Background. The Kabardino-Balkarian Republic is one of the floristically unique territories in the Russian Federation. Its vegetation, especially in the mountainous and foothill areas, is very rich due to, inter alia, the extremely complex and diverse relief. Over 50% of the entire Caucasian flora is present in the republic, representing all main groups of plant formations, except subtropical and tropical ones. It seems relevant to search for and collect crop wild relatives as well as landraces of vegetables and cucurbits cultivated for a long time in the surveyed territory and adapted to local environmental conditions in order to add new genetic resources of these crops to the VIR collection.

Methods. The expedition route included explorations of the foothill and highland areas of Kabardino-Balkaria, and familiarization with the seed assortment available at the markets and agricultural stores in Nalchik and Prokhladny. The target areas were surveyed from August 18 through 26, 2019, by one- or two-day trips starting from Nalchik. The length of the itinerary was about 600 km.

Results. The collecting mission examined local farms and homesteads, explored the mountains, and collected 256 local and commercial cultivars of vegetable and cucurbit crops, 69 seed and vegetative samples of vegetable crop wild relatives, plus a number of fodder plant samples. Russian and foreign breeding companies whose cultivars are popular in Kabar dino-Balkaria were identified. 

Background. The collection of wild yellow alfalfas from the Medicago falcata s.l. complex maintained at the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR) is a unique genetic stock collected while exploring the ex-USSR territories from 1924 to 2018. It includes Medicago falcata L. proper, M. borealis Grossh., M. romanica Prod., M. quasifalcata Sinsk., M. difalcata Sinsk., and M. glandulosa David. Gap analysis makes it possible to assess the sufficiency of VIR’s collecting efforts in a certain locality or administrative unit and plan further collecting activities to ensure comprehensive conservation of sickle alfalfa genetic diversity.

Material and methods. Databases of the Perennial Forage Crop Genetic Resources Department at VIR, and digital maps of administrative subdivisions of Russia and neighboring countries served as the research material. The ex-USSR administrative subdivisions were accepted as operational units. For each of them, the number of ser. Falcatae Vass. species and the number of accessions per administrative subdivision were taken into account. Statistical data processing included construction of frequency tables and differentiated mapping.

Results. The coordinates of collection sites were identified for 446 accessions. Collections of six wild species within the studied complex were analyzed across the ex-USSR space, and in more detail in Krasnodar Territory.

Conclusion. The target areas were identified for further collecting activities. For Russia, the prioritized regions where the collection could be replenished are the northern frontier of the area of sickle alfalfa distribution in the European part and its eastern borderline in Siberia, both characterized by extreme environmental conditions. To increase the geographic diversity of the collection, additional collecting efforts are required, along with mobilization of accessions from the neighboring countries. 

Background. Trypsin-inhibiting activity (TIA) is one of the factors of plant immunity. This factor provides the presence of general non-specific systemic resistance. Representatives of the genus Hedysarum L. are promising medicinal and high-protein fodder plants with high TIA in the leaves. High TIA values in the aboveground part of plants lead to a decrease in protein assimilation by animals. Therefore, identifying the differentiation in the features of TIA seasonal dynamics will make it possible to use the potential of these species most effectively under the conditions of Southern Siberia.

Materials and methods. TIA in the leaves of mature generative plants of Hedysarum theinum Krasnob. and H. flavescens Regel & Schmalh. was analyzed. H. theinum is a rare species for Siberia; H. flavescens is a settled one in the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia. The studies were conducted with H. theinum in 2010 under natural conditions (Altai Republic) and in cultivation (forest zone of Western Siberia). In 2017, H. theinum and H. flavescens were studied under cultivation in the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia. The research method was based on the spectrophotometric measurement of the optical density in protein substrate (BAPA) decomposition products under the effect of trypsin (at 405 nm). Bovine trypsin manufactured by ISNBiomedical (USA) was used. BAPA (N^a -benzoyl-DL-argininep-nitroanilide) served as a substrate.

Conclusions. The TIA values in the flowering phase of seasonal plant development reached their maximum only under favorable conditions: in Altai Republic for the leaves of H. theinum, and in the foreststeppe zone of Western Siberia for H. flavescens. TIA values in H. theinum did not increase during flowering in the forest zone of Western Siberia and significantly decreased in the forest steppe. In view of these findings, these two species may be recommended for practical utilization in this phase of seasonal development. 

Background. Lodging has an extremely negative impact on barley yield: grain quality and planting properties are deteriorated, disease incidence increases, and mechanized harvesting becomes difficult, so it is important to find new sources of lodging resistance in barley and use them in crosses and breeding programs to develop non-lodging barley cultivars.

Materials and methods. Experimental work was carried out in 2018 and 2019 at Federal Agricultural Science Center of the North-East (FASC North-East), Kirov. Yield structure components and lodging resistance levels were assessed for 29 accessions from the spring barley collection. The study was based on the International COMECON List of Descriptors for the Genus Hordeum L. (subgen. Hordeum) and Methodological Guidelines for the Study and Preservation of the World Collection of Barley and Oats.

Results and conclusions. Lodging resistance was observed to have a strong correlation with yield (r = 0.72) and plant height (r = –0.60), and a medium correlation with tillering (r = 0.40) and number of nodal roots at maturation (r = 0.44). No relationship was found between lodging resistance and morphological features of the second lowest internode, which means that selection of non-lodging forms by these criteria will not be effective. Lodging-resistant accessions demonstrated higher yield, tillering, productivity, 1000 grain weight, and a longer and denser ear compared to nonresistant accessions. Accessions combining high yield with lodging resistance and a set of traits promising for breeding were identified: ‘Belgorodsky 100’, ‘Naran’ (k-30892), ‘Kazminsky’ (k-30926), ‘Shchedry’ (k-31046) (Russia); ‘Syabra’ (k-30917), ‘Raider’ (Belarus); ‘Odesssky 115’ (k-29010, Ukraine), ‘Mie’ (k-30379, Estonia), ‘Rodos’ (k-30256, Poland). 

Background. Development of new highly adaptable triticale cultivars with high yield potential and environmental resistance to adverse factors of the Middle Amur region requires a study of the collection material. One of the priorities of such research is to identify effective sources and donors among triticale accessions according to the main yield components and economically useful traits.

Materials and methods. The material was represented by spring triticale cultivars from the collection of the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR).

Results. The following cultivars were identified as promising breeding sources: ‘AC Certa’, ‘Lana’, ‘Zolotoy Grebeshok’ and ‘Ulyana’ for their optimal yield in the Middle Amur region; ‘AC Certa’, ‘Zolotoy Grebeshok’, ‘Mykola’, ‘Korovai Kharkivsky’ and ‘Victoria’ for earliness; ‘Victoria’, ‘Rovnya’, ‘Kobzar’ (Ukraine), ‘Losinovske’, ‘Zgurivsky’ and ‘Sandio’ for plant height; ‘Lotos’, ‘Yarilo’, ‘ZG 186’, ‘Oberig Kharkivsky’, ‘Tleridal’ and ‘Sandio’ for ear length; ‘Lana’, ‘Ulyana’, ‘Lotos, ‘Yarilo’, ‘ZG 186’, ‘Pamyat Merezhko’, ‘Victoria’, ‘Kobzar’, ‘Oberig Kharkivsky’, ‘Tleridal’ and’ Sandio’ for the number of spikelets per ear; ‘AC Certa’, ‘Lana’, ‘Dagvo’, ‘Pamyat Merezhko’ and ‘Kobzar’ for the number of grains per ear; ‘Ukro’, ‘Lotos’, ‘Yarilo’, ‘Rovnya’ and ‘Kobzar’ for grain weight per ear; ‘Ukro’, ‘Skory’ and ‘Rovnya’ for grain size; ‘Ukro’, ‘Skory’ and ‘Rovnya’ protein content in grain; ‘Dagvo’, ‘Kobzar’ and ‘Sandio’ for lysine content in grain; ‘AC Certa’, ‘Lana’, ‘Skory’, ‘Lotus’, ‘Yarilo’, ‘ZG 186’, ‘Pamyat Merezhko’, ‘Victoria’, ‘Rovnya’, ‘Kobzar’, ‘Losinovske’, ‘Zgurivsky’, ‘Oberig Kharkivsky’, ‘Tleridal’ and ‘Sandio’ for resistance to lodging; ‘Lana’, ‘Pamyat Merezhko’, ‘Victoria Zgurivsky’, ‘Oberig Kharkivsky’ and ‘Tleridal’ for disease resistance.

Conclusion. The selected accessions can be used in breeding programs of the Middle Amur region and other regions of the country.

Background. In the present-day situation, the problems pertaining to the nutritional quality of food and feed are quite pertinent for fodder production and cereal farming. The prospect to exploit hulless barley is regarded as a promising trend of agricultural research, because its grain contains chemical compounds of higher value than those in hulled barley. However, among the limiting factors of hulless barley cultivation, low yield should be mentioned, along with poor lodging resistance and susceptibility to fungal diseases. Therefore, the task of searching for and comprehensive studying of source material for hulless barley breeding is essential as the first step towards the development of high-yielding and adaptable cultivars.

Materials and methods. Twenty hulless barley accessions, representing 15 botanical varieties, served as the target material for the study. Their genotypes were evaluated in the northern forest steppe environments of Tyumen Province (2015– 2017) according to the guidelines developed by the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR) and field trial methods by B. A. Dospekhov. Correlation analysis was used for statistical processing of experimental data.

Results and conclusion. The degree of interactions between the studied characters was measured, and their effect size in the formation of the yield was shown for hulless barley accessions. An inverse correlation of medium strength (r = –0.37) was observed between plant height and lodging resistance, and a direct relationship between plant height and yield was recorded (r = 0.37). The yield was most closely associated with grain weight per plant (r = 0.61) and 1000 grain weight (r = 0.54). The research results showed that C.I.10975 (k-30624, Ethiopia), Liguleless (k-29894, Tajikistan), Schwarze Nackte Kraftborn (k-25788, Germany) and ‘De printempe’ (k-23491, France) had relatively high yield combined with a number of other useful traits. 

Background. In Russia, winter rye is a crop that provides food for people and feed for animals. Despite the obvious advantages of rye (high winter hardiness and drought resistance, plus the ability to grow in areas with poor soils and adverse climatic conditions), its area of cultivation has been reduced from 29 million hectares in 1913 to 872,000 ha in 2019. This situation can be improved by introducing rye cultivars with a stable yield of large grain under diverse growing conditions into commercial production.

Materials and methods. The experimental part of the work was carried out in 2012–2017, in the experimental fields of Pushkin and Pavlovsk Laboratories of VIR. The target material was the accessions of low-pentosan winter rye cultivars developed at VIR. Data processing was performed using the analysis of variance according to B. A. Dospekhov. Adaptability and stability levels were calculated using the methods by S. A. Eberhart, W. A. Russell and L. A. Zhivotkov, those of plasticity and stability using the technique by G. C. Tai, the multiplicativity coefficient according to V. A. Dragavtsev, and the coefficient of homeostasis according to V. V. Hangildin, on the basis of ‘1000 grain weight’.

Results and conclusion. The 1000 grain weight in the studied accessions varied from 30.0 to 48.2 g, with the average value of 40.8 g. The effect of the ‘test year’ factor on grain size was estimated at 65.5%, and of the ‘cultivar’ factor at 20.1%. The best conditions for large grain development were observed in 2013, 2015 and 2017 (45.7, 42.5 and 41.3 g, respectively). The most plastic, stable and homeostatic winter rye accessions were: Rushnik 2 (k-11820), ‘Krasnoyarskaya universalnaya’ (k-11818), ‘Bereginya’ (k-11822), Nika 3 (k-11823), and ‘Novaya Era’ (k-11814). The cultivars Rushnik 2, Nika 3, ‘Krasnoyarskaya universalnaya’, ‘Bereginya’ and ‘Novaya Era’ demonstrated high adaptability and can produce large grain under a wide range of varying environmental conditions. 

Background. Niedzwetzky’s apple (Malus niedzwetzkyana Dieck), native to Central Asia, has excellent prospects in the development of new cultivars with high anthocyanin content and hybrids that could be widely used in ornamental horticulture.

Materials and methods. The collection maintained at Maikop Experiment Station of VIR currently contains 17 different forms of Niedzwetzky’s apple. Most of them were introduced in 1968 from the pomological garden in Talgar, Kazakhstan. Evaluation of their phenological patterns, yield, precocity of bearing, disease resistance, fruit quality, ornamentality, etc. was based on the guidelines developed at VIR.

Results and conclusion. Characteristics and specific features for all accessions of Niedzwetzky’s apple are formatted into a table. As a result of testing, the following accessions were identified: k-2389, k-29429, k-29428, k-29430 and k-29422 for their high yield; k-29429 and k-29426 for a large fruit size; k-29429, k-29430 and k-29422 for fruiting precocity; k-29431, k-29423, k-29427 and k-2389 for a pleasant sour-sweet fruit flavor, and a number of forms with medium resistance to apple leaf and fruit scab. Of special interest are the accessions with red and dark red fruit flesh color (k-14948, k-2389 and k-13279): they are most impressive in their flowering and fruiting phases. Niedzwetzky’s apple accessions with red pigmentation are promising for the development of cultivars with higher anthocyanin content in fruit. Besides, M. niedzwetzkyana and its hybrids have good prospects as ornamental plants.

Background. Pea is the main leguminous crop in the Republic of Bashkortostan and widespread all over the world. The key role in the breeding of new pea cultivars is played by source material representing the phenotypic and genotypic diversity of Pisum sativum L., searched for in plant genetic resources collections. SSR markers are successfully used to study the DNA polymorphism of various genetic objects, including pea. However, the distribution of a number of microsatellite alleles in the genotypes of specific lines and cultivars of this valuable pulse crop remains practically unexplored.

Materials and methods. Molecular genetic polymorphism was studied in 40 pea cultivar accessions of different ecological and geographical origin from the Vavilov Institute’s genebank of plant genetic resources or developed at regional breeding centers. Microsatellite analysis was performed using 5 SSR markers from the genomic library of microsatellites (Agrogene®, France).

Results. All markers delivered good electrophoretic profiles and helped to amplify a number of alleles per locus varying from 2 (AB53) to 9 (AA355). The total number of alleles was 26, while the average number of alleles per locus was 5.2. The polymorphism information content (PIC) varied from 0.39 for locus AB53 to 0.82 for locus AA355, with the mean value of 0.60. The set of SSR markers used in the work made it possible to individualize each of the studied pea genotypes. The measured genetic distances were used to draw a dendrogram showing the distribution of genotypes according to their genetic relationship.

Conclusion. Through studying the source material for pea breeding by the SSR analysis the data were obtained that provide additional information about the genetic structure of the collection and the polymorphism of the studied cultivar accessions. The results of genotyping pea cultivars and lines can be used for their genetic identification or to select parental pairs for hybridization. 

Background. Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) gradually becomes one of the leading legume crops in Kazakhstan. The area under soybeans in the country has been increasing annually and requires the development of adapted cultivars with a higher yield, improved quality characters, and resistance to emerging fungal diseases. The enlargement of the crop’s gene pool also suggests the need to study and document local soybean accessions to meet the standards of the available world soybean collection by using reliable and informative types of DNA markers.

Materials and methods. In this study, the soybean collection consisting of 288 accessions from different countries, including 36 cultivars and promising lines from Kazakhstan, was studied. The molecular genetic analysis was performed using nine polymorphic SSR (simple sequence repeats) markers, seven of which (Satt244, Satt565, Satt038, Satt309, Satt371, Satt570 and Sat_308) were associated with resistance to three main fungal diseases of soybean – frogeye leaf spot, fusarium root rot, and purple seed stain.

Results. The average PIC (polymorphism information content) value of the analyzed SSR markers constituted 0.66 ± 0.07, confirming their highlevel polymorphism. The principal coordinate analysis suggested that the local accessions were genetically most close to the accessions from East Asia. As the collection showed a robust resistance to three studied fungal diseases in Almaty Region during 2018–2019, the distribution of the studied SSR markers in the population was not significantly associated with resistance to the analyzed diseases under field conditions.

Conclusion. SSR genotyping of the soybean collection helped to identify accessions that potentially possess resistance-associated alleles of fungal disease resistance genes. The data obtained can be further used for the development of DNA documentation and the breeding the promising cultivars and lines of soybean. 

Background. Broccoli is an early-ripening vegetable crop that contains many biologically active compounds and mineral elements. According to the Genesys database, the global genebank collections contain no more than 465 different broccoli accessions. Fourteen cultivars and hybrids developed in Russia are registered in the State Register of the Russian Federation. The need to improve the assortment in a number of important breeding target areas (small habitus, non-spawning, bud size, disease resistance, etc.) requires the use of new effective techniques, including marker-assisted selection methods and association mapping. In this regard, it seems relevant to evaluate the VIR collection of broccoli using molecular genetic markers, which will provide new source material for breeding.

Materials and methods. A molecular genetic study involved 39 broccoli cultivars and hybrid populations of different geographical origin, with various biological characteristics, and for various uses. For the analysis, 35 markers of microsatellite sequences specific to the Brassica L. genome were selected. PCR products were separated by electrophoresis on a 3% agarose gel.

Results and conclusions. As a result, 110 polymorphic fragments were identified. In the studied loci, 3 to 7 alleles were pinpointed. The discriminating power of markers ranged from 0.75 to 0.96, and averaged 0.91; the average number of fragments per marker was 4.4. Ten unique alleles and 12 rare alleles (found in less than 8% of the samples) were observed in the studied accessions. On the other hand, the 201 bp allele of the locus BC65 was found in 95% of accessions, that is, it was almost common. All used markers have a sufficiently high diagnostic value and can be recommended for DNA identification in broccoli cultivars. An analysis of the genetic similarity of the collection accessions, carried out in the DarWin program using the Unweighted Neighbor-Joining method, made it possible to establish four closely related clusters. 

Background. Identification of crop varieties is presently one of the most important aspects due a significant annual increase in the number of newly developed cultivars. Application of molecular markers makes it possible to identify cultivars and secure protection of plant breeders’ rights. Marker techniques based on SSR loci and PawS markers were evaluated for their efficiency in revealing the DNA polymorphism in Russian red clover cultivars, and the research results are presented in this publication.

Materials and Methods. The total genome DNA was extracted by a modified SDS method from 30 seedlings per each cultivar. Nine simple sequence repeats (SSR) and 4 PawS markers were used for genotyping. The basic genetic diversity parameters were measured and analyzed using the software resources GelAnalyzer 2010а, MStools v.3, and Statistica 7.0.

Results and conclusion. The mean level of intervarietal DNA polymorphism in red clover was 38.6%. Cultivar-specific amplicons were obtained for 4 accessions (cvs. ‘Trifon’, ‘Topaz’, ‘Trio’ and ‘Mars’) with SSR loci RCS1307 and RCS3095. These loci were found appropriate for identification and certification of such cultivars. The tested PawS markers (individually and in combinations) proved non-informative for the analysis of intervarietal DNA polymorphism in red clover. The only primer pair PawS5+PawS16 generated reproducible PCR products, but unique amplicons were absent in the DNA profiles. The data obtained in this study may be helpful for further identification and certification of Russian red clover cultivars and promising breeding materials. 

Background. Learning about morphological and biological features of pollen is very important to make correct estimations of plant productivity and breeding efficiency.

Materials and methods. The viability of black currant pollen was analyzed in 2019 at the Laboratory for Long-Term Storage of Plant Genetic Resources, N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR). Eleven black currant cultivars of various ecogeographic and genetic origin maintained at Pushkin and Pavlovsk Laboratories of VIR served as the material for the research. Pollen viability was tested on an artificial medium with 10% sucrose and 0.8% agar. Morphological studies were carried out using light and confocal laser scanning microscopy at the Palynology Laboratory and the Core Centrum of Cell and Molecular Technologies in Plant Science housed by the Komarov Botanical Institute (BIN).

Results and conclusion. The prevailing adverse weather conditions in 2019 produced a negative impact on the process of male generative structure formation. The level of pollen viability, depending on the cultivar, ranged from 17.98 to 58.60%. After exposure to liquid nitrogen (–196°C) for 6 months, the number of germinated pollen grains increased 1.1 to 3.2 times in all the studied cultivars, except one (‘Pozdnyaya poslevoennaya’, k-7652). A palynomorphological study revealed that reduced pollen viability in some cultivars (‘Krasnoyarskaya 1018’, k-7607; ‘Tsema’, k-25900; ‘Pozdnyaya poslevoennaya’, k-7652) was associated with morphological deviations in the sporoderm structure (small pollen grains, exine thickening and formation of verrucate mesoporium surfaces). A low positive correlation was observed between the level of pollen viability and the diameters of the pore (r = 0.43) and pollen grain (r = 0.27). An insignificant negative correlation was apparent between the level of viability and the exine thickness (r = –0.33). 

Background. The most rational way to reduce barley crop losses from diseases, pests and adverse edaphic factors is cultivation of resistant varieties. The specificity of the host– pathogen interactions necessitates a constant search for new donors of resistance for breeding, and phytosanitary monitoring of cultivars.

Materials and methods. The research material comprised 248 barley cultivars included in the State Register of Selection Achievements Admitted for Usage in the Russian Federation – 168 were developed domestically, and 80 by foreign breeders. Their resistance to powdery mildew and leaf rust was studied in under laboratory and field conditions. Barley cultivars distinguished for powdery mildew resistance were analyzed using molecular markers. In the laboratory, barley was screened for greenbug resistance. To study the sensitivity to toxic aluminum ions in barley, we used the laboratory method for the early diagnosis of the trait – the root test method.

Results and conclusions. Field and laboratory screening revealed a fairly wide diversity of barley cultivated in Russia in terms of resistance to harmful organisms and the edaphic stressor. It was established that 24 barley cultivars were resistant to powdery mildew, and 14 accessions were carriers of the effective mlo11 allele. Two cultivars manifested combined resistance to powdery mildew and barley leaf rust. In 11 cultivars, a distinct greenbug resistance was revealed. High resistance to toxic aluminum ions according to the root and sprout length indices was observed in 26 cultivars. Accessions with the complex resistance to harmful organisms and the edaphic stressor were identified. 

Background. This publication presents the results of a four-year (2016–2019) study undertaken to assess potato hybrids from the nurseries of preliminary tests and the nursery of the second tuber generation for their resistance to Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary and Rhizoctonia solani J.G. Kühn in the environments of Leningrad Province. Potato forms with a set of economically useful traits were identified as promising source material for further breeding.

Materials and methods. The study covered the interspecific hybrids developed on the basis of the following species: Solanum vernei Bitt. et Wittm., S. megistacrolobum Bitt., S. chacoense Bitt., S. demissum Lindl., S. verrucosum Schelechtd., S. stoloniferum Schlechtd., S. polytrichon Rydb., S. andigenum Yuz. et Buk., S. rybinii Yuz. et Buk., and S. tuberosum Lindl. Late blight and black scurf resistance tests were performed using the methods approved for the potato selection technology.

Results and conclusions. The possibility to select potato genotypes with high and medium resistance of their tops and tubers was ascertained under severe natural infection with P. infestans and R. solani. In the preliminary test nursery, from 4.0 to 62.0% of the tested accessions demonstrated high plant top resistance to late blight, and from 21.6 to 58.0% possessed tuber resistance. The analysis of resistance to black scurf showed that the average score for several years in the preliminary test nursery ranged from 6.3 to 7.6 points (the scale from 9 down to 1), while the percentage of highly resistant accessions was in the range of 25.9–70.7%. In the nursery of the second tuber generation, the average resistance across the years of study varied from 6.3 to 7.8 points, with the percentage of highly resistant hybrids ranging from 27.0 to 87.1%. The selected hybrids were distinguished by their increased productivity (31.4–42.9 t/ha), high marketability of tubers (89–98%), and dry matter content (16.6–19.5%). Source material with a set of economically useful features promising for breeding was identified. 

Background. Powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis (DC.) E.O. Speer f. sp. tritici Em. Marchal) is widespread and harmful in all regions of bread wheat cultivation. Severe development of powdery mildew leads to a decrease in the number and weight of grains. Growing resistant cultivars is the most environmentally friendly and economically profitable method to protect wheat from the disease. Development of such cultivars requires a search for new donors of effective genes controlling the resistance. To expand the genetic diversity of wheat for resistance to B. graminis, wild relatives of Triticum aestivum L., including Aegilops L. spp., are widely used. The aim of this work was to characterize seven Aegilops spp. for effective seedling and adult plant resistance to powdery mildew.

Materials and methods. The material of the study consisted of 437 accessions representing 7 Aegilops spp. (Ae. speltoides Tausch, Ae. caudata L., Ae. biuncialis Vis., Ae. tauschii Coss., Ae. cylindrica Host, Ae. crassa Boiss. and Ae. ventricosa Tausch) from the collection of the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR, St. Petersburg). Juvenile resistance was studied when the seedlings were inoculated with the agent of powdery mildew under controlled laboratory conditions; the adult plant resistance, after artificial inoculation of the plants and under natural infection in the fields of Pushkin and Pavlovsk Laboratories of VIR. Complex populations of the B. graminis agent were used for inoculation. The types of response to infection were scored 10 days after inoculation according to a conventional scale.

Results and conclusions. As a result of the tests, susceptibility to powdery mildew was shown in all Aegilops accessions of the D-genome group; all the studied representatives of Ae. speltoides, Ae. caudata and Ae. biuncialis were highly resistant to powdery mildew. 

Background. One of the most harmful diseases of barley in all areas of its cultivation is scald. The causal agent Rhynchosporium commune Zaffarano, B.A. McDonald & A. Linde (formerly – Rhynchosporium secalis (Oudem.) J.J. Davis) is characterized by a high level of variability, which leads to the emergence of new pathotypes and the loss of resistance of a number of cultivars. Most barley cultivars recommended for cultivation are highly affected by the pathogen. The aim of the study was to find new donors of effective barley resistance genes to R. commune.

Materials and methods. Resistance to the fungus was tested in 99 accessions of barley landraces from 18 countries under laboratory and field conditions. The experiments employed isolates and clones of R. commune isolated from plants collected in Leningrad Province. Plant resistance was scored using point scales. Genetic control of fungal resistance was studied in the selected accessions using hybridological analysis.

Results and conclusions. We identified 3 accessions of barley landraces, which retained high resistance to the fungus for six years of study in the field under inoculation with different populations of R. commune. Accessions k-31504 (Macedonia), k-31505 (Ethiopia) and k-31503 (India) are protected by R. commune resistance genes, which differ from each other, are not allelic to the previously identified effective Rrs9 gene, and manifest themselves throughout all stages of barley ontogenesis. Each of accessions k-31504 and k-31505 incorporates 2 recessive pathogen resistance genes; k-31503 carries 3 recessive resistance genes. 

Background. Powdery mildew is one of the harmful and destructive foliar diseases of cereal crops, caused by the fungus Вlumeria graminis (DC.) E.O. Speer f. sp. tritici Em. Marchal. Annual harvest losses may reach 10–15%, and up to 30% in an epidemic year. The VIR collection contains rich diversity of wheat, a valuable source of original material for wheat resistance breeding programs.

The aim of this study was to generalize the results of long-term field and laboratory investigations on powdery mildew resistance in spring bread wheat of Nordic origin from the VIR collection and search for accessions resistant in all development phases.

Materials and methods. Powdery mildew resistance was analyzed in 279 accessions originated from Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark. The tests were performed from 1961 to 2019 against a natural population of the fungus in VIR’s experimental field (Pushkin, St. Petersburg). Field and laboratory studies were carried out in accordance with the guidelines developed by VIR.

Results. The analysis of the field data on powdery mildew resistance in spring bread wheat accessions against the Pushkin population of the fungus showed that many Nordic accessions were resistant from 1970 till 1990. These data were retested in 2012–2013. One hundred and five accessions of old landraces and modern cultivars of Nordic origin were studied under field and laboratory conditions for their response to a natural population of the fungus. Accessions resistant in all phases of plant development were identified.

Conclusion. Swedish cultivars ‘Sunnan’ (k-58177), ‘Canon’ (k-60992), ‘Sober’ (k-61080) ‘Dragon’ (k-61515) and ‘Dacke’ (k-63479) preserved their resistance to the powdery mildew population beginning from 1993. Spring bread wheat cultivars ‘SW Vals’ (k-64436), ‘SW Milljet’ (k-64434), ‘SW Estrad’ (k-64435), ‘SW Vinjet’ (k-64436), ‘Zebra’ (k-64707), ‘SW Kungsjet’ (k-66036), ‘SW Kronjet’ (k-66097) and ‘Boett’ (k66353) demonstrated adult and seedling resistance in the period from 2005 to 2019. 

Background. The base for a molecular analysis is DNA of high quality. For DNA isolation, different kits or classical methods are used. For mass analysis, isolation with kits is a very expensive process. So, the objective of our investigation was to find a cheap method for high-quality DNA isolation from leaves of various thyme cultivars.

Materials and methods. Leaves cut from thyme accessions (Thymus mastichina L. cv. ‘Svetliachok’, T. striatus Vahl. cv. ‘Jubileiniy’, T. vulgaris L. cv. ‘Fantasia’, and T. vulgaris cv. ‘Jalos’.) maintained ex situ in the collection of the Nikita Botanical Gardens were used as the material for the analysis. Light microscopy was used to study leaf anatomy and localize essential oil on leaf cross sections. Essential oil was extracted on Ginsberg devices, and phenolic content was measured with The Folin–Ciocâlteu reagent (FCR). Commercial kits (DiamondDNA^TM, PureLink^® Plant Total DNA Purification Kit) and classical methods (CTAB, CTAB with 2% polyvinylpyrrolidone) were used for DNA isolation. DNA quality was evaluated spectrophotometrically, with electrophoresis (horizontal, automated system Agilent 4200 TapeStation) and PCR.

Results. The analysis showed that the leaf blade mesophyll of four thyme cultivars had inclusions with essential oil. The content of essential oil and phenolic compounds was measured biochemically. Since the plants were characterized by the presence of secondary metabolites, DNA was isolated by different methods. Spectrophotometry demonstrated that the classical CTAB method and CTAB with 2% PVP provided the best results. Using an automated electrophoresis system, the presence of high-molecularweight DNA (more than 52000 bp) in significant amounts was detected in the samples isolated with DiamondDNA^TM kit and CTAB + 2% PVP.

Conclusion. Among the tested kits and methods, CTAB + 2% PVP provided thyme DNA suitable for PCR and, presumably, for genome library preparation. The low cost of reagents for this technique makes it applicable for future mass analysis of plant material. 

Herbarium collections of the genus Camelina preserved at the Institute of General and Experimental Biology of the Academy of Sciences of Mongolia (UBA) and the Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (LE) were studied. The collections of these Herbaria contain materials of 3 species from Mongolia (C. caucasica (Sinsk.) Vass., C. sativa (L.) Crantz, C. sylvestris Wallr.) and 4 from China (C. sativa, C. linicola Schimp. et Spenn., C. microcarpa Andrz., C. sylvestris).

Background. One of the most common diseases affecting garden strawberry fruits is gray mold rot. It is capable of destroying more than half of the fruit harvest in the wet seasons observed in the Middle Urals in recent years. Largesized marketable berries are the first to be affected. The disease does not entail the plant’s death, which is one of the probable reasons why this problem has not been studied much. Strawberry cultivars yielding firmer fruit are known to be less susceptible to gray mold damage, so they can be used as source material in breeding practice. There are few such accessions in the strawberry collection maintained at Sverdlovsk Horticultural Breeding Station, and those available, being of foreign origin, demonstrate poor winter hardiness, thus precluding their use in crosses as female parents. An assessment of the damage inflicted by gray mold rot on strawberry fruit may help to identify promising source material where gray mold resistance would be combined with a set of other commercially attractive traits.

Materials and methods. The evaluated material comprised 19 selected seedlings produced from crosses between source accessions that yielded berries of different firmness. Cv. ‘Festivalnaya’ served as the reference. The study was based on conventional techniques.

Results and conclusions. As a result of the evaluation for gray mold resistance, seedling 2-45-10 (Solovushka × Dukat) was identified as a promising female parent. When compared with the reference, this seedling manifested winter hardiness, high yield, and large size of berries. Seedlings 2-54-11 (Amulet × Marmolada) and 3-45-10 (Solovushka × Dukat), with the response to freezing scored 2.0, may be involved in crosses as male parents. 

Development of heterotic hybrids is the most efficient approach to solve the problem of increasing the yield of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.), a leading oilseed crop. The cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS), widely used in rapeseed hybrid seed production, makes it possible to control hybridization between female and male lines. A review of publications on the nature of CMS systems in rapeseed and their utilization in breeding is presented. In rapeseed there are more than 10 known CMS systems of alloplasmic and homoplasmic origin. The male sterility character proved to be determined by chimeric mitochondrial genes, characterized by the presence of novel transcribed open reading frames (orf). Mitochondrial CMS genes associated with nap, pol, ogu and Nsa sterility types as well as nuclear Rf genes for pollen fertility restoration were identified. Molecular marker systems for identification of CMS-inducing and male fertility restoring genes were developed. The ogu, pol, MSL and inap CMS systems are commonly used for producing industrial rapeseed hybrids. The State Register of the Russian Federation for 2019 contains rapeseed hybrids of only foreign origin. Main achievements in domestic rapeseed hybrid production are highlighted. Research and breeding institutions developed new source material for rapeseed hete rotic hybrid breeding in various regions of the country. The sterility and fertility restoration sources were received from Canadian and French institutions as well as from domestic working collections. The yield structure traits did not deteriorate after transferring hybrid maternal lines to the sterile cytoplasm, while the glucosinolate content increased when pollen fertility restoring genes were transferred into paternal lines. Dihaploid (androclinium) lines and in vitro culture of unfertilized ovules were used to accelerate the breeding process. Experimental hybrids were developed using pol and ogu CMS.

The paper presents brief information about the history of the collection of broad (horse) beans (Vicia faba L.) at the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR), its composition, research trends, and significance for domestic breeding. The collection started in 1916 with Vavilov’s collecting activities in the Pamirs. Currently, the collection consists of 1733 accessions from 67 countries, obtained from foreign genebanks through germplasm exchange and seed requests, received from domestic and foreign breeders, and collected in numerous expeditions. Broad beans are used for food (vegetable) and feed; they are adapted to a wide range of latitudes and altitudes. A larger part of the collection is represented by fodder accessions. The main principle whereupon the collection is being augmented is the priorities of domestic breeding. The paper provides information on the botanical, environmental and geographical diversity of VIR’s broad bean collection, its level of studiedness, current research issues, and the use of the collection in the breeding process. The crop’s biological traits, characteristics of vegetable and fodder accessions, current breeding trends and source material for breeding are described. A brief analysis of the current status of broad bean breeding in Russia and VIR’s contribution to this process is presented, including the Institute’s direct involvement in the development of several cultivars of both feed and food uses. Presently, 30 broad bean cultivars are listed in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation, and 28 of them are the products of domestic breeding.

The diversity of potato genetic resources in the VIR genebank harbors one of the world’s first collections of primitive cultivated species. These accessions are native potato varieties cultivated by the indigenous population of South America. The oldest accessions in the collection are traced back to 1927. Approximately one fifth of the collection (106 accessions out of 573) is the unique material procured by VIR’s collecting missions to Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. According to S. Bukasov’s potato classification, the diversity of South American highland potatoes explored by VIR’s collectors belongs to spp. Solanum ajanhuiri Juz. et Buk., S. × chaucha Juz. et Buk., S. mammilliferum Juz. et Buk., S. phureja Juz. et Buk., S. rybinii Juz. et Buk., S. goniocalyx Juz. et Buk., S. stenotomum Juz. et Buk., S. tenuifilamentum Juz. et Buk., S.× juzepczukii Buk., and S. × curtilobum Juz. et Buk. Within this group of species, S. × ajanhuiri, S. phureja and S. stenostomum are the closest in their characteristics to ancient domesticated forms of tuber-bearing Solanum spp. This publication is an analytical review of the current composition of the primitive cultivated potato species collection and the results of its earlier studies. Ecogeographic descriptions of the sites native for cultivated potatoes and information on the sources of the accessions are presented. A large-scale evaluation of primitive cultivated potato accessions by a set of characters, carried out in field and laboratory experiments, uncovers their breeding potential and serves as the primary information platform for further indepth research. Studying S. phureja and closely related cultivated potato species is important for finding solutions of fundamental problems in plant biology. The data arrays accumulated today would facilitate targeted selection among accessions to identify most promising ones for molecular genetic studies into the gene pool diversity of potato species.