GROUNDING WITH OCREMIS OF IDENTIFICATION SIGN TO THE SONIA FOR THE METHODS OF THE DESCRIPTION OF UPOV AND VOS

Sunflower traits were described at the beginning of its discovery in America and its introduction to botanical gardens in Europe. For more than 300 years, a whole system of traits and methods of their coding has been made. In Ukraine, the Institute of Plant Varieties Expertise develops and approves the appropriate methodology for establishing difference, homogeneity and stability (VOS). The international evaluation of sunflower is carried out according to the international classification of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV). The purpose of our study was to compare the identification features of sunflower in the methodology approved in Ukraine and in the methodology adopted in Europe, to determine scientifically based and practically expedient gradations in distinguishing features. The sunflower collection of the Laboratory of Genetics and Genetic Resources of the Institute of Oil Crops of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences was used as research material to obtain practical experience and a database of trait differences. The description of the collection was carried out according to the VOS method. Based on the descriptions, a database of features was created. In both techniques, another possible feature of the leaf, "Sheen of the leaf", is not covered at all. It is determined by a small number of hairs on the surface of the leaf (pubescence) and the possible presence of a wax coating. The leaf shine feature is recognized by Cuk N and colleagues as having strong resolution. Other studies deal with glossy brown or glossy dark green colors of the leaf, which from the description have additional types of color in addition to gloss. This sign is quite stable. Therefore, in our opinion, it would be expedient to add "shine of gloss" to the VOS methodology. It is important for the understanding of any description to match the names of organs and traits. Historically, there was a mistake in the name of sunflowers in the USSR. Everyone is used to calling the flowers on the edge of the head reedy. And in the English version, there are two types of flowers: "ray" and "disk". As we can see in the translation from English, nothing indicates the shape of these flowers. In the Ukrainian version, these are "tongue" and "tubular" flowers. Both names refer to the shape of the flowers. All sunflower heads, regardless of location, can be tubular or tabular in shape. We suggest that in the list of traits of the VOS test, you should establish the true name of sunflower heads not by their shape, but by their position on the head: "ray" and "disk". The shape of ray flowers has four gradations in the BOS test and in the UPOV method. At that time, the guide offers six gradations, taking into account the tubular shape of the three species. We believe that the addition of this feature in the VOS with a greater number of gradations is expedient. The sign of the length of the top of the wrapper leaflets in VOS has four gradations, unlike UPOV where there are three of them. It does not significantly change anything in the definition of traits, it creates a difference for data exchange with other countries, therefore, when striving for unification of the description, it is easier to return to the three gradations as in UPOV. In the same way, the sign of plant height needs to change the number of gradations.A significant discrepancy in the number of gradations is observed based on the position of the head. There are nine of them in the VOS methodology, and six in UPOV. This happened due to a mathematically clear representation of the angle of inclination of the head. For the breeder, in most cases, these two additional intermediate types carry the same negative information as the neighboring ones. In addition, no one studied the inheritance of such an "unnecessary" expression of the trait, and accordingly, in European methods, this manifestation was not taken into account (it was practically combined with judicial gradations). However, the presence of nine gradations will better correspond to their practical existence. The characteristic color of the main background of the seed is determined by several genes, but each of them creates a separate type of color and can be combined with others. The number of types of colors should correspond to hair dryers due to a clear manifestation of color. Therefore, the presence of a technique for one dark brown gradation in VOS may have a genetic basis, but the gradations in the numerical expression and description of both methods do not correspond to each other. Thus, purple color is number eight in VOS, and number two in UPOV. Consequently, this feature must be brought into line for the purpose of unification and the number of classes must be considered separately from a genetic point of view. Of all the traits listed above, traits of resistance to orobanche and powdery mildew, each of which is represented by two gradations, cause the greatest misunderstanding in VOS. The biggest mistake is to attribute these traits to identification in general. Their manifestation depends on the growing conditions and the presence of an infectious agent. No field studies can identify a plant for resistance without progeny screening and the use of a special infection background. By the way, in global methods and UPOV, in particular, traits are never classified as identification. In addition, it has long been known that the causative agents of these diseases have many races that evolve, and plants have many genes, each of which is responsible for resistance to only some races. All this does not create any chance for the correct definition and use of this feature for the identification of individual plants. Summarizing the above, it becomes clear that any methods of plant description must continue to change with the accumulation of knowledge about the culture and its genetics. We propose to discuss and make changes in accordance with the conducted studies at the next revision of the General Assembly.