The basic problem of breeding of onions, including development of varieties and hybrids, characterized by high yield, early maturity, marketable product that are grown in different regions of the country is described in the article. The combination of resistance to pests and diseases in the same variety/hybrid is the most problematic. Interspecific hybridization of onions is promising, as a result of which, along with resistance to diseases, provided early spring regrowth of plants, their high shoot formation, the long period of return of greenery as well as a high solids content, vitamins, and volatile production in the bulbs and aboveground mass. Perennial onions are donors of cold and frost resistance. VNIISSOK scientists, Omsk Agricultural Institute and other institutions in the country set up a number of interspecific hybrids with wild species of onions, which are of undoubted interest for practical use. However, a significant portion of perennial species is not compatible with cultivated ones. The main reason is the different number of chromosomes in parents, and hence irregularities in meiosis and sterile progeny. To overcome the sterility of hybrids there are effective methods of modern biotechnology, including the embryo culture in vitro and polyploidization. The initial material for research is the collection of VIR, with more than 3,000 samples and diverse breeding material obtained by breeders of our country.

The particularities of the changes of the morphological parameters of plants-regenerants of tomato hybrids F1 during prolonged cultivation in conditions of in vitro have been studied. The cultivation during 12 passages in hormoneless MS medium does not lead to somaclonal variants, but act to raise the increasing of coefficient of variability of plants-regenerants features.