Selection of infected material for research was carried out in experimental carrot plots at GNU VNIIO (Moscow region), Voronezh OOS (Voronezh oblast), Baraccudas OOS (Rostovregion) and Israel. The first year plants of carrot, the roots, were used for the study. There are many scientific papers cited where many different methods of artificial infection of plants with fungal disease pathogens were given to control the stability of carrot genotypes in various phases of plant development. One of the ways to lead the purposed breeding program for resistance is the extraction of pathogens isolates and the method of fast assessment on the basis of determining the aggressiveness of new strains and their use in breeding work. This article presents a method of inoculation of cut-discs of root. A great advantage of the method is in its efficiency and the current results can be obtained within 2 weeks from the moment of infection. As a result, the work on the isolation of fungi from carrot plants, the pure culture collection of strains: Alternaria radicina and Fusarium avenaceum was obtained. The characteristics and morphology description of colonies of isolates of RR. Alternaria and Fusarium found in carrot plants taken from different ecological and geographical zones were given. The most aggressive isolates of the following ecological and geographical zones as Alternaria at Moscow and Rostov regions, Fusarium at Voronezh and Moscow regions were revealed. These isolates will be used as standards of aggressiveness for the test of newly isolated strains regarded as inoculum to conduct immunological experimentsin carrot breeding for resistance to Fusarium and Alternaria.

Wide use of cucumber hybrids F1 into industry is only possible at the use of lines with female type of flowering as maternal forms. There are difficulties to select such sort of lines and moreover these lines phenotypically may look entirely like female ones often showing the population nature that may be revealed by treatments with growth  substances. Many researchers came to conclusion that gender variationexpressed much in plant ontogenesis and depended on growing conditions. Consequently, to speed up development of female forms, the different growing conditions may be used as provocative background condition. At VNIISSOK in 2013-2015, some self-pollinated female lines with complex of economically valuable traits including resistance to diseases were selected. All these lines under spring greenhouse condition were shown to be entirely female type, belonging to gynoeciumgender type which is characterized by presence only female flowers on the plant. At the same time gender type of the best maternal lines was assessed for economically valuable traits in open field condition. As a result, it was shown that not all female lines, which were entirely female ones in greenhouse condition, also had not male flowers in open field condition. It may be supposed that increase of volume of breeding material being studied and plant growing under harder condition of open field - day and night temperatures variation, lack or abundance of humidity and others - enable to carry out more precise assessment of gender type of maternal forms. According to results of analysis, the open field condition served as provocative background to reveal cucumber lines with strong expression of female flowering. It enabled to have selected eight most promising accessions, which were taken into crossing to test their combining ability.

The quality of table beet roots is determined by the complex traits and properties. Modern varieties of table beet are mostly heterozygous populations showing the strong variability under the influence of environmental conditions. Ecological and geographicalstudy of 165 accessions of table beet was carried out and the interrelationship between traits of quality and other important biologically and economically valuable traits such ascold resistance, early maturity, monogermicity, marketability was studied. The basic traits that characterize the quality of roots of beet, including their color and shape, and also chemical composition, marketability and storability at the long-term storage were described. The data on the inheritance of form and color of beet roots and their chemical composition were given. It was found that the reaction of different varieties and hybrids of beet to change of growing conditions was unequal that showed their genotypic differences. Early maturing varieties of table beet, characterized by the increased cold resistance, as a rule, had intensively colored flesh of roots and goodtaste. Relatively stable varietal trait in beet roots is a color. There was no stable relation between the chemical composition, the intensity of the color of flesh and taste. The result of the study of collection accessions showed negative relationship between the sugar content and betanin. It was established that was no significant differences in biochemical composition between monogerm and multigerm varieties of table beet. As  result of research, the valuable accessions of table beet of home and foreign breeding were revealed and recommended for use into modern breeding programs.

The goal of the present paper is to identify the optimal strategy of development of the Russian olericulture in order to substitute imported products and to build up logistic and transport infrastructure. Existing problems of the Russian olericulture are described. It is demonstrated that these problems can be solved on the basis of big integrated structures. Formation of these structures can be based on hierarchical (vertical  integration) or networking (agricultural filieres or clusters) models. A comparative analysis of these models of development of olericulture is made. Advantages and inconveniences of each model are described. It is demonstrated that sustainable development of the Russian olericulture can be insured only by a combination of hierarchical and networking tools. Vertical integration will help to reach quick increase of production, while networking models are necessary for inclusion of small producers into production chains, development of product range and development of supporting industries. Networking models are also necessary for social tasks. It means that the optimal strategy of development of the  Russian olericulture should be based on a combination of networking and hierarchical tools. This combination is necessary for agricultural corporation as well as for the Russian olericulture in general.

At present there is numerous evidence of the antioxidant positive role in the defensive reaction that is capable to protect not only plants, but also humans against oxidative stress. Plant pigments such as natural dyes from leaves, flowers and fruits are known to have high antioxidant activity. Amaranth species A. tricolor L. cultivar ‘Early Splendor’ is a convenient model for the comparative studying of the formation processes of differently colored pigment composition in leaf tissues that differs in the ability to photosynthesize. Leaves of amaranth cultivar ‘Valentina’ were as a standard. The aim of the experiment was a comparative studying of the pigments content: amaranthine, chlorophyll a and b, carotenoids in the cauline leaves of amaranth cultivars ‘Valentina’ and ‘Early Splendor’, as well as in the red and green areas of the leaves. Analysis of the aqueous extract of red Early Splendor amaranth apical leaves showed the presence of betacyanin pigment - amaranthine, in the absorption spectrum in which peak was seen in the green region at 540 nm. In addition to the antioxidant amaranthine there are  also antioxidants which might be phenolic glycosides, and ascorbic acid in the extract, the total content of which is almost twice as small as in the leaves of amaranth cauline of this cultivar. Yellow fraction was found in the ethanolic extract of red leaves. Its absorption spectrum had peaks in the blue region at 445 nm and 472 nm and a shoulder at 422 nm that indicated the presence of betaxanthin, betalamic acid or carotenoids. Water-soluble antioxidants - amaranthine and ascorbic acid were found in  auline leaves of studied species. Their content in the leaves of Valentina cultivar was higher than in the leaves of cultivar ‘Early Splendor’, and the maximum level of photosynthetic pigments was found in ‘Early Splendor’ leaves. The obtained results showed that the amaranth is a promising source of pigments with the antioxidant  activity that can be used for production of food dyes.

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.

The vegetable marrow and pumpkin are valuable vegetable crops thanks to high food and dietary qualities of fruits. Russia is on the third place in the world on gross yield of these crops, but on productivity takes the 11th place among the European countries. The state register of breeding achievements permitted for utilization in the territory of the Russian Federation for 2016, contains 152 varieties and a hybrids of vegetable marrows and the 138 pumpkins. But there are not enough varieties of a wide area, there are practically no ultra early varieties, there are not enough pumpkin varieties with a bush habitus of plants. The collection of pumpkins and vegetable marrows which is a source of valuable genotypes for the solution of actual tasks of breeding contains 2641 accessions from 99 countries of the world and wins the first place in the number of accessions among world genebanks. The greatest part of a collection (more than 1500 accessions) is constituted by advanced varieties, the second part of a collection (more than one thousand accessions) – local forms of pumpkins. Not large collection, about 50 accessions, but quite significant for its scientific and breeding values consists of hybrids, self-pollinated lines and donors of valuable traits. As a result of long-term evaluation of breeding accessions the germplasm collection that includes sources of valuable traits has been created. Genetic collection of pumpkin includes accessions with such traits as resistance to a virus mosaic, a naked seeds, bush habitus plants, spaghetti like fruit, parthenocarpy.

This study was carried out in spring and summer crop rotation in film unheatedgreenhouse in condition of Transnistria. The parameters of phenotypic variability weredetermined during the continuous periods including: from shoots to plantlet maturing;from plantlets to flowering; from flowering to ripening F1 hybrids and their parental lines. Early and middle early functionally sterile (gene ps-2) and fertile lines were taken for the experiment. It was shown that duration of vegetative period varied insignificantly in lines and hybrids. Phenotypic variation in interphase periods was also insignificant;however, the second period was characterized by stronger variation. The lines phenotypicvariation in lines during the continuation of vegetative period and its compounded phases depended on the genotype, year of study and their interactions. On the phenotypic variability of continuation of the period from shoots to flowering sterile lines significantly was caused by the genotype, the variation of the period from flowering toripening was equally caused by genotype and year of the study, the variability of theperiod from shoots to ripening was affected by genotype. On the phenotypic variation ofthe continuation of the vegetation in fertile lines is influenced by the genotype and itsinteraction with year of study, on the variability of the period from shoots to floweringequally genotype and year of study and their interaction on the variability of the periodfrom to ripening the interaction of genotype and year of study. Inheritance of  continuation of vegetative period and its components, interphase periods, mainly had the character of a negative overdominance (heterosis for earliness). The nature of inheritance of the continuation of vegetation and interphase periods may vary depending on the year of the study; however, there remained its direction. A strong correlation between the continuation of the period from shoots to maturation and its components of the interphase periods. Between the continuations of individual interphase periods from shoots to flowering and from flowering to ripening correlation was insignificant, which indicated the independent nature of inheritance of these periods.

The objective of the research was to study the process of directed fermentation of whitehead cabbage variety ‘Slava’, using strains of lactic acid bacteria and their consortium with the degree of their mutual influence. As strains of lactic acid bacteria, we have chosen the following: VCR 536 Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum VKM V-578. To obtain comparable results, all experiments were performed on model mediums. For the first time we studied the dynamics of changes in quality indicators at the process of directed fermentation using strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) including their consortiums. The mathematical model developed adequately describes the degree of destruction of glucose and fructose in the fermentation process. The raw material was undergone to homogenization and sterilization with the aim to create optimal conditionsfor the development of the target microorganisms and to detect the degree of  restruction of fructose and glucose by different strains of microorganisms. The mathematical model developed adequately described the degree of destruction of fructose and glucose in the treatment process. The use of a consortium of lactic acid bacteria (L. plantarum+L. casei) to this culture medium is shown to be impractical. The addition of fructose in quantity 0.5% to weight of the model medium enabled to intensify significantly the process of white cabbage fermentation.

The characteristic of the new variety of Cucurbita ficifolia (Cucurbita ficifolia Bouche.), «In honor of Memory Tarakanov», is provided. The variety is mid ripening, the yield of marketable fruits is 16,0-22,0 t / ha. The fruits are transportable, tasting score - 4.5-4.6 points with a strong aroma of watermelon; keep marketable quality within 250-270 days after harvest. Intended use is fodder and universal.