The advantages of pre-sowing seed soaking in phytoregulator solutions such as Hitofos, Phytohit, Cytohit and some foliar feeding were shown at the time of carrot plants grew. As it was revealed previously at Breeding Production Stations, Urus-Martanovskiy region, the «Gribovchanin» carrot cultivar had a yield characteristics and quality of root that became much higher after seed and plant treatment by physiologically active substances.

The biotechnological techniques that have been elaborated for carrot breeding include the following elements: the methods of initial explant sterilization; regeneration under controlled condition for callus tissue and zygotic embryoids; anther and unpollinated ovule cultivation in vitro; genetic transformation. Mentioned biotechnological approaches were applied to develop the cultivar of garden carrot Sonata, promising hybrids F1 and family population of transgenic plants carrying the high resistance to Fusarium avenaceum.

Relevance.The contribution of varietal and environmental factors to the variability of the length of the endosperm and the embryo of carrot seeds was studied. Materials and methods. The objects of study were the original seeds of Rogneda, Lubava and Chernozemochka, Chantene 2461 and Boyarynya varieties. The seeds were grown at the Voronezh and West Siberian experimental stations. The linear dimensions of the seed and endosperm were measured using a caliper. The length of the embryo was measured using a microscope (Micromed) and a video eyepiece (DCM 300 MD) at х40 magnification. Statistical processing of the research data two-factor experiment was carried out using analysis of variance. Differences in the compared parameters were considered statistically significant at p 0.05.Results. The linear dimensions of all the main elements of seeds, as well as the index of Ie/z on average for three years significantly differed in the studied carrot varieties (P < 0.001). The maximum length of the seed (3.14±0.02 mm), the length of the endosperm (2.66±0.02 mm) and the length of the embryo (1.23±0.03 mm) on average for three years was observed in the Rogneda variety. The average coefficient of variation (V) of seed length was minimal and varied from 10.1% to 12.9%. The average values of the coefficient of variation (V) for the length of the endosperm varied in a wider range from 12.0% to 14.6%. The length of the embryo had a maximum level of variability from 18.7% in the Rogneda variety to 20.3% in the Chernozemochka variety 21.3%. The variety factor had a predominant influence (from 50.8 % to 86.5 %) on the size of the seed and its morphological elements. The contribution of the environmental conditions of the year of reproduction to the formation of morphometric parameters did not exceed 22.3 %. This allowed us to draw a conclusion about the prospects of selection and the possibility of selective changes in the morphological parameters of the seed.

The previously unknown and not wide spread pathogen of carrot, Trychothecium roseum L., was revealed. The etiology and pathogenicity of this pathogen were studied.

The developed technology, regulatory and technical documentation allowed to produce 3-5-kg packages of sterilized vegetables: potatoes, beets, carrots and cabbage, which are in great demand in the social nutrition (the army, schools, hospitals). The use of packaging for products of composite materials allows to reduce the amount of required storage space.