Napa cabbage is well spread in Japan, China, Korea, but it is not so well known in Far-Eastern regions of Russia. Since 2012 the collection of hybrid accessions has been evaluated at agrobiological station of Blagoveschensk State Pedagogical University located in western part of Blagoveschensk. Twenty local and foreign hybrids have been studied. As a result, seven highly-yielding accessions of different terms of maturity have been selected and included into State Register of Breeding Achievements of Russian Federation.  The  complex  assessment of  most  promising hybrids for uniform heads and excellent consumer’s characteristics has been performed  under the condition  of south zone of Amur oblast.

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).

Relevance. The study of the timing and duration of individual phases of the development of strawberry cultivars of different ecological and geographical origin in these climatic conditions is of great practical importance. The purpose of the study was the determination of the timing of the main phenophases of introduced strawberry cultivars in the Orel region, the compliance of the phenorhythms of the studied cultivars with climatic conditions, as well as the ranking of the cultivars by the terms of flowering and maturation.Methods and materials. The article presents the results of phenological observations for the period 2016-2019. 34 strawberry cultivars of domestic and foreign selection were studied. The research was carried out at the VNIISPK site of primary variety study.Results. Based on long - term observations, on the time of entry into the flowering and fruiting phase, the cultivars were ranked into early, medium and late-maturing. The influence of effective temperatures on the onset of phenophases was analyzed. The sum of effective temperatures necessary for the beginning of flowering of strawberry cultivars of different maturation periods in the conditions of the Orel region was determined. For the onset of strawberry flowering, it takes from126.68 to 260.37°effective temperatures. Early cultivars need the sum of effective temperatures of 126.68-197.55°, cultivars of middle maturation need 146.31-225.44°, late cultivars - 159.93-260.37 depending on the year of study. Fruiting occurs at the sum of effective temperatures in early cultivars from 351.73°C to 465.43°C, in middle-maturing cultivars from 390.96 to 535.44°C, in late-maturing cultivars from 450°C to 649°C.

The squash is one of  the most  ancient plants, bearing numerous qualities. The squash gave high yield and is unpretentious plant, the fruit of which is long-stored and can be used as boiled, stewed, baked, fried product, and be added to bread, mush and pudding, and be prepared as puree, jam, candied fruit and other meals. Owing to useful characteristics the squash is a valuable source or raw  material for  food  canning  industry,  for  health-care and functional foodstuff production. Its best cultivar accessions contain to 30% of dry matter, to 12% of sugars  and  to  36%  of  carotene.  The  species  of  squash includes 4 subspecies and 20 varieties. One accession that came from Spain in 1937 served as an initial breeding accession for many other table cultivars for long time. For 80 years of national breeding program the many cultivars for  table  use have been released. There are the classic cultivars, such as ‘Mramornaya’, ‘Stolovaya Zimnaya’,  Gribovskaya Zimnaya’,  ‘Donskaya  Sladkaya’, ‘Michurinskaya’ that are selected or developed from first Spanish accession. This richness and originality of cultivar squash accessions should be carefully preserved. There are the new generation cultivars, such as ‘Kroshka’, ‘Malishka’,    ‘Rossiyanka’,    ‘Konfetka’,    ‘Moskvichka’, ‘Vnuchka’ and many others, which are short-tendrils and suitable for  modern  mechanized cultivation  technology. Moreover the development of new cultivars, bearing resistance to biotic and abiotic stress is the main goal of nearest breeding program.

On the base of comparative assessment and average data estimation from 2010 to 2015, the characteristics of 11 cultivars bred at VNIISSOK were described regarding yield capacity and its components, variation, interdependencies at two sowing terms winter,spring time, direction of selection and cultivar uses at cultivar maintaining breeding program. Cultivar 'Koroleva Margo' is rather used in breeding program for yield capacity and taste qualities. Cultivar 'Sonata' is a source of such features as early maturity, valuable biochemical content and low nitrate accumulation. Cultivar 'Sofit' is known to bear early maturity and simultaneous seed maturation. 'Ariya' is a source of cylindrical root shape and early maturation. Cultivar 'Teplichnyi Gribovskyi' is used in breeding program for early maturation and simultaneous seed maturation. Cultivar 'Feya' bearsresistance to bolting and valuable biochemical substances. Cultivar 'Variant' has such features as root density, ability to grow under low lighting, short-term storability.  Purple-red with white tips is a newmade cultivar 'Mavr' suitable for breeding program for valuable biochemical content, unusual root color, also bearing male sterile forms (MS) for heterosis hybrid breeding. Out of all cultivars regarded, 'Mokhovskiy' is only a genetic source to breed radish forms with edible leaves. The positive weak dependence was revealed between cultivar biochemical characteristics, root weight, dry matter  content, and nitrate content; whereas the positive middle dependence is revealed with sugar contents and negative dependence with ascorbic acid content. According to  iochemical characteristics, the best cultivar population as 'Ariya', 'Sonata' (ascorbic acid); Mavr, Sonata, Variant (dry matter, sugars) have been chosen. Cultivars 'Koroleva Margo', Pheya, Sonata, Sophit, Mokhovskiy are the initial breeding accessions for selection of new cultivar population, MS and MF lines needed for heterosis.

The article presents a brief history of the establishment of the Laboratory of Plant Breeding and Seed Production of Solanaceae Crops of FSBSI FSVC. The process of development of tomato, pepper, eggplant and physalis breeding is shown from the beginning of the establishment until the present time. Practical selection of Solanaceae crops in FSBSI FSVC is directly connected with the name of Academician VASKhNIL A.V. Alpatyev, who is the founder of scientific research on thermophilic crops. On the basis of conducted scientific researches the technique of creation of cold-resistant, early-ripening cultivars of tomato was developed, including influence of certain conditions on parental forms and hybrid material from its first generations to increase adaptability to new, not characteristic conditions of selected material. Subsequently, this technique was applied to the breeding of sweet pepper, eggplant and physalis. Interspecific hybridisation was used to enrich the gene pool of Solanaceous crops. As a result of distant hybridization, the following cultivars were created: the original tomato cultivar Severyanin with large parthenocarpic fruits on 1 and 2 racemes; an anadrous mutant for use in breeding; ultra-rapid, short-stage forms for obtaining heterosis effect; the cultivar Vkusny with increased content of dry matter in fruits. On the basis of interspecific hybrid of Ph. ixocarpa x Ph. angulata, the cultivars Dessert and Lakomka, characterized by high yield and resistance to diseases, high content of sugars, pectin and absence of bitterness, are created. Types of pepper Capsicum chinense, C. frutescens and C. annuum were used to create resistant forms to viral diseases. Involvement of wild eggplant species (Solanum aethiopicum, S. macrocarpon) to the breeding process allowed to obtain hybrid combinations with flavonoids content 1,3 times higher and phenolcarboxylic acids 1,6–1,7 times higher than in S. melongena.The development of theoretical bases ofSolanaceae crops breeding for resistance to biotic and abiotic stressors, as well as for high quality production, allowed to create a series of cosmopolitan cultivars, which at present are in demand, both in production and as a source material. The current scientific priorities are to use innovative biotechnology and molecular marking methods to accelerate the breeding process and improve selection efficiency.

The problem to choose and use ecologically plasticiable cultivar accessions is one of the most important stage of the program for adaptive vegetable production. The right decision of the problem leads to rational utilization of material and natural resources, decreasing the expenses and charges. For successful development of vegetable breeding the cultivar adaptive specifications is necessary to know. Vertical zonation along with hydrothermal condition had an essential effect on yield of red beet. Not being depended on maturity type of cultivar accession their yield increased by 1.9-3.2 t/ha successively from plains towards mountain zone, corresponding to pre-mountain and mountainous regions in Chechen Republic. On average, for tree-year study the highest yield was 45.8 and 45.1 t/ha in cultivars ‘Bona’ and ‘Tsilindra’ respectively, not being depended on the zone of cultivation. The cultivars ‘Donskaya Ploskaya’ (flat), and ‘Odnorostkovaya’ were sources of ecological resistance, while the cultivars ‘Boltardy’ and ‘Detroit’ were sources of productivity. The cultivars ‘Boltardy’ and ‘Gribovskaya Ploskaya’ that had been responsive on regulated environmental factors and resistant to unregulated environmental factors were of multipurpose usage and intensive-cultivation type. The ‘Bordo 237’, Dvusemiyannaya TCKHA’, ‘Odnorostkovaya’ and ‘Tsilindra’ were distinguished from other by accumulation of dry matter and total sugars in all zones of cultivation. On cultivation zone change from steppe towards pre-mountain and mountainous region, the tendency was revealed that dry matter, total sugars and vitamin C content had increased, while the nitrate content had only depended on cultivar features.

Description information on the origin, biological features, nutritional and medical benefits of caraway has been given. Caraway Carum carvi L. is a biennial, herb plant. It is lightdemanding and winter-hardy. First year it grows a rosette of leaves, the second year it produces the flower-bearing stems and later seeds. The medicinal raw material is seeds which are picked just before the time of full maturity. The seeds content up to 20 % of proteins, 25.5 % of fatty oil, 8 % of essential oil, and vitamins, flavonoids, minerals are also present. The seeds and essential oil are used in medicine, in soap manufacture, distillery, confectionery making, bread bakery, perfumery, cosmetics products and agriculture. The caraway seeds are used in veterinary medicine to treat some disease in animals. The caraway fruit possess germicidal, antispasmodic, anesthetic, cholagogic, bileexpelling effects. The seeds can be used as diuretic, stomachic and carminative agents. The seeds of caraway increase milk production in livestock, and also are useful for human's nourishing. Usage of caraway assists to discharge sputum and mucus at lung diseases. Caraway is the excellent melliferous  plant, since the flowers bear much nectar. Production of honey can reach up to 100 kg per one hectare on average. Leaves and shoots of caraway are used in cuisine for salad recipes and to add flavor to meat and fish meal. The fleshy roots could be also consumed as root vegetable. Caraway fruits as a fragrance component are added for cucumber salting, cabbage fermentation and kvass preparation. This article presents the agricultural features for caraway cultivation in middle Russian region. The cultivar ‘Peresvet’ has been bred at VNIISSOK and included in State Register of Breeding Achievements of Russian Federation.

On the second of October, in 1881, Sergey Ivanovich Zhegalov, an establisher of national breeding and seed production of vegetable crops was born in a little village Vasilkovo of Vyazemskogo uezda. He was a founder and a first director of Gribovskaya Vegetable Breeding Station. This year marked by 135th anniversary from the date of birth of the outstanding scientist. All the time at All-Russian Research Institute of Vegetable Breeding and Seed Production (VNIISSOK), its scientific leader and mastermind is honored and remembered for his heritage that is still preserved andaugmented. This scientist was at the beginning of plant breeding science and became the first who brought scientifically proved methods into agricultural plant science. The process of newplant- form-producing and development of new more qualified breeding forms through distant crossing, hybridization, heterosis effect, are the problems which interested the mind of Zhegalov and always were the sense of his life. These problems still remain in these days, where his ideas are embodied in scientific program of the institute covering theoretical researches for development of innovation method needed for creation of new highly qualified breeding plant material regarded as a source for nearest breeding practice and seed production. At VNIISSOK the richest plant collection with important genes and donor genotypes of productivity, fast ripening, high quality, resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses is created in Cucurbitaceae, Solanaceae,Alliaceae, Fabaceae, root vegetables, Brassicas, leafy crops, aromatic and medicinal crops and ornamental crops. Core plant collection is substantially extending by means of introduction of new crops and non-traditional ones as well. The specialist-breeders of VNIISSOK have developed over 800 cultivars and hybrids F1 of vegetables, melons and gourds, aromatic plants, ornamental plants, non-traditional. 546 accessions out of 118 crops have been included into State Register of Breeding Achievements of Russian Federation in 2016.