Background. Common buckwheat is a cereal crop with high potential for genetic improvement in terms of developing breeding material resistant to abiotic stressors. To date, there have been no reports on in vitro production of buckwheat plantlets resistant to high doses of zinc and a lack of macronutrients.

   Materials and methods. Aseptic single-node cuttings from the obtained regenerated plants of common buckwheat cultivars ‘Dikul’ and ‘Izumrud’ were cultivated in vitro on nutrient media with the addition of the selection factor ZnSO₄ × 7 H₂O in a concentration of 808–1313 mg/L. Survived plants were microcloned on nutrient media without macrosalts for mineral starvation modeling. Morphological traits and general nonspecific adaptation reactions of the plantlets were evaluated for the following characteristics: plant height, the number of internodes, the number of leaves, leaf blade length, the presence of roots, and leaf color.

   Results. According to the results of the 33-day cultivation of test-tube microcuttings on media with zinc toxicity, 33–91 % of lines resistant to ionic stress were selected in different variants. The secondary testing of the plantlets under conditions of mineral starvation in vitro turned out to be the strongest inhibitory factor for buckwheat. At the same time, high resistance to stress was observed in cv. ‘Dikul’. Cultivation of the obtained buckwheat lines on the MS nutrient medium for two passages showed a sufficiently high level of regeneration in the studied genotypes. The test-tube buckwheat plantlets obtained under selective conditions are promising material for further breeding as well as for studying the possibility of their use as phytoremediators.

   Background. Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the staple cereal crops, so it is of great interest to breeders and researchers and requires constant monitoring of existing cultivars, including the development of new ones through classical breeding and modern gene engineering. The key stage in these techniques is successful callusogenesis and organogenesis in target objects. With this in view, the regeneration potential of two spring (‘Saratovskaya 55’ and ‘Sigma’) and three winter (‘Tanya’, ‘Fisht’ and ‘Pamyat’) cultivars of bread wheat was assessed, and optimal conditions were identified for callus induction and organogenesis using mature embryos.

   Materials and methods. Immature and mature embryos of the five bread wheat cultivars were used in the study. The in vitro morphogenetic potential was evaluated under the impact of abiotic factors: preliminary exposure of grains to cold and use of exogenous hormones (2,4-D in various concentrations). Pretreatment of wheat with cold was carried out as follows: sterilized grains were incubated on the hormonal medium at a temperature of 4 °C for 2 weeks, and then transferred to 26 °C for 4 more weeks. The efficiency of callusogenesis and rhizogenesis was assessed and the numbers of morphogenetic calluses, regenerated and acclimatized plants were calculated.

   Results and conclusions. The analysis made it possible to identify the bread wheat cultivars ‘Fisht’ and ‘Sigma’ for their high morphogenetic and regenerative potential. It was also shown that exposure to cold can serve as a good stimulating factor for producing a large number of calluses, but regenerants are better induced under normal conditions. The results also depended on the concentration of hormones applied. Universal conditions for morphogenesis and regeneration were not identified.

   Background. In field conditions during the summer season, high temperatures, drought and increased levels of UV radiation produce a negative impact on plant growth and development. These stressors are capable of initiating oxidative processes in plant cells, causing an increase in the content of toxic reactive oxygen species. To stop the development of oxidative stress, plants activate their antioxidant enzyme system.

   Materials and methods. The study was carried out during the summer season in the southern region of Russia on three pear cultivars: ‘Williams’, ‘Lyuberskaya’, and ‘Flamenco’. The activity of the main enzymatic antioxidants – polyphenol oxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase; and peroxidase – was assessed in pear leaves.

   Results. The data obtained showed variability in the tested cultivars during the studied summer season. The control European cultivar ‘Williams’ had a lower level of enzyme activity in the summer of 2021, compared to the Russian cultivars ‘Lyuberskaya’ and ‘Flamenco’. In 2022, its activity indicators of polyphenol oxidase and superoxide dismutase significantly exceeded the values of cv. ‘Lyuberskaya’ only at the outset of the summer.

   Conclusion. According to the results of the study, the pear cultivars showed different levels of enzyme activity during the studied period, and their maximum growth and stable height corresponded to the warmest and driest month. The Russian cultivars demonstrated greater uniformity in the dynamics of their antioxidant activity. compared to the European cultivar ‘Williams’.

   Background. To breed drought-resistant cultivars of common wheat¹ (Triticum aestivum L.), it is important to use the gene pools of its relatives, including tall wheatgrass Thinopyrum ponticum (Podpěra) Z.-W. Liu & R.- C. Wang (= Agropyron elongatum (Host) Beauv.).

   Materials and methods. The introgressive lines of spring common wheat with T. ponticum genetic material and standard cultivars were studied in the field in the southern forest-steppe of Western Siberia using generally recognized methods. The ecological plasticity of cultivars and introgressive lines by grain yield and yield components was calculated according to the method of S. A. Eberhart and W. A. Russell. During the research period, there was a prolonged drought in 2012, and irregular short severe droughts occurred in 2013, 2014, and 2017.

   Results. An analysis of the ecological plasticity of standard cultivars adapted to the regional conditions showed that cv. ‘Pamyati Azieva’ corresponded to the extensive type, and cvs. ‘Duet’, and ‘Erythrospermum 59’ corresponded to the intensive type. Under drought conditions, the grain yield of cv. ‘Pamyati Azieva’ was determined by the stable development of productive tiller number, seed number and grain yield per main ear, but plasticity in 1000 grain weight was observed. Cvs. ‘Duet’ and ‘Erythrospermum 59’ showed ecological plasticity due to the adaptive development of two or three yield components. Introgressive lines exceeded the standard cultivars in grain yield (1.1–2.2 times) in dry seasons. Five lines were similar to cv. ‘Pamyati Azieva’ in plasticity and stability, and under drought conditions they demonstrated high and stable development of three or four yield components. The intensive lines formed their yield due to the compensatory development of three yield components in different combinations.

   Conclusion. Introgressive lines with T. ponticum genetic material are valuable for breeding spring common wheat cultivars with various drought-adaptation mechanisms.

   Background. It is important and relevant to know whether the selection among cultivars for increased stability in the weight of 1000 grains involves a significant change in grain size.

   The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between the 1000 grain weight in oat, barley and wheat accessions, on the one hand, and their adaptability indicators for this trait, on the other.

   Material and methods. The studied material included 10 cultivars of oat, 12 of barley, and 11 of wheat from the VIR collection. Plants were grown in 2021 at five different sites over Eastern Siberia (Krasnoyarsk Territory, and the Republic of Khakassia and Tyva). After harvesting, the weight of 1000 grains was measured for each cultivar. The coefficient of environmental variation (Cv), stress tolerance index (d), homeostasis parameter (Hom), stability level index (CSL), and breeding value index (Cs) were determined to assess the cultivars for the analyzed character.

   Results. Oat cultivars exhibited significantly lower plasticity and higher stability in their 1000 grain weight. The best adaptability characteristics were recorded for oat cvs. ‘Argument’ and ‘Kross’, barley cvs. ‘Krasnoyarsky 91’ and ‘Biom’, and wheat cvs. ‘Novosibirskaya 49’ and ‘Novosibirskaya 75’. Cvs. ‘Kross’ and ‘Argument’ (oat). and ‘Biom’ (barley) had the largest grain size and maximum values of the character’s stability parameters. Correlations of oat and wheat grain size with both plasticity indices were negative, and positive with all stability parameters, being significant for CSL and Cs. In the case of barley cultivars, the correlation between the weight of 1000 grains and the plasticity index was negative and statistically significant.

   Conclusion. The results demonstrate that when selecting oat, barley and wheat for increased stability of their 1000 grain weight, the grain size will not decrease. Moreover, it may have a tendency to increase.

   Background. For most regions of Russia, winter rye is an indispensable grain and fodder cereal. Recently, winter rye crops have been declining. It is possible to improve this situation by releasing cultivars that ensure consistently high grain productivity under various growing conditions. Therefore, measuring the level of adaptability for yields in different mathematical quantities using a variety of methods is an urgent need.

   Materials and methods. For an unprejudiced assessment of winter rye cultivars, the following adaptability parameters were calculated and analyzed: the intensity coefficient (I) and constancy of the stability index (Y) according to Udachin and Golovchenko; stability index (IS) according to Hangildin; range breadth (Jsp) according to Eberhart and Russell; breeding value (Sc) according to Hangildin; responsiveness coefficient (Cr.) according to Zykin; genotypic effect (Ɛi) according to Guryev; equalization coefficient (B) according to Dospekhov; multiplicativity coefficient (KM) according to Dragavtsev; and reaction effect (Er.) according to Novokhatin. Field experiments and the study of 8 winter rye cultivars were carried out according to VIR’s guidelines in 2012–2017.

   Results and conclusion. A significant variation was found in grain yield; it was induced by the high contribution of the “year” factor (79.4 %). The best conditions for higher yields were formed in 2012 and 2015. An analysis of the six-year average yield showed that cvs. ‘Rushnik 2’, ‘Bereginya’, and ‘Novaya Era’ exceeded ‘Ilmen’ by 5–22 %. It was shown that among the selected ten indicators, worth attention were the multiplicativity coefficient, the stability index, the breeding value index, the reaction effect of a cultivars, and the range breadth index: they established the adaptability level of a cultivar with higher statistical significance. Cvs. ‘Novaya Era’, ‘Yanrarnaya, ‘Bereginya’, and ‘Vavilovskaya’ from the analyzed set demonstrated high adaptability.

   Background. In the breeding of perennial grasses, the availability of a sufficient amount of seed material is of great importance, therefore, there remains a need to maintain a safety reserve of the seeds obtained and monitor their seeding quality. Studying changes in the laboratory seed germination during storage makes it possible to define the maximum period of their use.

   Materials and methods. The study employed 140 seed samples of awnless bromegrass (Bromopsis inermis (Leyss.) Holub), 300 of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), and 88 of changeable alfalfa (Medicago varia Martyn), grown in Tyumen Province in 2008–2018. Seeds were permanently stored in a laboratory at a room temperature of 18–22 °С. Laboratory seed germination was assessed according to GOST 12038-84 annually from February to April for six years (2017–2022). The obtained seed germination rates were grouped according to the seed storage duration.

   Results and conclusions. A majority of awnless bromegrass and red clover seed samples, stored without applying any special conditions, remained viable in terms of their germination (at least 80 %) for 1.5 years after harvesting, and those of changeable alfalfa up to 5.5 years. Variations in seed germination rates among the seeds obtained in different years and those harvested within the same year changed with an increase of the storage period duration (V = 3.6–29.8 %), which attested to a greater heterogeneity of the material under study and could be caused by the presence and development of pathogenic microflora on seeds. Promising seed samples for breeding or for storage, with laboratory germination rates from 79 to 50 %, can be sown with an increased seeding rate on certain plots; meanwhile, the estimated maximum practical use for the seeds of awnless bromegrass is up to 3.5 years; for red clover up to 5.5 years; and for changeable alfalfa up to 8.5 years.

   Studying plants of the wheatgrass genus as a unique and valuable fodder and phytomeliorating perennial arid xerophytic crop is of great interest to plant breeders, geneticists, biologists, ecologists, agriculturists, and forestry experts in southern regions of Russia, the ex-USSR republics, a number of European and Asia Minor countries, the U. S., Canada, and China. Accessions from the VIR collection representing five wheatgrass species were studied for the first time under the harsh conditions of extremely continental climate in the northern region of Central Yakutia. Introducing wheatgrass, widespread in this region, into cultivation, and releasing new cultivars adapted to local conditions are urgent tasks in forage production. Agropyron Gaertn. incorporates polyploid series, which expands the possibilities of using its accessions in hybridization.

   The aim of this study was to analyze and select promising accessions as sources for further use in breeding practice to develop a new cultivar for hay and pasture purposes, and identify genotypes with the best agronomic characteristics.

   Results of a three-year (2018–2020) study involving 22 wheatgrass accessions of various ecogeographic origin are presented. The accessions identified over a two-year period for their average yield of green fodder biomass were k-52382 (143.7 g/plant) from Pavlodar Region of Kazakhstan, and the Kazakh cultivar ‘Batyr’ (142.5 g/plant); for the yield of dry fodder biomass, crested wheatgrass k-52382 (on average 65.8 g/plant), k-51330 from Chelyabinsk Province (56.1 g/plant), and cv. ‘Batyr’ (53.2 g/plant); for high seed yield, Siberian wheatgrass accession k-52440 (28.4 g/m²), wild crested wheatgrass k-51330 (25.2 g/m²) and k-52380 (19.4 g/m²), and Kerch wheatgrass k-48705 (17.3 g/m²). Nutrients and energy in the tested accessions were assessed.

   Background. Monitoring of phenological rhythms in plants is one of the stages in the study of new genotypes. The adaptive potential of a genotype at the northern border of the area of plum distribution is the main criterion characterizing a cultivar. The main role in the formation of the assortment of diploid plum species in Russia is played by cherry plum, Chinese plum, and Russian plum.

   The goal of this study was to identify the factors affecting the dates of the growing season and flowering onsets for diploid plums under the conditions of Northwestern Russia.

   Materials and methods. The dates of the onsets of the vegetative and flowering phases in 50 accessions of cherry, Russian and Chinese plums in 1986–2020 served as the material for the study under the conditions of collection plantations at Pushkin and Pavlovsk Laboratories of VIR.

   Results and conclusion. All the species demonstrated a tendency towards a shift of phenodates to earlier dates with an average rate of 1-2 days/10 years caused by warming. The conditions of the year had the greatest effect on phenodates, as they determined 67.0–68.3 % of the variability in the phenophase onset dates; the impact of the species factor was manifold less: 0.5–1.1 %. Russian plum occupied an intermediate position between cherry plum and Chinese plum in the onsets of both the vegetative and flowering phases. No differences were observed between the species in the duration of the period between the onsets of the vegetative phase and flowering. According to the long-term observations, the most adaptive cultivars were cv. ‘Podarok Sankt-Peterburgu’ (k-41445) of Russian plum, with medium dates of both the vegetative and flowering phase onsets, and with a 20-day difference in years in the onsets of these phases, cv. ‘14-1-14’ (k-7375А) of Russian plum, and cherry plum cvs. ‘Pchelnikovskaya’ (k-41446) and ‘Krasnaya 25-29’ (k-15792А).

   Rye (Secale cereale L.) is the most important crop in Russia, its grain quality depends on the content of water-soluble pentosans. The grain of rye cultivars with high content of water-soluble pentosans has good baking properties, but low fodder qualities. Methods of marker-assisted selection for this trait in rye remain undeveloped. For Triticeae, the content of pentosans in grain may be associated with the GT47 glycosyltransferase genes, but the genes of this family have not been identified in rye.  The aim of this study was amplification, sequencing, and search for single nucleotide substitutions or other mutations in the GT47 gene in various rye cultivars differing in the content of water-soluble pentosans in their grain and the viscosity of their aqueous extract. DNA from rye leaves was isolated by the standard CTAB method. Based on the nucleotide sequences of the bread wheat and barley GT47 genes, universal primers were selected, then a fragment of the open reading frames of the studied gene was amplified, and the nucleotide sequences were determined by automatic capillary sequencing.

The population cultivars of rye, ‘Chulpan 7’ and ‘Podarok’, and F₁ hybrids ‘KVS Aviator’, ‘KVS Magnifico’ and ‘KVS Eterno’ were analyzed. The highest content of pentosans and the highest kinematic viscosity of the aqueous extract were found in cv. ‘Chulpan 7’. The lowest values of these indicators were shown by the hybrid cv. ‘KVS Aviator’. The analysis of the nucleotide sequences of the GT47 gene revealed the presence of single-nucleotide substitutions in seven loci, in which the studied rye cultivars differed. Of these, the high-pentosan cv. ‘Chulpan 7’ and the low-pentosan cv, ‘KVS Aviator’ differed in three nucleotide substitutions: 159 (G/A), 204 (C/T), and 327 (G/A). It is suggested that these SNPs can be used for genotyping rye cultivars for the content of water-soluble pentosans in grain.

   Plant breeding is an endless conveyor belt: cultivars developed earlier are included in hybridization plans and become the sources for new ones. The main tasks in barley improvement through breeding include raising the productivity of cultivars, improving their quality, and strengthening disease resistance. Correct selection, use, and studying of the source material – that is the key to successful breeding efforts. The first and most important step in constructing a cultivar is the process of hybridization. A valuable source of aid, and often the basis for newly developed cultivars, is the global collection of VIR, whose importance can hardly be overestimated. From 1936 to 2021, 27 barley cultivars were released: they are widely cultivated in Russia and Kazakhstan. Of these, 19 cultivars were obtained by pair hybridization; 4 cultivars by the complex stepwise hybridization technique; 4 cultivars through individual selection using the population approach. Despite the high importance of germplasm collection materials, 21 cultivars were produced by hybridization using a genotype selected at Omsk as one of the parental forms: in 16 cultivars, a local genotype was used as a maternal parent; in 12, as a paternal one; and in 8 cultivars, both parent forms were bred at Omsk Agricultural Scientific Center. Our retrospective analysis of a number of Omsk spring barley cultivars, on the one hand, confirms the earlier conclusions of Siberian scientists about a limited number of base crop cultivars, and on the other, attests to very rich pedigrees of spring barley cultivars in terms of the number of parent forms from the VIR global collection. Siberian barley ecotypes, characterized by increased adaptability to local harsh climate factors, should be further preserved in the national crop germplasm repository at VIR.

   Background. Cereals whose grain contains antioxidants salutary for human health are promising for functional nutrition. Anthocyanins inducing purple grain color are antioxidants, and it is crucial to make efforts towards increasing their content in grain.  The objective of this work was to assess the content of anthocyanins in emmer grain and the productivity of breeding lines with purple grain.

   Materials and methods. The study included the F₉ lines developed by two-step hybridization between purple-colored Ethiopian wheat (Triticum aethiopicum Jakubz. var. arraseita) and emmer (Triticum dicoccon (Schrank) Schuebl.), and those isolated in F₂ using marker-based selection for homozygous dominant alleles of two genes. The parent forms of the hybrids were a naked-grain emmer cultivar ‘Gremme’, an awnless emmer accession (k-25516) from the VIR collection, and an accession from the collection of IPK Gatersleben (Ethiopian wheat line TRI 15744), the donor of the purple color. The content of anthocyanins in whole-grain flour was measured in 12 lines, a structural analysis of plants was carried out, and their quantitative characteristics were assessed.

   Results. The highest anthocyanin content (82.5 µg per 1 g) was observed in line No. 10 of the 27-3 hybrid. The largest share of threshed naked grains (86.9 ± 7.3 %) was recorded for line No. 6 of the 31-19 hybrid. Line No. 11 of the 27-12 hybrid had the highest test weight (802 ± 13 g/L). Line No. 9 of the 27-1 hybrid showed the best index of grain productivity (389 ± 25 g/m²).

   Conclusion. Marker-assisted selection made it possible to identify homozygous dominant alleles of the two complementary interacting genes, Pp3 and Pp-B1, which cause the purple color of the grain pericarp. Breeding lines with purple-colored grain demonstrated different levels of the total anthocyanin content, test weight, and grain yield. The lines with high indices of these traits are valuable for breeding practice.

   Background. Rhaponticum carthamoides (Willd.) Iljin (Asteraceae) is a rare species for the Altai Republic (AR).  The purpose of this study was to characterize the genetic polymorphism of Rhaponticum carthamoides at the inter- and intrapopulation level in a comparative analysis for subsequent selection of seed samples from the genetically most heterogeneous natural populations of the AR for practical purposes.

   Materials and methods. The species was studied for ISSR variability in five habitats in the AR. DNA from dried leaves of R. carthamoides was isolated using the STAB method. For testing seventeen ISSR primers were used, seven of which were selected as most informative ones.

   Results and conclusion. The analysis showed that individual plants from five cenopopulations (CP) were distributed into three groups of similarity on the dendrogram. A separate clade was formed by plant samples from two CPs of the Katun Nature Reserve (KNR). Samples of one of those CPs grew on well-warmed southern slopes and exhibited a higher genetic heterogeneity than the others. The highest intrapopulation and interpopulation similarity in the distribution of DNA fragments was also found in two CPs from habitats with the smallest geographic distance from each other. Representatives of a separate population, least in size and number of individuals in the KNR, showed a high level of similarity in the distribution of DNA fragments. Significantly lower coefficients of genetic similarity with other CPs were found in plants from a small isolated CP from the Shavlinsky Protected Area. It can be assumed that one of the main reasons for the least genetic similarity of this population with others is its location in the immediate vicinity of the foothill at the pass to Achik (Ongudaysky District; absolute height: 2300 masl). This location can be a limiting factor for the exchange of genetic information with individuals from other populations.

   The effective use of maize (Zea mays L.) in agriculture depends entirely on the knowledge of its gene pool, which, in turn, needs to undergo registration and certification as new data become available. Maize is one of the model objects for applying the marker methodology. This article summarizes the results of a long-term study of the maize gene pool at N. I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR) in two main areas: identification of the world genetic diversity of maize (including the most important wild relatives for breeding use), and search for reliable protein (zein) markers of traits valuable for breeding in order to use them in improvement, seed production, and seed control of this crop. Specific examples show the effectiveness of using zein markers in the development of new inbred lines and improvement of the existing ones. On the examples of such agronomic traits as early maturity, explosiveness, and waxiness of maize grain, the possibility of controlling the “inclusion” of these traits in the breeding material with the help of zein markers has been demonstrated. Evidence of the effectiveness of applying zein markers in the selection of parental pairs to obtain highly heterotic hybrids is presented. The nomenclature of zein adopted at VIR after its separation by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) in an acidic buffer was compared with the nomenclature of zein after polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS-PAGE) adopted among the foreign scientific community. The studies were performed on a large volume of accessions from the VIR collection as well as on breeding material provided by the country’s leading breeders.

   Background. The adaptive changes during the distribution of Prunus armeniaca L. in Dagestan are important for understanding microevolution, structural and functional differentiation processes of populations along environmental gradients based on the organism’s reaction norm. They can be examined by studying leaf anatomical features, having ecologically differentiating significance in natural populations with contrasting growth conditions.

   Materials and methods. The material for the study of leaf anatomical features was taken from 7 apricot trees in 3 growing areas of Mountainous Dagestan. Comparative analysis was carried out for 42 morphological, anatomical and index parameters of the lamina and petiole.

   Results. The anocytic structure type of the stomatal apparatus was found in all apricot samples. The differences were determined by the degree of stomata submergence depending on the cuticle’s development. Trees from greater heights had more trichomes on the leaf’s upper side than on its underside. Significant differences between the extreme height reference points were recorded for the number of stomata, cells of the lower epidermis, layers of the sclerenchyma, and xylem thickness. Most of the traits of the lamina decreased, and those of the petiole increased with the altitude.

   Conclusion. The traits corresponding to the lower and upper altitude limits of P. armeniaca were identified on the basis of the lamina and petiole anatomical features. More xerophytic leaf traits were recorded for the altitudes of 550 m and 1900 m, and mesophytic ones for 1700 m and 1800 m. Endoderm thickness, number of endosperm layers, petiole index, and stomatal index were identified as stable indicators according to the reaction norm within the scope of altitudes: The differences were proved for more plastic traits (number of cells of the upper and lower epidermis, number of stomata, thickness of the lamina and cuticle, and the petiole’s long axis diameter).

   Background. Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) is a valuable agricultural plant, characterized by mostly vegetative propagation and depression of sexual process. This feature notably impedes breeding improvement of both Jerusalem artichoke and its hybrids with sunflower. That is why a detailed investigation of possible reasons for the failure of seed setting is very important for this crop.

   Materials and methods. Jerusalem artichoke accessions from the VIR collection: cvs. ‘Topianka’ (k-70), ‘М-24-29’ (k-90), ‘2М-22-29’ (k-119), Skatovsky (k-123), and ‘Kievsky krasny’ (k-170), grown at Maikop Experiment Station of VIR, were examined. The material for embryological analysis was fixed at the stage of anthesis, processed, and analyzed at the Embryology and Reproductive Biology Lab of the Komarov Botanical Institute.

   Results. A cytomorphological analysis of pollen grains and examination of anther walls and ovules with embryo sacs showed that from 51 to 95 % of the pollen grains and from 23.1 % to 66.6 % of the embryo sacs were formed normally. Abnormalities in female reproductive structures appeared more frequently but they did not determine the poor seed setting. Among the studied accessions, both cvs. ‘Kievsky krasny’, with the greatest number of abnormalities in male and female reproductive structures, and ‘Topianka’, with the smallest number, produced almost no seeds. The greatest number of seeds (from 207 to 1164) were set in ‘2M-22-29’, with the medium amount of normal generative structures, both male (pollen fertility was 81 %) and female ones (59,4 % of viable embryo sacs). Self-incompatibility observed in cv. ‘Topianka’ could cause the pollination failure, destruction of normal embryo sacs, and seed production decrease.

   Conclusion. Thus, a combination of several factors (absence of developmental abnormalities in generative structures, crosspollination, and a compatible pollinizer) is necessary for successful seed setting in Jerusalem artichoke.

   A map showing the zone of the main distribution of wild carrots Daucus carota L. in the Russian Federation was compiled on the basis of the materials available in open-access scientific publications. According to the data on the frequency of the species’ occurrence in a separate area, found in published sources, the zone of the main distribution was divided into the optimum zone, where the species occurred with the “frequently” indicators, and the pessimum zone, where it occurred with the “rarely” indicators. The locations of single finds of the species listed in areas outside the main distribution zone were marked using information from the GBIF international database. Since wild carrots are both wild relatives of cultivated carrots and weedy plants, the presented map will be in demand among both plant breeders and plant protection experts.

   Members of the Brassicaceae family are of great significance as weeds and invasive plants; they are one of the leading families of the alien fraction in the segetal floras of various regions of Russia. Among the cruciferous weeds growing over Russia, there are many species that are wild relatives to cultivated plants. Some cultivated species grow outside of their cultivation areas as ruderal and segetal plants. Among the cruciferous plants growing in Russia, 28 species out of 19 genera are regulated as harmful organisms in 33 different countries. Most of the species from this list are widespread weeds in Russia.

To establish the presence of Brassicaceae species in Russian agrocenoses, we analyzed published sources, herbarium materials stored in the Russian leading herbaria, and materials collected by the authors during field explorations in 2017–2022 in 19 subject entities of the Russian Federation.  Identification of cruciferous plants is often a rather difficult task, so the goal of this work was to develop a convenient identification key that would make in possible to identify weeds of this family found in Russian agrocenoses.  Most of the available keys are designed for fruit-bearing specimens of cruciferous plants. For phytosanitary purposes, it is important to identify plants prior to their fruiting period. Therefore, we additionally used the characters of flowering plants (including their vegetative organs) enabling us to identify cruciferous plants at the flowering stage. Based on such features, a table was made, which included all weedy species of Brassicaceae found in agrocenoses within Russia (83 species in total). On the basis of this table, an identification key was produced for the identification of genera and some species of weedy cruciferous plants. Afterwards, fractional species-specific keys were made for the genera containing species controllable in importing countries.

   Background. Potato due to its vegetative propagation is affected by viruses, among which potato viruses Y (PVY), S (PVS) and M (PVM) are spread across all Russia’s territory. The VIR collection presents the diversity of the potato gene pool, including potato cultivars and related tuber-forming species. Diagnostics of viral infections in plants saved for several years by obtaining tuber reproductions is an important part of the work on the conservation and sustainable utilization of the potato gene pool.  The purpose of the work was to evaluate the distribution of PVX, PVY, PVS and PVM on plants of potato cultivars and related Solanum spp. in the VIR field collection.

   Material and methods. Evaluation covered 315 accessions representing all groups of the potato gene pool. Diagnosis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was carried out on plants that did not display symptoms of a virus infection. The Russian test system of RPA “BioTechnologies” and foreign one of Bioreba AG (Switzerland) were used. Statistical data processing was performed by the Statistica StatSoft 13 program.

   Results. Mosaic viruses are distributed with different frequencies on potato plants in the field collection: PVM dominates, detected in 64% of potato accessions; PVY is found in 41 %, PVX on 24 %, and PVS in 18 % of accessions. The connection between the botanical and taxonomic origin of potato accessions and their infection with viruses has been confirmed. Among wild species, more than half of accessions, while among cultivated species, only 5% are affected by XBK. PVM, on the contrary, was detected in a significant part (77–91%) of cultivated potato accessions. and much less frequently (16%) in accessions of wild species. Cvs, ‘Grand’, ‘Krasa Meshchery’, ‘Yantar’ and ‘Nur-Alem’, hybrids 99-1-3, 952-35 and 914-5-2018, accessions of wild species from North America, and cultivated species Solanum goniocalyx Juz. et Buk. (k-9922) are not affected by viruses.

   Background. Information on the races of Puccinia triticina Erikss. in Novosibirsk Province is needed to identify sources of effective genes for leaf rust resistance. The goal hereof was monitoring genetic variability of the P. triticina population in the Ob riverside forest-steppe, Novosibirsk Province, and detecting effective resistance genes to develop wheat cultivars resistant to the disease.

   Materials and methods. In 2015–2019, affliction of Thatcher lines (Tc) and cultivars under the disease pressure was assessed, and P. triticina structure in the Ob forest-steppe of Novosibirsk Province was monitored. P. triticina genotypes were identified using the Long–Kolmer system. Additionally, a set of cultivars with the Lr19, Lr20, Lr28, Lr39; 6 – Lr6Agi2, Lr6Agi1, LrKu, and LrSp2 genes was employed.

   Results. A high frequency of virulence was detected for cultivars with the Lr3ka, Lr10, Lr1, Lr2a, Lr2c, Lr3a, Lr11, Lr18, Lr20, Lr30, Lr16, Lr17, and LrB genes (66.7–100 %). The P. triticina structure consisted of 27 races, including 12 common ones: TGTT GB, TGTR GB, TQTT GB, TQTR GB, TGPT GB, THFR GB, KHTT GB, PHKT GB, PQTT GB, THTP BB, PGFR GB, and SGPR GB. Genotypes with the Lr6Agi2, Lr6Agi1, LrKu, Lr39, Lr42, Lr12, Lr19, Lr24, Lr25, Lr28, Lr35, Lr45, Lr47, Lr50, Lr52, LrSp2, Lr6Agi1+Lr19, Lr6Agi2+Lr10+Lr34, Lr11+Lr13+Lr22a, Lr13+LrTb, Lr24+Lr26, Lr37+Lr13, Lr37+Lr1, Lr34+Lr13, Lr43+Lr24, and Lr49+Lr34 genes were resistant to P. triticina under the infection pressure. Some wheat genotypes varied in leaf rust resistance across the years (0–5 % for TcLr29 and TcLr21, 0–10 % for CSP 44 and TcLr44, 0–20 % for TcLr13, 1–30 % for TcLr37, and 15–80 % for Pavon F 76).

   Conclusion. The local leaf rust population has changed slightly over the years of study (the Lr18 and Lr38 genes have lost resistance), and was very different from the population before 2010.

   The paper covers the results of the civic science project that involved VIR partners – Russian Geographical Society, Russian Schoolchildren’s Movement and the Association of Communicators in Education and Science – as organizers and schoolchildren, students and their parents from different regions of Russia as participants. The project, started in 2020 with observations of a single crop – an apple tree, elicited a positive response from motivated schoolchildren and was continued in 2021–2022 with the inclusion of various fruit and berry crops. In the course of the three years of the project, a phenological database was replenished with 3340 entries made by 670 project participants.

   On June 3, 2023, we celebrated the 75th birthday of Olga Pavlovna Mitrofanova, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Chief Researcher of the VIR Department of Wheat Genetic Resources.