Priority directions in tomato breeding for protected ground remain stable productivity ness and quality of fruit, early ripeness, resistant to the most harmful diseases. Creating such varieties is a required component of ecological agriculture. Recently, the demand of appropriate species increases and hybrids of tomato with different colouring of the fruit, which is determined by the contents of xanthophylls and various carotenoids (lycopene, β-carotene, lutein, etc.) with antioxidant properties. According to the state program of research for 2000-2010, the staff of the laboratory of gamete and molecular methods of selection of Federal Scientific Vegetable Center created orange early crop variety Rufina for greenhouses. The article describes the brief history of its creation and characterization on major valuable features. Tomato cultivar Rufina is a source of economically useful traits: early ripeness, resistant to abiotic and biotic stresses, yield, palatability and nutritional value of fruits. Therefore, at present it is used when creating new forms of tomato, adapted to the conditions of various modern technologies protected ground - low-volume cultivation and multi-level narrow column hydroponics (MUG). A perspective starting material was received. These are five productive selection forms for the low-volume technology, haracterized by early ripeness (the beginning of harvesting on the 50-70 day of sowing), the weight of the fruit from 90 to 130 g, resistance to apical rot. For a MUG - two low forms with orange fruits weighing more than 30 grams, created as a result of hybridization with determinants of dwarfish redplant varieties Natasha.

Relevance. The priority direction in vegetable growing is the scientifically justified use of types and doses of micronutrients that can increase the yield of watermelon fruits and improve their quality. Due to the large number of different types of fertilizers currently appearing on the market, it is necessary to choose the right ones and study them in optimal doses for growing high-quality melon products.Material and methodology. Objects of research: watermelon varieties Meteor, Zemlyanin, Kholodok and preparations: iron chelate, zinc chelate, vegetable Aquarin. Options using these fertilizers for double foliar treatment of plants during the growing season have been studied. The research was carried out during 2019-2021 at the Bykovskaya melon breeding experimental station.Results. During the study, a positive effect of the tested drugs on the quantitative and qualitative indicators of products was established. As a result of foliar treatments of plants in all variants, the yield exceeded the control variant (without treatments). A comparative analysis of biochemical data showed that the dry matter content was at a fairly high level. As a result of the use of zinc chelate in the Meteor and Kholodok cv., the dry matter content increased by 0.4%. A similar increase in the indicator was obtained when using the drug Aquarin vegetable on the Zemlyanin and Kholodok cv. The content of total sugar in the Meteor and Kholodok cv. was higher than the control (without treatments), and in the Zemlyanin cv. it was at the control level. The fructose content in the tested variants of all varieties exceeded the control. As a result of the use of water-soluble fertilizers for plant treatment, the content of ascorbic acid increased in the variants with treatment in the Meteor cv. – by 1-1.5 mg%, in the Zemlyanin cv. – by 0.8-1.1 mg%, in the Kholodok cv. – by 0 .1-0.7 mg% compared to control (without treatments). Nitrate levels in watermelon fruits of different ripening periods did not exceed the maximum permissible concentration (60 mg/kg).

Relevance. The nutritional value of gourds is quite high and is of great importance in the life of the human body. A significant point in modern melon growing is to increase yields without reducing the quality of the products obtained. Therefore, it is necessary to develop new methods of cultivation technologies that allow obtaining stable fruit yields without reducing the quality of table watermelon products of different ripeness groups, in the climatic conditions of the Volgograd region.Material and methodology. The object of research is a watermelon of medium ripening, variety Zemlyanin, and late ripening, variety Kholodok. We studied new types of water-soluble fertilizers Fe chelate, as well as Vegetable Aquarin, by using them for soaking seeds before sowing and processing plants during the growing season.Results. The use of chelated fertilizers in the technology of growing table watermelon of medium and late ripening is an effective technique for obtaining stable yields. The use of water-soluble fertilizers, with various methods of their use, provided an increase in the yield of Zemlyanin watermelon by 2.7-27.8%, and Kholodok watermelon by 2-22.4% in comparison with the control (without treatments). The largest fruits were obtained in the variant Aquarin vegetable (plant processing) Zemlyanin variety - 6.8 kg and Kholodok variety - 8.4 kg. A comparative analysis of the biochemical composition of fruits showed that water-soluble chelate fertilizers do not have a negative effect on the accumulation of nitrates in varieties of medium and late ripening. As a result of research, a positive effect of water-soluble micronutrient fertilizers has been revealed on improving the quality of fruits, which increased the content of ascorbic acid and sugars.

In agriculture, the use of microbiological fertilizers is becoming more and more widespread. The presence of microorganisms in them allows improving soil fertility, increasing the productivity of crops, while ensuring the cultivation of environmentally friendly products. There is a wide variety of microbiological fertilizers, so determining the type of preparation for garden strawberries when grown in the conditions of the Udmurt Republic is relevant. The purpose of the research: a comparative assessment of the effect of various types of microbiological fertilizers on the productivity of garden strawberries.Materials and Methods. Studies on the effect of microbiological fertilizers on the yield and its structure of garden strawberries were carried out on the territory of Vostochny LLC, Zavyalovsky District, Udmurt Republic. In 2016, 2018 studies were carried out on the feeding of garden strawberries of the Darenka vari- ety of the first and third years of fruiting with microbiological fertilizers on soddy-medium-podzolic medium-loamy soil. The scheme of the experiment included the following options: Water (control), Baikal EM 1, Emix, Humat EM. The total area of the plot is 2,9 m2. The accounting area of the plot is 1,8 m2. Placement of variants by a systematic method, in six-fold repetition.Results. Harvesting was carried out in five terms. Studies have proven the positive effect of the studied microbiological fertilizers on plant productivity. The highest yield of berries was 833,6 g/m2, which was obtained using Baikal EM 1. The largest berry was obtained in 2016, also when treated with Baikal EM 1, and amounted to 145 g. lo to increase the number of berries from the bush. So, in 2016 their number was 45,2; in 2018 – 42,0 pieces.

Relevance. One of the most important elements of the technology of cultivation of strawberries for increasing productivity and improving the quality of berries is the use of fertilizers that can regulate the growth, development, yield and quality of products.Methods. During 2016-2018, the impact of pre-planting application of complex mineral fertilizers on the yield and quality of strawberries in the Udmurt Republic was studied. The analysis of meteorological conditions during the growing season of the crop according to the research results is carried out.Results. The results of the use of complex fertilizers Azofoska, Perm-yagodnoye and Fusco-yagodnoye on garden strawberries when grown in the conditions of the Udmurt Republic are presented. It was found that the use of these fertilizers in comparison with the control (Azofoska) contributes to an increase in yield and has a positive effect on the quality of berries. The aftereffect of the studied fertilizers on the second and third year of fruiting of wild strawberries is noted. According to the results of research, the highest yield of berries of the garden strawberry was obtained in 2016 in the first year of fruiting when applying Chamfer-berry (1.33 kg/m2 ). The pre-planting application of the FaskoYagodnoye fertilizer provided a reliable increase in yield at all times of berry harvesting, and on average for three years by 0.13 kg/m2 with an NSR of 0.04 kg/m2 . The content of dry matter, water-soluble sugars and vitamin C in the berries corresponded to the characteristics of the Darenka variety and to a greater extent depended on the meteorological conditions of the growing season of strawberries.

Relevance. The determining value in modern melon production is to increase the yield and market yield of environmentally friendly products at minimum costs for the cultivation of melons. For the development of the melon industry in the agro-industrial complex of the Russian Federation, the scientific search for technological solutions aimed at creating conditions for increasing the yield and quality of melon products becomes urgent. Materials and methods. The object of research-melon, variety autumn. The types and doses of water-soluble fertilizers were studied: vegetable Aquarin, Novalon Foliar, and Hakafos. Fertilizers were used to treat plants during the growing season.Results.Studies have established a high effect of the use of water-soluble fertilizers on vegetating plants, which allow eliminating adverse environmental factors. The yield from the use of water-soluble fertilizers in melon cultivation technology for the years of studies is 31.3 86.7% higher compared to the control variant (without treatments). In more favorable climatic conditions of the year, the maximum yield was obtained in the variant with the use of Hakafos in a half dose, which had a more balanced content of nutrients compared to other studied water-soluble fertilizers –15.5 t/ha, which is 21.1% more compared to the minimum dose, 42.2% more compared to the treatment of plants with water and 1.8 times more compared to pure control. In the dry conditions of 2019 and lower air temperatures during the ripening period, a similar trend was noted. Comparative analysis of the biochemical composition of fruits showed that water-soluble fertilizers do not have a negative impact on the environmental purity of the product, the amount of nitrates for all years of research did not exceed the MPC (90 mg/kg). Studies have determined the positive effect of water-soluble fertilizers on improving the quality of fruits, the content of dry substances, one of the main indicators, in the study periods, exceeds this indicator in the control version (without treatments).

The article presents the results of studies of melon culture in the conditions of the Volgograd Zavolzhye. The purpose of scientific research was to determine the dependence of melon culture on the moisture content of crops for their further use in the  development of  the  necessary agricultural practices to increase the yield of melon without reducing the quality of the fruit. Evaluation of the research results showed that the level of water availability of melon crops has a significant impact on the growth and development  of plants. With an increase in total water consumption during the growing season by 18%, plants that are more powerful were obtained. During the formation and maturation of fruits, the length of the lashes is 17.2% more, the leaf area is 20.1% more with an increase in the total weight of the plant by 12.5%. The positive effect of the increased level of water availability of crops on the root system of melon plants was  revealed. With  the  total  water consumption of  2300 m3/ha, the root mass is 6.6% more than the moisture content of 1795 m3 /ha. The depth of the main mass of the roots is 1-3 cm deeper with an increased level of moisture, which contributes to a better use of available moisture by plants with the drying of the upper soil layer. Comparative  evaluation  of the yield of melon with different values of the total water in the vegetative period. The best results were obtained in the cultivation of melon with a moisture  level of 2300 m3  / ha, where the total yield of 31.7% more than the level of moisture 1975 m3  / ha, with larger fruits, the average fruit weight of  1.1  kg  more. Studies have determined the dependence of the biochemical parameters  of melon fruits on the moisture content of crops. Despite the rather high quality of  melon fruit, there was a decrease in dry matter and total sugar and an increase in vitamin "C"with an increased  level of moisture.

Relevance. High lycopene fruit content has been regarded as a very important genetic trait in tomato breeding. Use lycopene molecular markers in combination with conventional breeding techniques allowed us to create hybrids with high lycopene accumulation, excellent organoleptic qualities, high yield production and resistance to pathogens, and to effectively optimize our breeding programmes for commercial greehouses production.Material and Methods. In this study tomato samples including selected lines and hybrids with various allelic combinations of genes determining carotene accumulation, and other genetic traits, such as disease resistance and yield production were tested. Introgression of spontaneous and induced mutations was used to increase carotenoid levels (og and hp) and improve fruit technological qualities (nor, alc, rin). The research material was tomato collection, mutants, breeding lines and hybrids listed in the State Register Russian Federation tomato hybrids of breeding SS Agrofirm "Ilyinichna" VNIIO branch of the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Vegetable Growing – Branch of the FSBSI Federal Scientific Vegetable Center. DNA typing of fruit quality genes was performed at the Institute of Genetics and Cytology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.Results. New domestic hybrids for industrial greenhouses, which characterised by improved organoleptic qualities and technological traits were developed with the help of phasedcross-breeding that allowed to combine the genes nor, rin, alc, leading to an extension of the shelf life with the genes B, og, hp1, etc., contributing to an increase in carotenoid content in fruits. It was established that for targeted selection and hybridization, despite the negative influence of the nor, rin, alc genes it is possible to raise the level of carotenoids to average values. Correlation between lycopene concentration in fruits and high temperature and level of insolation was confirmed. It was shown that pink-fruited forms contain significantly more lycopenethanred-fruitedones. Different all eliccombinations of structural genes involved in carotenoids biosynthesis and regulatory genes that provided maximal accumulation of lycopene in hybrid swithred and pink fruits were revealed. Hybrids with the combination of high concentrations of sugar (° Brix), dry matter and maximal lycopene values, combined defining excellent taste were selected: Prekrasnaiya lady, Olya, Quadrille, Victoria. New F1 hybrids one for industrial greenhouses: G950, G956, G960, Magistral and pink fruited G12897, surpassed the Dutch standard in productivity up to 21%, and in tastes/organoleptic qualities for 1-1.8 points.

Relevance. An important proviso for the commercially effective cultivation of vegetable crops in different types of greenhouses is high yield, which significantly depends on modern cultivars with different characteristics and properties. When creating a new cultivar, it is necessary to present its model in accordance with the expected ecological and agrotechnical conditions of planting, the purpose of use, the level of manifestation of morphological and biochemical characteristics, which together will ensure a high yield. The goal of research – to create early ripening, high-yielding cultivars of sweet pepper with high taste assessment of fresh fruits and content of biologically valuable substances.Materials and methods. The studies were conducted in 2015-2018 and 2020-2021 in the Belarusian State Agricultural Academy. The objects were 46 breeding lines of sweet pepper. An evaluation of fruits and plants morphological characteristics, yield traits, fruits biochemical composition, and tasting were carried out.Results. Valuable lines for breeding were selected with a gross yield of 5.60–6.71 kg/m2, with large fruits (150–220 g), thick pericarp (>7 mm),with a high content of biologically valuable substances and fruit quality 4.3–4.7 points. Lines with a complex of economically valuable traits including high tasting score, were transferred to the State Inspection for Testing and Protection of Plant Varieties and recommended for commercial use in the Republic of Belarus under the names Altyn, Chervonets, Karat, Goretsky Krasny, Garlachyk Zhovty and Chyrvony Magnat.

Relevance. The Volgograd region has a number of factors necessary for the cultivation of melons and gourds. The development of new varieties and hybrids of watermelon should involve the development of varietal agricultural techniques that would allow realizing the genetic potential of the variety. Therefore, the development of new methods of cultivation technologies that allow obtaining guaranteed fruit yields without reducing the quality of table watermelon products in the dry-steppe Trans-Volga region is relevant and timely.Material and methodology. The object of research is a watermelon, cultivar Zemlyanin. New types of water-soluble fertilizers – B and Fe chelates, and the Vegetable Akvarin were studied, by using them for soaking seeds before sowing and processing plants during the growing season.Results. The use of chelates B and Fe in the technology of growing watermelon, as well as the Akvarin, is an effective method for obtaining guaranteed yields. The use of water-soluble fertilizers, with various methods of their use, provided an increase in the yield of watermelon by 1.6-8.3 t/ha, or by 6.9-35.9% in comparison with the control (option without treatments). The largest fruits were obtained in variants of chelate B and the Vegetable Akvarin (processing of plants) – 6.8 kg. Comparative analysis of the biochemical composition of the fruits showed that water-soluble chelated fertilizers do not have a negative effect on the accumulation of nitrates. Studies have revealed the positive effect of water-soluble micronutrient fertilizers on improving the quality of fruits, which was manifested in the growth of the content of vitamin C and sugars.