Climate
Climate is extremely differentiated although the continental climate with cold, windy and snowy winters and hot dry summers predominates. Such climate contributes to draughts, which happened three times a year and negatively influence on agricultural production especially on the most productive soils. Average January's temperature varies from -50 °C in the North-east region of Siberia to -5 °C in western parts of Russia. In July the scale is from 1 °C on the very north of Siberia to 24-25 °C in Caspian Lowlands. Yearly average precipitation ranges from 250 mm in Caspian Lowlands to 1000 mm in South Siberia and Far East.

Geography
Due to its size, Russia has a great variety of landscape, climate, soils and wildlife, but much of the country lacks favorable soils and climates (either too cold or too dry) for agriculture. About 75% of its territory are flat and characterized by broad plains with low hills west of the Urals to vast taiga forests and tundra in Siberia. Uplands and mountains dominate along southern border regions. About 45% of Russia's territory is forested, 4% is covered by water, about 13% is agricultural land; 19%, mostly in the tundra area, is used as pasture for deer and the remaining 19% for other purposes. Almost 40% of the territory is under permafrost. In 1995, about 221 million hectares of utilizes agricultural land were broken down into arable land, pastures and meadows; of which 2.8% is under irrigation. On average, the soils in Russia are of low fertility, ranging from acidic soils, containing few natural nutrients in the northern regions to highly fertile soils in the southern half of European Russia, in Southern Urals and in the southern fringe of Siberia.

Horticulture
As territory of Russia is very vast, almost all types of soils can be found on which all aspects of horticulture are practiced.

Research Thrusts
The two major research thrusts are the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Production and the Russian Academy of Agricultural Science.

Organisations / Institutes:
Ministry of Agriculture and Food Production
Russian Academy of Agricultural Science

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