. Heterotic selection is now widely used in crop production. The superiority of heterotic hybrids over varieties in many respects has long been known. However, the widespread use of heterosis in melon growing is hampered by the high cost of seed material, due to the lack of lines with male sterility. The aim of this work was to evaluate heterotic hybrids of watermelon obtained on the basis of a line with male sterility isolated at the Bykovskaya Experimental Station.Materials and methods. The studies were carried out in 2020 and 2021. at the Bykovskaya melon breeding experimental station - a branch of the FGBNU FNTSO. The object of research is heterosis hybrids of watermelon. The heterosis hybrid of watermelon Barkhan was used as a standard. Classical breeding methods were used in the work: incubation and hybridization.Research results. The assessment of watermelon hybrids according to the main economic characteristics revealed the best combinations in comparison with the standard. According to the content of dry matter, four hybrids of watermelon stood out, the excess over the standard ranged from 0.6 to 1.9%. The indicator of the average weight of the fetus in one LIR hybrid was at the level of the standard and amounted to 6.5 kg. The remaining hybrids exceeded the Barkhan standard by 1.2-4.0 kg. The average yield of the studied hybrids ranged from 19.0 to 22.5 t/ha. The calculation of such indicators as the degree of dominance, the effects of true and hypothetical heterosis made it possible to identify three combinations with high rates.Conclusion. Thus, it was found that the yield in heterotic hybrids of watermelon is inherited according to the principle of overdominance. Inheritance of traits dry matter content and average fruit weight ranges from minus overdominance to overdominance in various combinations. According to the complex of economically valuable traits, three combinations of table watermelon were distinguished: LKn, LMr and LFT.

The 28-spotted potato ladybird beetle belongs to the subfamily Epilachninae, which is comprised exclusively by phytophagous insects. The potato ladybird beetle is a dangerous pest of potato in the south of the Russian Far East. Besides potato, it causes damage to tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelons, marrows and eggplants. Adult beetles and larvae eat the parenchyma of leaves severely damaging them. As the result, leaves turn yellow and wither. One beetle can eat up to 15 cm2 of leave surface on average per day, and 300-700 cm2 over its lifetime. A larva can eat from 20 to 30 cm2 of leave surface while developing. This significantly reduces the yield. The body of an adult beetle is small (males, 4-6 mm; female, 5-7 mm), dome-shaped, and elliptical. The elytra are yellow or brownish with 28 black round spots. Some spots, especially the ones along the line of junction, can partially merge. The color of the underside of male beetles is lighter than in females. Male beetles have yellow or less frequently darkened prothorax, mesothorax and metathorax, epimera, and the uppermost edge of the sternites of the abdomen. The anal sternite of the abdomen has a curve with two depressions. The underside of a female beetle is black. The uppermost edge of the anal sternite is straight and with a flat depression. The body of a larva is greyish, oval and with numerous setae. There are 4 rows of black chitinous spinules on the back. Depending on an instar, larvae have a different number of projections on the chitinous spinules. Pupae are exarate, light yellow, and have larval skin remnants at the apex of the abdomen. There are two large black spots on the backside of the thoracic segments. The spots on the abdominal segments are smaller. Fairly long protruding setae grow sparsely on the bodies of pupae. Eggs of the potato ladybird beetle are yellow, elongated, with a pointed apex and a flat bottom. The surface of an egg is characterized by a fine cellular structure.

Relevance. The interest of vegetable producers in small-fruited tomato hybrids has been increasing in recent years. This is due to the high commercial qualities of fruits that do not crack, contain 3 times more sugars than large-fruited tomatoes, and their range of use for canning and salads has also been expanded.Goal: to identify effective options for the use of biologically active substances in conditions of extended turnover of winter greenhouses on tomato plantings F1 Sherami.Methods. Research was aimed at studying the effect of biologically active substances – sodium selenate at a concentration of 10-5, natural coniferous concentrate (2 mg/l), EpinExtra (0.2 mg/l) and their double and triple combinations on the productivity of cherry tomatoes F1 Sherami. The treatment of plants was carried out 4 times during the growing season – after picking, when planting seedlings in a permanent place, when pouring the first brush and during the mass harvest.Results. As a result of research, it was found that the use of the above drugs increases the productivity of tomato plants of the Sherami hybrid. The maximum yield according to the results of 2018 and 2019 was obtained on the variant using sodium Selenate + KHN + Epin-extra and averaged 288.1 t/ha. Also, the use of BAS had an effect on the content of dry matter, sugars and macronutrients.Conclusion. The effect of preparations of biologically active substances positively affected the growth and development of plants. The variation of the yield increase compared to the control ranged from 5.2 to 17.2 t/ha. The maximum yield of the Sherami hybrid tomato was obtained on the variant using sodium Selenate + KHN + Epin-extra, the increase was 19 t/ha, which made it possible to obtain an appropriate income level of more than 272 thousand rubles/ha.

Relevance. The induction of gynogenic development of the culture of unpollinated ovules of Cucumis sativus L., as a part of solid nutrient media agar-agar or Phytagel™ are used as a gelling agent. The gelling agent determines the mobilization of substances in the composition of the nutrient medium and has various effects on the explants, which affects the quality of the resulting regenerates. However, there are no scientific works that explaines the effect of these gelling agents on the development of ovules and compare them with each other for C. sativus L. The aim: investigate the effect of various gelling agent in the nutrient medium on the induction of gynogenesis and the development of cucumber unpollinated ovules.Materials and methods. There are two promising collection specimens of cucumber №58 and №831 of the laboratory of cucurbits crop breeding and seed production of FSBSI FSVC were included into research. IMC nutrient medium (Induction Medium for Cucurbitaceae) with 30 g/l sucrose, 200 mg/l ampicillin, 0.2 mg/l thidiazuron (TDZ) was used for the induction of gynogenesis; agar-agar at a concentration of 7 g/l or Phytagel™ at a concentration of 3.5 g/l was used as a gel-forming agents. Ovules were isolated from ovaries in the phase of half-opened flower (FL-1) and fully opened flower (FL). Cultivation was carried out in plastic Petri dishes with a diameter of 60 mm with an air gap of 28.8 cm3 – "KS No. 1", and glass culture jars with an air gap of 140 cm3 – "KS No. 2".Results. On containing Phytagel™ or agar-agar nutrient medium, the area of ovules during 30 days of cultivation increases irregularly. Coefficients of ovule enlargement between gelling agents differed from 1.7 to 2.6 times depending on the cultivation time. The average growth rate of ovules on media with Phytagel™ was 0.08 mm2/day, while on media with agar-agar it was 0.02 mm2/day. Gelling agents type and cucumber phenotype are significant factors affecting the increase in area of entered into unpollinated cucumber ovules culture. Herewith the share of the gelling agent effect was 55.01%, and the share of genotype effect was 14.53%. The effect of flower development stage or culture vessel type has not found for both of genotypes. In the study, it was possible to achieve the induction of gynogenesis in 67% of the unpollinated ovules genotype №831 on nutrient medium with agar-agar.Conclusion. Ovules development were faster on a nutrient medium using Phytagel™ as a gelling agent than on agaragar. At the same time, the percentage of induced ovules was significally higher on nutrient medium with agar-agar for both phenotypes. Gelling agents type and cucumber phenotype were found as significant factors of the induction and the development of unpollinated ovules.

Relevance. Study of pesticide residues is an integral part of registration tests. It is present a particular interest in terms of hygienic safety of eating vegetable crops grown with use of protective agents.Methods. The analysis procedure includes an approach developed by the authors, based on microwave digestion of samples after cryo-destruction, followed by analysis by atomic absorption spectrometry with electrothermal atomisation. The approaches used in research, allow us to trace the dynamics of copper content in fruits of potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions, during the vegetation periods of 2020-2021 in different soil and climatic zones.Results. It is shown that treatment with copper-containing preparations does not affect the content of copper in fruits of the studied crops during the whole experiment, except for the day of sampling immediately after the treatment. At the same time, reliable excesses in comparison with control samples are observed in experiments, where the aboveground part of crops is investigated. For example, the content of copper in tomato fruits in 2020, taken on the day of the last treatment, was 0.61±0.16 mg/kg and 0.47±0.08 mg/kg in the experimental and control samples, respectively. In 2021, the trend continued and copper concentration on the day of treatment was 0.80±0.15 mg/kg and 0.64±0.12 mg/kg respectively in the experimental and control samples. In the study of onion treated with copper oxychloride-based preparation, the concentration of copper in the whole plant (leaves + bulb) on the day of treatment in 2020 was 8.5±1.1 mg/kg in the experimental sample and 0.43±0.18 mg/kg in the control sample. In 2021, the copper concentration in the experimental sample collected on the treatment day was 14.1±3.8 mg/kg and in the control sample was 1.1±0.2 mg/kg respectively.

Relevance. The actual demand for cabbage is based on the demographic composition of the Russian population. Based on this provision, the weight size of marketable, in particular, midripening cabbage, in the range from 1 to 3 kg, is justified. However, until now, domestic breeding firms are focused on the creation of hybrids with increased yields, not taking into account the real demand of the population.Materials and methods. The studies were carried out on mid-season hybrids of white cabbage of the fifth maturation group SB-3 F1 and Kuizor F1 in vegetable-growing farms of the NonChernozem zone of the Russian Federation typical for that time: "Bykovo" and "Agrofirma" Podmoskovnoe".Results. Studies on the mid-season hybrid SB-3 F1 showed that the share of commercial heads of cabbage ranged from 32.9-44.1%, reaching 73.3% in only one technological variant. The share of commercial heads in hybrids of foreign selection Kuizor F1 was 97%. A radical way to meet the requirements of the population is the creation of mid-season hybrids with different dynamics of growth of the marketable mass of heads of cabbage and, accordingly, with different lengths of the growing season. This is necessary to ensure the receipt and sale of marketable products – biologically ripe heads of cabbage weighing 1-3 kg within 2-3 months of the summer-autumn period. At the same time, obtaining such heads of cabbage should be ensured by the genetic potential of hybrids.

Relevance. Potato starch is widely used in the food, textile, perfume and pharmaceutical industries. The starch content and the size of starch granules in potato tubers are varietal characteristics (Solanum tuberosum L.). The knowledge of morphological properties of starch plays a key role in the technologies for the production of consumer and industrial goods.Materials and methods. The studies were carried out in 2020-2021 at the experimental base of Federal State Budget Scientific Institution “Federal Scientific Center of Agricultural Bio-technology of the Far East named after A.K. Chaiki” (Primorsky Krai). The object of the research were 11 varieties of different maturity dates. Morphological structure of starch granules was evaluated by image analysis on Countess II FL automated cell counter.Results. The varieties studied had predominantly rounded and oval pellets regardless of maturity and genetic origin. Differences in starch granule size depending on tuber size and ripeness group were noted. Early maturing varieties had granule size less than 20 microns regardless of tuber fraction. The exception is the variety Queen Anne, in small tubers of this variety starch granules larger than 20 microns is 67.86%. It was noted that the proportion of medium and large grains increased in varieties with a longer growing season. For example, the variety Augustin medium-ripening had a proportion of medium and large grains in the large and small tuber of 47.72 and 41.48%, respectively. The maximum number of grains larger than 20 microns was observed in the mid-late varieties Kazachok (63.77%) and Smak (92.22%).Conclusion. The method using a cell counter and subsequent processing of microphotographs of starch granules is an accessible, economical, simple and effective approach to phenotyping potato varieties and hybrids of Solanum tuberosum L. by physical and chemical parameters of starch. This method can be used for accelerated analysis of a large number of samples on a limited amount of natural material, including in field and farm laboratories.

Relevance. The use of non-invasive photometric methods for assessing the stress states of plants makes it possible to assess the physiological state and resistance of plants.Material and methods. In small-field and vegetation experiments, we studied the photometric indicators of the physiological response of potato varieties (reflection coefficients in different ranges) to nitrogen stress created by five doses of fertilizers using contact (N-tester) and remote (N-sensor) methods.Results. Potato varieties released for the conditions of the North-Western region of the Russian Federation were studied for their ability to withstand stress provided by low and high levels of nitrogen nutrition of plants and different weights of planting tubers. The resistance of plants of different genotypes to external and internal stressors was studied by the reflection coefficients measured in 4 channels, which characterized the differences in the physiological state of plants. Ensuring the potential genotypic resistance of the organism in the form of a decrease in FIS F1,3 corresponds to the inclusion of various mechanisms of plant adaptation to external or internal influences, depending on the genotype. In the vegetative experiment, of the studied photo-optical reflection coefficients, the most informative were the FIS F1,3 indicators, which showed that the overall viability of such varieties as Peterburgsky, Charodey and Kholmogorsky turned out to be increased. The reaction type of the Kholmogorsky variety is the most promising for growing plants under stress conditions.

Turnip, Brassica rapa L. subsp. rapa is the oldest vegetable crop in Russia. Turnip varieties are fastgrowing, productive, have valuable biochemical properties, cold-resistant, relatively easy to grow. To expand the vegetable assortment, new varieties and hybrids should be created, first of all, the types of varieties that are not in the State Register of Russia. The purpose of the work: using the data of a long-term study of the VIR collection to identify valuable material for breeding.Methods. Field study of 170 samples of the VIR collection was carried out in the NPB "Pushkin and Pavlovsk laboratories of VIR" (Leningrad region) in 2001-2020. Sowing was carried out on June 26- 28. Each sample was sown on a single-row plot 2 m long in three repetitions. As a control, turnip varieties included in the State Register were used – the variety of leaf turnip Sapphire, the table turnip variety Petrovskaya-1 and the fodder turnip variety Osterzundomsky. The description was carried out according to the Methodological Guidelines for the study and maintenance of the VIR world collection, with author's additions.Results. The best leaf turnip samples, found during the study has a large plant mass (up to 1.42±0.32 kg in the Early top F1 sample (k-366, Japan), many samples exceeded the Sapphire standard for this trait. Some of the samples of table turnips also exceed the Petrovskaya-1 standard by weight of the root (Purple top (k-1345, Nepal), Pekki (vr.2176, Finland)). Samples Solovetskaya (k-803, Russia, Murmansk region), Gul Findlandsk (vr.2175, Norway) have a bright yellow flash of the root, are easy to store and resistant to damage by cabbage flies. Among the turnip samples distinguished by yield (Table 5), the most interesting are the turnips Ova Dæhnfeldt (vr.2183, Denmark) and Korova (vr.2187, Sweden), which have yellow flesh and an increased content of β-carotene in roots.Conclusion. It was possible to identify new samples belonging to groups of leaf and root turnips, that are not represented on the seed and food market of Russia. Such samples belong to morphologically different forms, are productive, carry a complex of valuable economic and biochemical characteristics and are perspective material for inclusion in programs for the selection of leaf and root crops.

At present, much attention is paid to medicinal plants, the raw material of which is used for the production of drugs with antibacterial activity. Such plants include Macleaea x kevensis Turill. Due to the fact that this crop does not grow under natural conditions in the Russian Federation, there is a question of creating industrial plantations of Macleau x kevensis Turill. To solve this problem, it is necessary to determine a promising way of propagation of the plant and develop a balanced use of mineral fertilizers in order to obtain maximum yields of high quality medicinal raw materials. The research was carried out on the experimental fields of medicinal crop rotation of the North Caucasus branch of FGBNU VILAR, located in the Western Caucasus, in order to study the ways of multiplication of the crop and the timing of its planting. Field experiments were laid by setting up experiments with small area. Phenological observations were carried out, peculiarities of growth and development of plants were studied, yield and content of active substances were determined. The conducted researches have established that the most effective way of propagation of Macleau x kevensis Turill in the conditions of Western Ciscaucasia is autumn planting by cuttings of rhizomes 10-15 cm long. With this method of multiplication of the culture, its ear- lier regrowth in the spring, active growth and development of plants are observed. It allows to harvest the raw material already in the first year of vegetation and provides the yield of medical raw material of Macleau x kevensis Turill at the level of 1,12 t/ha and the alkaloid content 1,02%. If we applied foliar top dressing NPK45, then in I-III years of vegetation of the crop, the yield of raw materials increased by 25-27% and the content of alkaloids increased by 6-9%, and their yield per hectare – by 30-38%.