Achievements and current trends in tomato breeding at the Primorskaya Vegetable Experimental Station – branch of the Federal Scientific Vegetable Center

Relevance. The climatic conditions of the Primorsky Territory, the determining factors of which are its geographical location at the junction of the continent of Eurasia and the Pacific Ocean, are unique, which determines the main directions of breeding vegetable crops at the Primorskaya Vegetable Experimental Station – branch of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution «Federal Scientific Vegetable Center» (PVES – branch of the FSBSI FSVC). The article provides an overview of the main achievements of the station's scientists' long-term work on tomato breeding for open ground and identifies the main tasks for further development of this area in the conditions of the south of the Russian Far East.Results. Based on the results of many years of research, the model of tomato variety of universal type for open ground was specified taking into account the requirements of the modern market of Primorsky Krai: ripeness group – medium-early or medium-ripening, short sprouting-flowering period; determinant plant, compact with medium or high foliage and medium-sized leaves (important for mechanized cultivation); brush – simple or intermediate; stalk – without articulation or with thickening (easy fruit detachment); fruit – of different shape, weight 60-100 g dry matter content not less than 5%, with uniform coloring without a spot at the stalk in milk ripeness and different coloring in biological ripeness, resistant to cracking, vertex rot, with high storability and transportability; resistance – to sudden temperature changes, soil overwatering, high temperatures and air humidity during the fruiting period, to diseases of various etiologies, primarily to Alternaria and Phytophthora. Since a significant factor in reducing the productivity of varieties are diseases (as a result of increasing aggressiveness and expansion of the species composition of pathogens), the priority at present is breeding for immunity. Within this framework, intensive search for valuable sources and creation of new source material based on hybridization, individual and family selection from the best varietal and hybrid populations is carried out. Among the achievements of breeding of PVES promising are varieties Fitilek and Echo (tolerant to Alternaria), varieties Odyssey, Patrokl and Summit (tolerant to Phytophthora), on the basis of which parental lines are created. The breeding process also involves the most adaptive open field varieties of FSVC selection and the source of group resistance to Alternaria and Phytophthora - variety Ottava 30.Conclusion. Creation of targeted breeding achievements will allow to expand the variety range and saturate the vegetable market of this economically important region of the south of the Far East Primorye with domestic varieties within the framework of the import substitution program.