A collecting mission over the territory of Kyrgyzstan was carried out in 2014. The goal of that mission was searching for wild relative species of spinach, Spinacia turkestanica Iljin, and collecting of samples of this species. Also, collecting of vegetable crops and cucurbits as well as wild relative species of such crops was important. As a result, 49 samples of wild spinach were collected in its native habitats. Most frequently wild spinach grows in the agricultural zone of foothill regions of the Chuy and Fergana Valleys. A map of all collecting sites of S. turkestanica was made. Typical habitats of wild spinach were ruderal places and agrophytocenoses. Also, a set of wild spinach satellite species was detected. Besides, 116 samples of vegetable crops and cucurbits were purchased at the local markets; six samples of wild onion (Allium sp.) were collected in natural environments.

As a result of the experiments, data were obtained demonstrating the advantages of mixed crops as compared with single-species crops, which enhanced the understanding of the capability and advisability of growing mixed crops of grass pea and Sudan grass in the environments of Leningrad Province. Accessions with best cenotic compatibility were identified.

Presented here are the results of the study of the anatomical structure of fruitstalks in normally developed, underdeveloped and fasciated fruits of blackberry and raspberry. Specific features of the structure of tissues and vascular bundles are shown.

The article considers modern species of the genus Elaeagnus L. and life forms of E. orientalis L. in Uzbekistan. There are two types of sympodial (acrosympodial and mesosympodial) growth. Additionally, the origin of the cultivated forms of Russian olive in Central Asia is discussed.

In this paper we provide characteristics of the germplasm collection of cultivars, mutants, marker lines and recombinants of the garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) stored at the Genetics Dept. of Biological Faculty of the Lomonosov Moscow State University. A history of this collection is briefly described together with the main scopes of its application in both retrospectives and perspectives.

In this article the results of evaluating of potential and actual productivity of 39 black currant varieties are given. The sources of important components of productivity for using in breeding programs were revealed. The best cultivars that can realize their highest potential possibilities in the North-West of Russia were identified. Correlations between the potential productivity and its individual components were detected.

The varieties and wild species of apple-tree with late flowering and resistance to late spring frosts have been identified within the collection of Maikop Experiment Station of VIR. Characteristics of their biological, economical and morphological features have been given. They are recommended as source material for breeding new varieties with high resistance to late spring frosts.

Methods for identification of duplicate accessions in genebanks and the term “duplicate accession” are discussed. The results of comparative field and laboratory analysis of 112 pairs of potential duplicate accessions from the oat collections of VIR and NordGen are presented. The revealed conformity between the results of the field and laboratory tests proves the use of avenin electrophoretic banding patterns for duplicate identification in the oat collections before field testing or in case of loss of germination in the seeds of the tested accessions.

A collection of spring barley accessions was studied according to such traits as the length of the growing season, the height of the straw, resistance to lodging and fungal diseases (net blotch and dark brown spot blotch, powdery mildew, stem rust, loose smut). Sources of valuable traits for breeding were identified. Varieties sensitive to some fungal diseases were marked out.

The paper demonstrates the importance of the VIR grain legumes collection in the context of the International Year of Pulses (IYP) declared by the UN. A range of activities planned by the FAO within the framework of IYP aims to heighten public awareness of the nutritional benefits of pulses, promote their production and trade, stimulate the initiation of new agricultural projects, programs and strategies. The knowledge of modern trends in the use of pulse crops allows making a statement that the VIR collection contains the diversity of this group of crops that may be used for all possible application purposes.

The longevity of 60 varietal accessions from the red currant collection planted in 1985 and 1986 was studied in the environments of Leningrad Province. The accessions studied have different genetic and geographic origin. It is shown that the greatest longevity was observed in the varieties of domestic breeding and those which had in their pedigree such wild species as Ribes rubrum L., R. petraeum Wulf., R. multiflorum , R. altissimum Turcz. ex Pojark., R. atropurpureum C.A. Mey and R. warscewiczii Janz. Insufficient longevity was characteristic of the varieties of West European breeding - the descendants of the European species R. vulgare Lam.