in a nematic liquid crystal cell with distinguished regions of different molecular orientation has been analyzed. Specifically, combination of the planar/homogenic and homeotropic alignment, forming thus spatially limited regions characterized by a different LC molecular orientation, has been tested, as achieved by means of the photo-orientation and photo-polymerization processes, independently. An influence of molecular orientation on the light beam propagation has been checked for different directions of the linear polarization. Thanks to the molecular reorientation induced by the low frequency external electric field and also to the reorientational nonlinearity taking place in NLCs, propagation direction of the light beam can be additionally controlled by the electric bias and/or optical power, respectively. Proposed structural solutions and techniques, related to the photo-orientation and photo-polymerization processes described in this communication, give rise to the novel LC geometries and structures. The latter act as promising candidates for new practical photonic applications as they are expected to be of a particular importance for integrated optic elements and devices.