In connection to the climate changing and draught frequency increasing in the spring-summer period the fractional composition of water (combined and uncombined water) in leaves of apple from May to August 2011, 2012 were studies. Combined and uncombined waters have different functionality for the life of plants. An uncombined water in leaves determines intensity of physiologic processes while the combined is responsible for plants resistance to unfavorable conditions. The fractional composition of water was studied in apple leaves of varieties bred by All-Russian Research Institute for Fruit Crop Breeding of RAAS, Bolotovskoye, Irmus, Orlik, Orlovim, Orlovskoye Polosatoye, Sinap Orlovskiy, Yubiliar in comparision to widespread varieties – Antonovka, Melba and Welsi. The study established that the varieties examined were well-adapted to drought in May, at the beginning of summer, as well as at the end of August and in September. At the beginning of July and in June higher indices of drought resistance were registered for Orlovim and Yubiliar, with the highest indices of combined water content. The completion of shoots growth and development of leaves system in all apple varieties was associated with increase of combined water amount in the leaves in August. In September, the number of combined water remained higher that suggested high adaptivity of the varieties being studied. The highest content of combined water in autumn was registered for Sinap Orlovskiy, Antonovka, Boltovskoie, Irmus.

The study results for many years (1972- 2006) of pear gene pool in the All- Russian Research Institute of Horticultural Breeding are given. The cultivars and selections have been singled out for wide dissemination and use in breeding.

Purpose. To establish adaptive capacity and reproduction time of the registered potato varieties elite bred at the Potato Research Institute of NAAS of Ukraine in various edaphic and climatic zones of Ukraine. Methods. Field and laboratory tests, statistical evaluation. Results. Potato varieties were tested in the Forest-Seppe, Polissia and Steppe zones of Ukraine. Over the years of testing (2012–2014), the highest yield of potatoes in the south-western part of the Forest-Steppe zone was produced by the early varieties: ‘Kimmeria’ – 46.9 t/ha, ‘Vedruska’ – 38.6 t/ha; middle-early varieties: ‘Partner’ – 33.2 t/ha, ‘Fantazia – 27.7 t/ha; mid-season varie­ties: ‘Okolytsia’ – 35.4 t/ha, ‘Mandrivnytsia’ – 25.1 t/ha. In the Central Polissia, ‘Kimmeria’ (31 t/ha) was the most productive early variety, the yield at the level of 27.6–29.2 t/ha was formed by such varieties as ‘Skarbnytsia’, ‘Serpanok’, ‘Radynka’, ‘Tyras’. Among the middle-early varieties, the yield of 33.1 t/ha was obtained from the variety ‘Partner’. In the conditions of Steppe zone, such early potato varieties as ‘Vymir’, ‘Glazurna’, ‘Strumok’, ‘Kimmeria’, ‘Svitoch’ and the middle-early variety ‘Ariya’ had the highest productivity in case of gro­wing as bivoltine crop under irrigated conditions. It was found that in the Forest-Steppe and Polissia zones such varieties as ‘Kimmeria’, ‘Vedruska, ‘Serpanok’, ‘Skarbnytsia, ‘Tyras’, ‘Radynka’, ‘Partner’, ‘Slovianka’, ‘Vernisazh’, ‘Mandrivnytsia’, ‘Poliske dzherelo’ and ‘Chervona ruta’ were characterized by high resistance to degeneration (viral diseases and loss of productivity of potato elite in the process of reproduction). According to the results of evaluation of the impact of elite potato reproduction time on affection by viral diseases, optimal time for elite renovation for investigated varieties was determined. Conclusions. In the process of testing in various edaphic and climatic zones of Ukraine, stable yield with a high seed tubers number, regardless of weather conditions during the growing season in the Forest-Steppe and Polissia zones, was formed by some early potato varieties (‘Kimmeria’, ‘Vedruska’, ‘Radynka) and middle-early one (‘Partner’). Among mid-season varieties ‘Vernisazh’, ‘Okolytsia’, ‘Mandrivnytsia’ were identified for high productivity, and among middle-late – ‘Poliske dzherelo’ and ‘Chervona ruta’. The most common viral diseases of potatoes were rugose mosaic and mosaic leaf curling. High efficiency of the use of bivoltine crop method for potato growing to obtain seed material in the Southern Steppe zone of Ukraine has been proved.

The paper highlights results of 60 years of apple breeding activity at the All-Russian Research Institute for Fruit Crop Breeding of RAAS (former Orel Zonal Fruit-Berry Experimental Station). Major selection effort has been applied to apple breeding for higher contents of ascorbic acid and P-active substances in fruit. A pattern of the inheritance of biologically active substances in apple fruits is shown. First time in Russia a large-scale selection has taken place for the purpose of developing domestic scab immune apple varieties (Vf). 20 scab immune varieties have been created and included into the State Register. First time in Russia and in the world a range of triploid apple varieties have been developed through directed diverse chromosome crossings 2x x 4x and 4x x 2x.