Relevance. The creation of varieties with a complex of economically valuable traits, resistant to biotic and abiotic environmental factors, is the main direction in melon breeding. The market for vegetables and melons and gourds is very dynamic, the demands for varieties are constantly changing, therefore, it is necessary to introduce new varieties with high taste and commercial qualities, as well as capable of producing high yields in a changing climate. The aim of the work is to produce a new melon starting material for use in the breeding process.Materials and methods. At the Bikovskaya cucurbits breeding experimental station – branch of the Federal state budgetary scientific institution "Federal scientific vegetable center", research was carried out from 2018 to 2020. The object of research is samples from the collection of VIR, foreign and domestic selection, hybrid combinations obtained as a result of intervarietal hybridization. Collection samples of melon were studied in the nursery of the source material: 84 samples from the VIR collection, 26 samples of domestic and foreign selection were studied.Results. As a result of the research, samples of melon with economically valuable traits were identified that meet the requirements of selection. Paired crosses with zoned varieties of local selection were carried out with them. As a result of hybridization, hybrid combinations F1 were obtained, from which the best ones were selected for further breeding work. The obtained collection samples and hybrid combinations were evaluated in terms of taste, yield, resistance to environmental abiofactors, dry matter content, large-fruited, attractive color of the fruit and pulp As a result received a new source material for the selection of new varieties and hybrids of melons with valuable economic traits. The resulting hybrid combinations of F1 melon were tested against an infectious background. Hybrid combinations with the best performance will be further studied in a breeding nursery.

The article presents a literature review on fasciation in pumpkin crops. In almost all pumpkin crops, you can find such a phenomenon as fasciation. However, it is more common in cucumbers and pumpkins than in melons and watermelons. Fasciation (or crystallization) is a change that can occur in the morphology of plant organs and usually includes expansion of the apical meristem of the shoot, flattening of the stem and changes in the arrangement of leaves. In pumpkin crops, the fasciated organs are often whips, flowers and fruits. A number of authors divide fasciations into inherited and non-inherited. The first are caused by internal reasons. The second is the effect of external factors, such as insect damage, injury, weather conditions. According to literature data, fasciation is caused by 1-2 recessive genes with incomplete manifestation and variable expression, which depends on a number of factors, including environmental conditions. The opp gene may have a pleiotropic effect on fasciation and leaf arrangement. In Federal Scientific Vegetable Center in spring film greenhouses, among the selection and collection samples of cucumber, fasciated plants ranged from 0 to 1.9%, depending on the genotype of the studied samples and the year of research (growing conditions). According to literature data, fasciation is more often observed in short-fruited, but it can also be detected in long-fruited forms of cucumber. Fused fruits are more likely to appear on cucumber hybrids with a large number of ovaries in the node. It should be noted, that highly fasciated plants are usually less productive, and most fasciated fruits are often classified as non-standard and rejected. Regular culling by breeders of fasciated samples and plants, within individual samples, will allow to create varieties less prone to fasciation. And compliance with the recommended varietal agrotechnics, improvement of the ecological situation will help to significantly reduce the number of fasciated plants and fruits and improve the marketability of products.

The results are reflected, which confirm the effectiveness of foliar fertilizing with organic fertilizer Agrohelate for melon plants of early varieties Tamanskaya and Strelchanka. A single treatment of plants in the seed plots in the flowering phase and the beginning of the growth of the first ovary contributed to better pollination. More than half of the fruits with typical varietal characteristics were selected for seed extraction: Tamanskaya varieties – 51.4% and Strelchanka varieties – 51.0%. The mass of fruits in the Tamanskaya variety increased noticeably by 0.16...0.23 kg on average, in the Strelchanka variety – by 0.12...0.42 kg. The data on the increase in the content of dry soluble substances in the pulp of the fruits of the first two harvests of melon variety Strelchanka by 0.8 ... 1.6% are given. In the pulp of Tamanskaya melon fruits, there was a tendency to increase the content of dry soluble substances. Fertilizer Agrochelate had an impact on the seed productivity of melon varieties. In the fruits of the Tamanskaya variety, 122–145 more seeds were ripened, and the number of feeble and unripe seeds was 5.5–7.2% less than in the fruits of the control variant. The number of puny and unripened seeds in the fruits of Strelchanka melon variety was 10% less. In weight terms, on average, 2.6 g more seeds were isolated from each fruit of the Tamanskaya variety than in the variant without treatment. A noticeable increase in the yield of seeds in the variety Strelchanka was not observed. Application of foliar application with organic mineral fertilizer Agrochelate did not affect the mass of seeds. The indicators of sowing qualities of seeds were high in all variants of the experiment: germination energy – from 58.1 to 81.5% and germination - from 90.7 to 97.3%. The analysis of the obtained results substantiates the feasibility of applying top dressing with Agrochelate organic fertilizer.

In Uzbekistan, there is a demand of the population for fresh melon fruits during the off-season. In the Research Institute of Vegetable, Melon Crops and Potato for the first time studies were carried out, when grown in a greenhouse, on the vegetative grafting of melon’s Zarkhal variety on the vegetable marrow varieties used as rootstocks. The aim of the research was to study the effect of vegetable marrow rootstocks on the variability of economically valuable traits of the Zarkhal melon variety and to identify promising combinations of vegetable marrow rootstocks that increase the yield and quality of melon fruits.Methods. The studies were carried out in accordance with the guidelines of the World Vegetable Center. As a control, ungrafted plants of the Zarkhal melon variety were used. For comparison with the control, plants of this variety were grafted onto their own plants. Also, plants of the melon variety Zarkhal (scion) were grafted in combinations on 10 varieties of vegetable marrow, which served as rootstocks. Vegetative grafting of melon on vegetable marrow rootstocks was carried out “in a split” in the phase of the first true leaf when the stem diameter reached 4.1–4.3 mm and plant height 4.4–5.9 cm.Results. In comparison with the control, in combinations of grafting the Zarkhal melon variety onto the Grecheskiye 110, Unumdor, Delicates and Skvorushka varieties of vegetable marrow, the flowering of paternal and female flowers, the onset of fruit formation was observed 2 days earlier. In the same combinations, fruit ripening was observed on 81-82 days, which is 4-5 days earlier than the control (86 days). They also had the tallest plants (203-205 cm), the plants formed 2-4 leaves more than the others. Marketable yields between combinations ranged from 7.89 to 9.75 kg/m2 . The melon variety Zarkhal, grafted onto its own plants, lagged behind the control in all phases of development and yield. The early yield in combinations was from 3.95 to 5.75 kg/m2 and amounted to 53-59% of the yield. The average fruit weight varied from 785 to 810 g.

Relevance. The soil and climatic conditions of the Lower Trans-Volga region are considered favorable for melon growing and make it possible to obtain high-quality products. The purpose of the research was to create new competitive varieties and hybrids of melon and pumpkin.Materials and methods. The object of the research is new varieties of melon and butternut pumpkin created at the Bykovskaya melon breeding experimental station. Melon cultivar Osen and pumpkin cv. Zhemchuzhina were used as standards. The methods of creation are intervarietal hybridization, individual and mass selection. During the growing season, appropriate observations and counts were carried out.Results. As a result of many years of breeding work at the Bykovskaya cucurbits selection experimental station, a melon cultivar 251 and a pumpkin cultivar 509 have been created. both producers and consumers. Therefore, the obtained varieties were evaluated for taste, yield, resistance to biological and abiofactors of the environment, dry matter content, fruit size, fruit and pulp color. During the comparative assessment of the accessions, it was determined that the new varieties of melon and pumpkin exceed the standards in terms of the main economically valuable traits. The average yield during the study, in the melon cultivar 251, exceeded the standard by 47.8%. In the pumpkin cultivar, the average yield for three years of research exceeded the standard by 69.6%. In terms of taste, the new melon variety was at the level of the standard, the cv. Osen. A variety of butternut pumpkin exceeded the standard in all quality indicators. The susceptibility to powdery mildew in the melon cultivar varied depending on the year of research. The melon sample showed resistance to anthracnose higher than the standard by 16.4 and 18.6%, over the years of study. In the pumpkin cultivar, resistance to powdery mildew and anthracnose was higher than the standard, on average by 34.9% to powdery mildew and by 28.6% to anthracnose. Thus, new varieties of melon and pumpkin meet the modern requirements of the industrial melon industry, are resistant to environmental stress factors, common diseases, and have economically valuable traits.

Melon crops have long been non-traditional crops in the Amur region, being grown in small quantities in household plots, while the climatic conditions of Southern Priamurie are favorable for their large-scale cultivation. The results of the study of 10 samples of watermelon and 4 samples of melons of domestic selection in the conditions of the southern zone of Amurskaya Oblast are presented. According to the evaluation of the collection, 7 samples of watermelon are selected: Start, Graal F1, Fronder, Vektor, Skorik, Rapid, Foton, and 2 samples of melon: Alisa F1 and Lolita. They are characterized by sufficiently early ripeness, high and stable yield of marketable fruits of good taste. These varieties and hybrids are promising for cultivation in the south of Amurskaya Oblast. The characteristics of these varieties are summarized and recommendations for their cultivation are offered.

9-23 August, 2011 Russian-Kazakh-Japanese expedition around south territory of Kazakhstan was conducted and the resulting 145 accessions of local and new entries of melon, watermelon, pumpkin and cucumber were gathered to be included into genetic collection of Vavilov Research Institute of Plant Industry. To all these accessions have been given a detailed description based on morphological, economical and biochemical characteristics.

Relevance. The main direction of breeding melon Bikovskaya cucurbits breeding experimental station – branch of the FSBSI FSVC is the creation of varieties with valuable economic characteristics, especially with resistance to bioand abiotic environmental factors. To meet the needs of commodity producers and the population, varieties are needed not only with high yields, but also attractive appearance, good taste qualities. Very important: the rich color of the bark background, the proportional shape of the fruit and the sweet juicy pulp.Materials and methods. The research was carried out in 2020–2022 at the Bikovskaya cucurbits breeding experimental station – branch of the FSBSI FSVC. The object of research is melon varieties created over the past five years. The Osen variety was used as a standard. The main method of selection work with melon is intervarietal hybridization followed by individual selection.Results. Melon varieties were evaluated according to valuable economic characteristics, 6 best varieties were identified in comparison with the standard. In terms of yield, 2 varieties were distinguished (16.3 t/ha and 17.3 t/ha); in terms of dry matter content, 2 varieties (19%); in terms of large-fruited 1 variety (6.0 kg); in terms of the bright color of the bark background, 1 sample (bright yellow).

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is the most spread melon crop in Uzbekistan. More than 130 local varieties of melon are cultivated in various regions of the republic. Every year melons and gourds are cultivated on the area of 150 thousand hectares. The most harmful diseases of the melon are powdery mildew and Fusarium wilt. All local varieties of melon are susceptible to these diseases. Annually from these diseases, the yield of melon is reduced by 20-25%. The most effective way to combat these diseases is to develop resistant varieties. The Research Institute of Vegetable, Melon Crops and Potato has carried out long-term selection work to create melon varieties resistant to powdery mildew and Fusarium wilt. Breeding local varieties of melon with economically valuable traits and high test quality with genes for resistance to these diseases have been created and included in the State Register of Uzbekistan.

The priority direction in melon breeding is the creation of new competitively capable varieties that combine resistance to adverse environmental factors with valuable economic characteristics.Materials and methods. The object of the study is melon varieties 599 and 595. The purpose of this study is to study the influence of weather conditions on the yield and biochemical composition of the studied melon varieties in the conditions of the Volgograd Volga region. The research was carried out at the Bykovskaya melon breeding experimental station for three years according to the developed methods, the Osen variety was used as a standard.Results. The article presents the results of the influence of weather conditions on yield, fruit weight, and also presents an analysis of the biochemical composition of melon fruits. A complete description of the studied melon varieties is given. In terms of yield, the high indicators for cultivars 599 and 595 were in 2020 with the totals of average monthly active temperatures of 114°C and precipitation totals of 178 mm, and amounted to 19.0 t/ha and 21.3 t/ha. According to the content of dry matter in the fruit juice, according to the results of studies, it was seen that with the greatest amount of moisture, the indicators were higher in 2018 with a precipitation rate of 296 mm in cultivars 599 – 13.6%, in 595 – 13.2%, than in 2019 with a norm of 272.6 mm 599 – 12.0% in 595 – 11.6%. Thus, we can conclude that these melon varieties meet the modern requirements of the industrial melon industry.