Background. Plant genetic resources (PGR) mobilization, their preservation in collections (ex situ) and in plant communities (in  situ/on farm), their studying as well as systematization of the  related information in databases are not just relevant and topical  issues; they are vital to ensure food, environmental and bioresource  security of Russia. In view of this, the number of VIR's expeditions to various regions of Russia and neighboring countries to collect food,  fodder and industrial crops and their wild relatives is growing every  year. Armenia is one of the richest territories in genetic resources.  The richness and diversity of PGR in general and vegetable crops in  particular is determined by several factors, including geographical  features, soil and climate, the origin of cultivated plants, the  traditions of their cultivation and consumption, and others.

Methodology. Surveys of the planned territories were carried out  along the routes from Yerevan in different directions, and lasted from one to three days. The collecting method complied with the  Guidelines for collecting plant resources to replenish the collection of VIR.

Results. During the period from August 06 to 20, 2017, 191  collection sites were explored, and various accessions were  collected: 225 seed samples for the VIR collection, and 53 herbarium specimens of wild lettuce for VIR's Herbarium, 48 of which belonged  to Lactuca L. spp., and 5 to the species of close genera (Cicerbita  Wallr., Cephalorinhus Boiss.). The length of the route was 2,863 km.

The Peter the Great Botanical Garden of the V. L. Komarov Botanical Institute (BIN), Russian Academy of Sciences, is one of the leading  centers of arboriculture in the North-Western Russia. A majority of  representatives of the genus Ribes L. are winter-hardy and very  ornamental. There are 16 species and 2 forms in the Garden's  modern collection. All taxa, except R. biebersteinii Berl. ex DC.,  produce flowers and fruits. There are certain samples of considerable age, up to 100 years old. In recent years, in the early  21st century, the collection has continued to be replenished with new species and samples. There are a number of species and forms  promising for urban landscaping in St. Petersburg and other cities of  the North-Western Russia, and for wider distribution outside botanic  gardens: Ribes diacantha Pall., R. sachalinense (Fr. Schmidt) Nakai,  R. sanguineum Pursh, etc. Many species are valuable berry- producing shrubs, honey-yielding, medicinal and ornamental plants.  They are suitable for urban landscape architecture, city parks, or  afforestation. Besides, they are of special interest for planting in  stony plots and rocky gardens. There are considerable reserves to  replenish the collection of the Peter the Great Botanical Garden both  in the contexts of repeated (R. fasciculatum Siebold et Zucc.) or  primary introduction of Ribes taxa (R. menziesii Pursh, R. ambiguum Maxim. etc.). There are new species in the arboreal nursery of the  Botanic Garden, such as R. atropurpureum C.A. Mey., which may  occupy their permanent place in the Garden in the coming years.  The present article is based on the data of the 2017 inventory, and  has been prepared within the framework of the forthcoming  publication Annotated Catalogue of the Outdoor Collection of Living  Plants at the Peter the Great Botanical Garden.

The results of the introduction of palms have been summarized, and the assortment, opportunities and conditions of their cultivation on  the Southern Coast of the Crimea (SCC) defined. Long-term  observations on the experimental plants with an assessment of their  prospects according to a frosting scale during severe winters and  biometric measurements of their habit by instrumental methods  have been conducted. The article describes the history and results of the palms' introduction beginning from 1814 up to the present  moment. It was established that growth and development of palms  in the NBG's arboretum depend not only on their winter resistance  but also on the growing conditions and cultivation practices. The  results of the palms' introduction over a 30-year span of the  research (1984-2014) through the example of their growth and  development in the NBG's arboretum have been summed up. The  data about the characteristic habits and reproductive capabilities for  the year 1984 have been provided and compared with the same  parameters obtained in 2014 on the same experimental trees. A  picture of actual damages of various palm species during severe  winters has been shown, and the degree of their tolerance to  extreme negative temperatures determined. A promising assortment of palms tested in the NBG's arboretum has been identified, and the  conditions of their cultivation on the SCC shown. The environmental  and biological criteria influencing growth and development of 12  species of palms have been defined. Recommendations as to  agricultural practices, protection in winter, and rational utilization of palms in ornamental gardening have been provided.

Background. Studying the possibilities of jojoba cultivation for the development of the Kara-Kum Desert, improvement of the feeding  reserves in pastures, quick sand fixation, and production of bioactive  compounds for the medical and cosmetic industries is a vital problem.

Results and conclusion. Biotechnological features, origin and  distribution of the crop, the properties and structure of oil from  jojoba fruits are described. Empirical dependences have been found  under the conditions of a solar hothouse from the produced  equations of thermal and material balances in temperature,  humidity, and evaporation from a water or soil surface in 10-days  periods within a year. On the basis of experimental data and  calculation results, is may be ascertained that it is possible to  cultivate jojoba in the environments of an arid ecosystem in  Turkmenistan. The introduction of this new valuable crop is very  important to the national economy, and may help to develop deserts,  expand the feeding reserves for animals, and produce useful raw materials for many industries.

Relevance. Many species of the genus Prunus s.l. (Rosaceae) are known for their edible fruit, but they are also of interest for  processing into biofuel. Assessment of the quality of reproductive  diasporas (the degree of development of the embryo, endosperm,  and performance) of wild plant species is an indicator of the  prospects for their cultivation. The study of the peculiarities of the latent period gives valuable data for the development of methods for growing potentially useful plant species. The quality of the  emerging fruits and seeds of the wild-growing Prunus mongolica  Maxim. and P. pedunculata (Pall.) Maxim. has not yet been evaluated.

Object. Species of the genus Prunus (Rosaceae) collected in the  province of Inner Mongolia (China), which are used for introduction into the Peter the Great Botanical Garden.

Materials and methods. Stone fruit of these species were collected  in 2015 and 2016 from wild plants in the province of Inner  Mongolia, China (70 km northeast of the city of Baotou). Methods of germination and fluoroscopic analysis of drupes  were earlier described in detail by K. G. Tkachenko. To measure the  germination, the drupes were divided into two groups: the first was  cleared from the woody endocarp in order to evaluate the laboratory  germination; the second consisted of whole drupes. Both were sown  in October into ceramic pots, and buried for the winter in open  ground to check the field germination. The germinated sprouts were documented in the early June. X-ray analysis of fruits and  seeds was made on a mobile X-ray diagnostic device developed at  St. Petersburg Electrotechnical University (LETI).

Results and conclusions. The fruits of the two wild almond species P. mongolica and P. pedunculata harvested in their natural habitats  (70 km to the north-east from the city of Baotou, Inner Mongolia  Province, China) were full-fledged and plump. The main bulk was  attributed to the V and IV classes of development. The laboratory  germination of seeds freed from endocarp was 100% for both  species. Germination of the seeds of the first species was extended  in time (100% sprouted in 60 days), while with the second species,  all seeds sprouted within 15-20 days. The field germination of  unshelled drupes of these species was 57 and 63%, respectively. 

Background. In the environments of Western Siberia, oat is one of the main cultivated cereals. Six varieties of common oat are included in the State Register for Tyumen Province: 'Perona', 'Megion',  'Tyumensky Golozerny', 'Talisman', 'Otrada' and 'Foma'. Currently,  not only traditional methods of breeding are used for the  development of new cultivars of intensive type in Tyumen Province, but also biochemical markers - prolamins. The aim of the  research was to study the component composition of avenins and  allelic status of avenin-coding loci in common oat varieties cultivated in Tyumen Province as well as to identify alleles specific to the region.

Materials and methods. For laboratory analysis we used 100  kernels selected at random from each of the oat varieties.  Electrophoretic separation of avenin was carried out on vertical  plates of polyacrylamide gel.

Results and conclusion. The varieties 'Perona', 'Talisman', 'Foma' and 'Tyumensky Golozerny' were found to be homogeneous in their  avenin component composition, while 'Megion' and 'Otrada' included  two biotypes with a 2:1 ratio. Their heterogeneity is determined by  the presence of two allelic variants controlled by the Avn A locus. Clustering by the UPGMA method showed that the studied varieties  were divided into two clusters. The first cluster included 'Tyumensky Golozerny' and 'Megion', while the second harbored 'Perona', 'Talisman', 'Otrada' and 'Foma'. The genetic distance between the  varieties 'Talisman' and 'Perona' was zero, and their avenin formulas  coincided: Avn A4 B4 C2. The identity of their storage protein  spectra is due to the fact that these allelic variants of prolamin  component blocks are linked to valuable economic and adaptive  features. Blocks of the components А4, В4, С1 and С2 prevail in the frequency of occurrence in the spectra of the investigated  varieties. These blocks can act as markers of gene associations with  adaptive significance and economic value. Thus, when performing  breeding work in Tyumen Province, it is necessary to pay attention to oat varieties whose prolamin spectra contain the aforementioned blocks of avenin components.

Background. In Omsk Province there is an alternation of dry, medium moisture and wet years (respectively 40%, 30% and 20%).  This indicates the need to use barley varieties with a complex of  economically valuable traits and properties that ensure their high  yields in a wide range of varying environmental conditions.

Objects of the research were 9 varieties of spring barley developed by the Siberian Research Institute of Agriculture, Russian Academy  of Agricultural Sciences, recommended for cultivation in this region.

Materials and methods. The experimental part of the work was  carried out during 2011-2017, on the experimental fields of the  Siberian Research Institute of Agriculture, RAAS, located in the  southern forest-steppe in the vicinity of Omsk. The plot area was 10  m2, with 4 repetitions. The sowing rate was 4 million live grains per  1 hectare. Agricultural practice used for the experiments is generally  accepted in the West Siberian region. Mathematical processing was  carried out by the method of the analysis of variance; yield  adaptability, stability and plasticity parameters were calculated.

Results. The average yield of the studied barley varieties in the  environments of Omsk's Near-Irtysh area was 3.90 t/ha - it was the  mean value for the period of studies. The barley yield varied greatly  depending on environmental conditions and hereditary  characteristics of varieties, which was confirmed by the results of the variance analysis: the share of the influence of the "year of testing"  factor on the yield was 77.5%. The best conditions for the formation  of increased yields during the period of research were observed: in 2011 and 2015 (5.28 and 5.78 t/ha), with a maximum index of  environmental conditions (Ij = 1.38 and 1.88, respectively).  Unfavorable conditions were noted from 2012 to 2014: yields  decreased to 2.33 4 3.54 t/ha, with Ij = -0.36 4 -1.57. All studied  varieties exceeded the reference 'Omskiy 91' by 7.0 4 39.3%. The most adaptive among barley varieties as far as their yield is  concerned in the conditions of Omsk's Near-Irtysh region were the  varieties: 'Podarok Sibiri', 'Omskiy 99', 'Omskiy 100' and 'Omskiy  95'. The sum of the ranks of the above varieties according to their  general and specific adaptive abilities, breeding value of the  genotype, regression coefficient, stability variance, stability index. and steadiness of the stability index was 20-30.

Conclusion.  Varieties 'Podarok Sibiri', 'Omskiy 99', 'Omskiy 100' and 'Omskiy 95'  are highly adaptable and can provide high stable yields in a wide  range of variation in the natural environments of the Near-Irtysh area in Omsk Province.

Background. Information on the characteristics of the reaction of genotypes to different habitat conditions is of great importance for  solving practical problems of breeding. Table beet (Beta vulgaris L.  subsp. vulgaris) has great food significance. It is among the three  most common vegetable crops in Russia and is grown in many  climatic zones. The ecogeographic approach in evaluating VIR's beet  collection accessions is historically justified and mandatory. The  analysis of the genotype-environment interaction makes it possible  to give a comprehensive description to each accession, and reveal its potential capabilities, the level of plasticity, and the habitat.  Estimation of the level of crop yield stability in different soil and  climate zones of cultivation shows the expediency of placing a variety in specific conditions.

Materials and methods. Included in the experiment were 21 table  beet collection accessions of five different variety types varying both  in morphological features and in their origin. Evaluation of the  adaptive potential of beet varieties was carried out according to the  statistical parameters calculated on the basis of the crop's root  yields. The account was made according to VIR's Methodical  Guidelines for the evaluation and preservation of the world collection of root crops.

Results and conclusion. Testing of a set of table beet accessions  revealed significant variability in their environmental plasticity and  stability, and showed the expediency of their placement in different  agroclimatic zones. Analysis of the data identified the most adaptive  varieties of different types, characterized by the highest yield and  stability in different geographical sites of cultivation. As a result of  the evaluation, a trait-specific group of the most adaptive table beet  varieties with a broad geographic area of distribution was formed: 'Agyptische' (k-642), 'Detroit dark red turnip improved' (k-1757),  'Perfected Detroid Dark Red'(k-1815), and 'Prygaruzhnya' (k-3064).  The identified accessions of table beet can be recommended for use as source material for breeding for adaptability.

Background. Specific features of plant development and mechanisms ensuring such processes are expressly linked with the  structure of buds and hence the leaf series formed on lateral shoots.

Materials and methods. The material of the study was the shoots  of the second to fifth orders of nineteen plant samples in their  generative age (G1, G2) grown in the well-lighted habitats in the  Park of Petrozavodsk and the Park of Komarovo Town (St.  Petersburg). All buds on vegetative and vegetative-generative shoots (more than 250) were investigated. The leaf organs of the formed  seventy-nine vegetative buds of Ulmus glabra Huds. were  consistently disassembled and measured under an MBS-9 binocular.  The analysis of the development of bud scales in unfolding buds made it possible to observe structural features unavailable in a  static study of buds. 

Results and conclusions. The growth of the leaf organs in a series was found to occur in different ways. Almost completely suberized  external scales represented a thickly grown leaf base fused with  poorly developed stipules. The scales from the first to the fourth did  not grow at all when the bud was unfolding. The fifth and the sixth  scales showed weak intercalary growth during the unfolding. The tips  of the seventh up to the tenth scales were weakly suberized and had two blades which formed a cap covering the tip of  the bud. The scale which preceded the emergence of a leaf sprout with a leaf blade had on its tip pronounced lobes and a depression  between them with a rounded bottom and hairs along the edge. It  was followed by a sprout with large separated stipules, an almost  unpronounced leaf base and a differentiated leaf blade; hence, there is a threshold in the differentiation of leaf sprouts. In the axil  of each growing scale, a small dormant bud was set. Thus, the  number of leaf organs on a shoot after unfolding was 10-15, while  the leaves of the middle formation did not exceed 3-5, and besides  only one growth period was observed in a majority of U. glabra  plants in their generative age state. Using U. glabra as an example, the performance of the threshold mechanism within the  genetic program of vegetative shoot development was demonstrated.

Background. Artemisia sieversiana Willd. is a Eurasian species of the genus Artemisia L., belonging to the group of monocarpic  annual/biennial plants. This species is not only a weed, but also one  of the valuable medicinal plants of folk and Tibetan medicine.  However, the data about the species' biology and ecology are very  scanty. The study of cenoflora with the occurrence of A. sieversiana is one of the main tasks for the understanding of the species.

Results. In the Transbaikalian vegetation, A. sieversiana is  represented by three morphotypes: (1) the forest-steppe  morphotype, when individual plants are short (up to 20-25 cm) and  characterized by a very compressed paniculate inflorescence, large  baskets sitting one by one on very short stalks or peduncles; (2) the  adventive one, characterized by large sizes, the stem in the upper  half ramified into a large paniculate inflorescence, and the plant  height reaching up to 100 cm; and (3) the fallow one, with plants of  average height (20-40 cm), when the panicle is well developed, but  systems of secondary flower-bearing shoots in the sinuses of the  upper leaves are relatively poorly formed. In the flora of communities where A. sieversiana is present, 146 species of  higher vascular plants belonging to 42 families and 74 genera were  identified. Asteraceae (24%), Poaceae (11%), Fabaceae (7%),  Rosaceae (7%), Brassicaceae (6%) occupy the leading position in  the spectrum of multispecies families. Among the life forms,  perennial herbaceous plants (48%) prevail as well as annual/biennial herbaceous monocarpicles (28%). Species belonging to the taproot (34.2%), long rhizome (15.06%), racemose root  (9.5%) and root sucker (7.5%) groups are widely represented as a  result of adaptation to abrupt temperature fluctuations and lack of  moisture. Ecological analysis showed that xerophytes (25%),  mesoxerophytes (22%) and xeromesophytes (21%) occupy the  prevailing positions, which attests to the extreme continental climate in the region. Species of the mesophyte group (15%) are  represented by medium-scale percentage; these are mostly the  plants of more moderately moist soils. According to the ratio of geographic elements, meadow-steppe and steppe Eurasian  (23%), polyzonal (weedy), and Holarctic (20%) species dominate in  the cenoflora of A. sieversiana communities, with Central Asian  desert-steppe species (14%) also present. 

Conclusion. The analysis shows the special features of the vegetation of plant communities with A. sieversiana. Species of the  meadow-steppe geographic group with a wide range of distribution  are typical for them. Predominance of taproot mono- and  polycarpicles of xerophytic ecology was observed. In Transbaikalia,  A. sieversiana is differentiated into three morphotypes. With this, the forest-steppe type, if compared with the adventive and fallow forms, is distinguished by a set of morphological traits in its vegetative and  generative spheres, which may lead to its recognition as a separate botanical variety.

Background. Leaf rust (causative agent Puccinia triticina Erikss.) is a harmful disease of wheat, Aegilops and triticale in Dagestan.  Germplasm collections of bread wheat and other Triticum and  Aegilops species are studied every year in the experimental field at  the Dagestan Experimental Station of VIR (DES VIR), and evaluated  for leaf rust resistance. Monitoring of the pathogen's virulence makes it possible to assess the dynamics of the fungus's  variability and correct the results of phytopathological scores  performed in different years. The study of the Derbent population  has a long history, and has been conducted since 1970. The aim of  this work is to analyze the virulence of the P. triticina population in 2008-2017.

Materials and methods. Infectious material was represented by  leaves of bread wheat with uredopustules collected in the experimental field of DES VIR in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2016, and 2017. Populations were cloned to obtain monopustule isolates. For  this and for virulence analysis, the laboratory technique of detached  leaves preserved in the benzimidazole solution was used. In total,  144 isolates were employed in virulence studies: 32 in 2008, 37 in  2009, 14 in 2011, 14 in 2014, 26 in 2016, and 21 in 2017.

Results and discussion. The genes Lr9, Lr19, Lr24, Lr28, Lr29, Lr41, Lr42, Lr45, Lr47, Lr50, Lr51, Lr53, and Lr65 were  characterized by high efficiency. This means that wheat samples  protected by these genes will demonstrate high-level resistance in  the fields of southern Dagestan. Variations in virulence frequencies  were recorded in Thatcher lines (Tc) with the genes Lr1, Lr2a, Lr2b,  Lг2с , Lr3a, Lr3bg, Lr15, Lr16, Lr20 and Lr26. Using 20 almost  isogenic Thatcher lines (TcLr), 20 phenotypes (races) of the  pathogen were identified. Indexes of genetic distances (Nei and Fst)  indicated at the changes in the structure of the Derbent population in 2014-2017, when compared with 2008-2011. The long- term dynamics analysis (1970-2017) of P. triticina virulence using 10  TcLr lines revealed certain stability in the Derbent population  structure in 1970-2011 and its changes in the subsequent period.

Interspecific potato hybrids of various origins were analysed in the field under a strong Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary invasion  in the epidemic 2016 and 2017 seasons for foliar and tuber  resistance to late blight. Clones of the second generation were  assessed for their productivity and tuber quality. Genotypes with the  highest resistance to late blight were selected within the populations derived from the following cross combinations: 'Svitanok  Kievsky' x 96133/16, 9451/9 x 94110/8, 943/6 x 'Gitte',  9685/1 x 943/9, 'Sudarynya' x 9674/38, 'Charodey' x 943/9, 'Skarb'  x 94155/1, 'Charodey' x 91102/12 as well as in the progeny  obtained after self-pollination of the varieties: 'Udacha', 'Charodey',  'Bravo', 'Amur', 'Vektar', 'Cortney', 'Yanka', 'Zhuravinka', 'Frittella', 'Real', 'Matushka', 'Irbitsky', and accessions K-22890, 28- 06 and 85-06. Analysis of late blight resistance at early stages of the breeding process increases informativity and helps to identify  promising accessions with different field resistance levels and a set  of economically valuable traits. As a result of this research, genotypes with increased productivity and good table  quality of tubers were selected among the material possessing high  and medium resistance to the pathogen. Original hybrids will be  used as source material in the breeding programs targeted at the  development of cultivars with field resistance to late blight. There  are plans to continue and improve breeding work with such  accessions in the context of their resistance to other diseases and  environmental stress factors.