Relevance. The article analyzes the indicators of white cabbage production in Russia (by districts, subjects of the federation and categories of farms).Methodology. The object of research is the market for the production of white cabbage. The subject of the study is the current state of white cabbage production. The information base of the study was made up of data from FAO, official state statistics, the Federal Customs Service, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, Parliamentary hearings of the State Duma Committee on Agrarian Issues, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Eurasian Economic Commission, operational online messages of federal and regional levels, materials of periodicals, scientific seminars, conferences, symposiums, reflecting various aspects of the problem under study.Results. In the industrial sector of vegetable growing, the acreage of cabbage of all types in 2021, in relation to 2020, decreased by 15.8%. Over the past ten years, there has been a decrease in acreage and gross cabbage harvest in farms of all categories. There are a number of systemic problems in Russian vegetable growing that limit the increase in vegetable production and negatively affect its effectiveness: weak technical and material equipment of a significant part of farms engaged in vegetable production, outdated technical base, insufficient provision of crops with seeds of domestic production. One of the leading roles in the implementation of the policy of food security and national independence is played by the selection and seed production of white cabbage. Sanctions make it possible to carry out import substitution of varieties and hybrids of white cabbage. To date, the main task is to abandon the import of seeds of foreign selection, and therefore it is important to focus on creating new hybrids that will be of high quality, good yield, as well as resistance to diseases and pests. Modern hybrids of breeding FGBNU FNTSO and Agrofirm "Poisk" according to the results of testing in leading agricultural organizations fully meet the requirements of the market and can take a worthy place in the fields in the Russian Federation.

The priority direction in melon breeding is the creation of new competitively capable varieties that combine resistance to adverse environmental factors with valuable economic characteristics.Materials and methods. The object of the study is melon varieties 599 and 595. The purpose of this study is to study the influence of weather conditions on the yield and biochemical composition of the studied melon varieties in the conditions of the Volgograd Volga region. The research was carried out at the Bykovskaya melon breeding experimental station for three years according to the developed methods, the Osen variety was used as a standard.Results. The article presents the results of the influence of weather conditions on yield, fruit weight, and also presents an analysis of the biochemical composition of melon fruits. A complete description of the studied melon varieties is given. In terms of yield, the high indicators for cultivars 599 and 595 were in 2020 with the totals of average monthly active temperatures of 114°C and precipitation totals of 178 mm, and amounted to 19.0 t/ha and 21.3 t/ha. According to the content of dry matter in the fruit juice, according to the results of studies, it was seen that with the greatest amount of moisture, the indicators were higher in 2018 with a precipitation rate of 296 mm in cultivars 599 – 13.6%, in 595 – 13.2%, than in 2019 with a norm of 272.6 mm 599 – 12.0% in 595 – 11.6%. Thus, we can conclude that these melon varieties meet the modern requirements of the industrial melon industry.

Relevance. Modern vegetable production in greenhouses is based on high tech-advantageous, such as vertical hydroponic technology. Increasing of vertical hydroponic market is conditioned with ensuring the food security of states in conditions instability of food deliveries due to violations of traditional logistic connections. The program of vertical tomato hydroponics was developed and used in practice at the FSBSI FSVC in 2010-2020. Productivity potential of Brassica rapa L. subsp. nipposinica cultivated at vertical hydroponic installation have been studied in connection with the spread of consumption of fresh greens and “yellow-green” vegetables.The goal of the study was: the productivity characteristics and analysis of biochemical composition Brassica rapa L. subsp. nipposinica cultivated at the five-circle vertical hydroponic installation with help of natural immunomodulators.Materials and methods. Materials of study: seeds and leaves (rosette of leaves) from 2 varieties of Brassica rapa L. subsp. nipposinica – Japanese variety Salad Mizuna and new variety Salut Jubileiu (originated from FSBSI FSVC); immune modulators – flavonoid glycoside linarozide and steroid glycosides moldstim and trigonellozide.Methods. Seed treatment with 0,005%-water solutions of immune modulators; cultivation plants Brassica rapa L. subsp. nipposinica at the five-circle vertical hydroponic construction; analytical methods: determination of dry meter; determination the sum of antioxidants in leaves of Brassica rapa L. subsp. nipposinica; biometry; statistical methods: one-factorial dispersion analysis and two-factorial dispersion analysis.Results. Possibility of Brassica rapa L. subsp. nipposinica plants cultivation at multi circle hydroponic installations was established by authors. Seed treatment with water solutions of immune modulators wasn’t influence on seedlings appearing (the quality of seeds was very high -99-100%). Height of plant (of rosette) the variety Mizuna was increased as the reaction on the seed treatment, but the weight of plants wasn’t change. Salut Jubileiu variety reacted with increasing the common weight of plants. Number of leaves was increased. The content of dry matter in leaves didn’t change, but the sum content of antioxidants is rise significantly after seed treatment of immune modulators. The conclusion has been made: applying of immune modulators from glycosides class could to increase the productivity, vitamin value and safety cultivation of Brassica rapa L. subsp. nipposinica plants at multi circle hydroponics installation.

Relevance. Breeding for resistance to diseases is one of the current trends in melon growing. The work of the Bykovskaya melon selection experimental station includes breeding pumpkin varieties that are not inferior to zoned varieties in terms of economically valuable traits, disease resistance and taste.Materials and methods. The object of the study was hybrid combinations of large-fruited pumpkin and nutmeg pumpkin, obtained as a result of intervarietal hybridization. The research was carried out in the Bykovsky district of the Volgograd region.Results As a result of the work carried out, the characteristics of the obtained hybrid combinations of pumpkin were given according to the main economically valuable traits: the duration of the growing season, the average weight of the fruit, the thickness of the pulp, the dry matter content, the yield, as well as the resistance to anthracnose and powdery mildew. An assessment was made in comparison with the standards and parental forms. As a result of the research, it was revealed that the shortest duration of the growing season, 115-117 days, is in combinations of large-fruited pumpkin Paradise - Vi x Graceful, Graceful x Paradise - Vi, Marina di Ch x Dawn. Among the nutmeg pumpkin, all samples along the length of the growing season are at the same level of 119-120 days. Average fruit weight and pulp thickness are inherited intermediately. In terms of yield, among the hybrid combinations of large-fruited pumpkin, samples of Marina di Chioggia x Zorka and Paradise - Vi x Graceful stood out. All hybrid combinations of nutmeg pumpkin exceeded parental forms in terms of yield, their yield ranged from 17.0 to 22.0 t/ha. In terms of resistance to powdery mildew and anthracnose, the combinations "Elia x Spaniard" (Uzbekistan) and "Muscat Provence x Vitamin" stood out.Conclusions. Thus, as a result of hybridization, two new hybrid combinations of large-fruited pumpkin and Muscat pumpkin were obtained, which have a complex of economically valuable traits and resistance to powdery mildew and anthracnose.

Relevance. Pepper is sensitive to chilling temperatures in all growth stages and low temperatures are main factors affecting plant growth, fruit growth and development and productivity. Evaluation and identification low temperature (LT) tolerant pepper genotypes at different growth stages is actual in breeding program for developing new cultivars. In present study we investigated the effect of the leaf cold damage within 25% (LCD) after chilling treatment in seedling stage on vegetative and reproductive traits of pepper accessions with different cold tolerance.Material and methods. In this study two pepper accessions “PE-J-2” and “Neokgwang” selected as chilling tolerant and susceptible in juvenile stage (3-4 true leaf stage), were used respectively. The seedlings of the selected pepper accessions with 25% visual cold damages of leaf green part (become lightly yellowed-whited or desiccated-dried) and control non-treated (NT) were grown in a glasshouse condition (D/N 30-32/22-24°C) for 10 weeks to evaluate the effect of LCD on pepper accessions vegetative and reproductive parameters after chilling pre-treatment. In pepper plants the vegetative parameters such as plant height (PH), leaf length (LL) and width (LW), number of internodes (NI), length of main axis (LMA), plants fresh weight (PFW) and roots fresh weight (RFW), and reproductive the number of flowers (NFL) and fruits (NFR), fruit set ratio (FS), fruit length (FL) and diameter (FD), total yield per plant (TY) were measured. The experimental design of this study was completely randomized. Statistical analysis was performed using the SAS Enterprise Guide 7.1 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, North Carolina, USA).Results. According to the research result several accessions were identified: the accessions screened in juvenile stage as cold tolerant cannot always manifest good some agronomical traits performance at growth stages and it may range depending on the genotype specific features. The seedlings with LCD within 25% may significantly affect the vegetative and reproductive parameters of pepper plants. The phenomenon was recorded more distinctive in the correlations between some vegetative and reproductive parameters among NT and LCD plants.

Relevance. Selection and analysis of the source material for crossing varieties with an individual ability to transmit economically valuable traits to offspring is an important breeding task. Breeders conducted research aimed at obtaining highly productive varieties and hybrids of table watermelon of various ripeness groups, resistant to adverse environmental conditions and having high taste qualities in comparison with standards. When studying the varieties and varietals of table watermelon, samples were selected according to the following characteristics: the growing season, yield, bright color of the pulp, excellent taste, dry matter content.Materials and methods. Scientific research was carried out in 2019-2020 in the breeding nursery and breeding nursery in the fields of the Bykovskaya melon breeding experimental station located in the Bykovsky district of the Volgograd region. 2 varieties of Malachite, Timosha and 3 cultivars 697, 728, 750 having an advantage in valuable economic characteristics over the best zoned varieties in the middle–ripening group – Sinchevsky, and in the late-ripening group – Kholodok were studied.Results. Studies have shown that in the middle–ripening group, the new Timosha variety is the most productive (27.3 t/ha), and the variety also stood out with a high dry matter content (13.4 - 14.8%). In the late-maturing group, a variety of 750 (27.5 t/ha) was distinguished by yield. Indicators of dry matter, the percentage of dry matter higher in the cultivar 728 ranged from 13.8 to 14.8%, The tests proved the relevance of further study in the breeding nursery of selected cultivars isolated by a complex of economically valuable traits to create new promising varieties of watermelon. Work in this direction will contribute to an increase in the volume and quality of manufactured products, contribute to the further development of the melon industry.

When cultivating pumpkin crops in most agricultural regions of the world, one of the most aggressive diseases is real powdery mildew, the damage of plants in which, under optimal soil and climatic conditions for the pathogen, reaches 100%. In the open and protected ground, among the cultivated representatives of the Cucurbitaceae family, the most widespread and harmful are the species Sphaerotheca fuliginea (Schlecht ex Fr.) Poll and Erysiphe cichoracearum f. sp. cucurbitacearum (DC ex Merat). In regions where both phytopathogens are present, mixed infections may occur, making identification difficult, and, accordingly, further plant protection measures. The pathogens of this powdery mildew of pumpkin crops have different requirements for temperature and humidity. During the growing season, there may be a change in species composition when conditions change, for example, when a new season begins. Symptoms of the disease in the form of a white or yellowish powdery plaque in the form of rounded spots (mainly on the leaves) can manifest themselves at all stages of plant development, the susceptibility of which increases by the beginning of fruiting. According to biological characteristics, S. fuliginea and E. cichoracearum are obligate biotrophic pathogens, unable to exist independently without living photosynthetic tissue, except for the wintering (sexual) stage of teleomorphs in the form of globular kleistothecia. At this stage, it is not difficult to differentiate pathogens by the morphology of kleistothecium. When analyzing the plant material of melons with the naked eye, S. fuliginea and E. cichoracearum cause similar symptoms of damage, but by microscopy these organisms can be distinguished by a complex of morphological characteristics. Taxonomically significant features are: the location of the mycelium, the formation of conidia (single or chain), the presence or absence of noticeable fibrosin bodies, the features of the appressoria, the size and shape of the conidia, as well as the position and type of their sprout tubes. The works of Russian and foreign scientists have shown the possibility of determining the types and physiological races of pathogens using an indirect method: reactions to differentiator plants. To date, about 30 physiological races of the pathogen Podosphaera xanthii (Sphaerotheca fuliginea) and 2 races of E. cichoracearum are known. However, this method does not always correlate with the methods of molecular analysis. Determination of the species composition of powdery mildew pathogens is a starting point for the development of a further strategy for the cultivation of pumpkin crops and in breeding work for resistance to this disease.

The results of evaluating the effectiveness of the plant growth regulator Atonic Plus on potatoes as a stimulator of development, immunomodulator and protectant of the negative effects of pesticides in the crop protection system in the agro-climatic conditions of the Central region of the Russian Federation (Moscow region) are presented.In the extreme weather conditions of the growing season of 2010, the growth regulator Atonic Plus effectively demonstrated its qualities in the form of the formation of adaptability and anti-stress resistance in potato plants, providing an increase in yield relative to control by 1.8-7.1% and the quality of tubers is not only compared to the control, but also relative to the reference version. The combined use of a growth regulator with a fungicide contributed to an increase in the yield of standard potatoes in early and mid-late potato varieties by 2-2.5 times compared with the control.

Relevance. Common buckwheat is one of the most important cereal and melliferous crops being in demand both in Russia and overseas. Despite the fact that buckwheat has lower sus- ceptibility to infectious diseases in comparisons with other grain and cereal crops, research on its pathogens is a topical issue considering a high disease rate for this crop in Primorsky krai. Materials and methods. The study on pathogenic composition was conducted in selective crop rotations of FSBSI “FSC of Agricultural Biotechnology of the Far East named after A.K. Chaiki” at the territory of Ussuriysky district in Primorsky krai. Indeterminate (Izumrud, Pri 7, Bashkirskaya krasnostebel’naya) and determinate (Dikul) buckwheat varieties were used for the study. Fungi were isolated from rhizoplane using water washing technique, from soil and rhizosphere via the dilution method, from leaves and root systems by accumulation in a moist chamber with subsequent transfer of culture onto selective medium. Fungal isolates were cul- tivated on toxigenic medium (Myro) to determine their phytotoxicity. Phytopathogenic activity of living cultures was evaluated on potato sucrose agar according to the modified method of Chelkowski and Manka . All experiments were conducted in accordance with established methods.Results. Culture filtrates of F. avenaceum and F. graminearum isolates, obtained from different anatomical parts of common buckwheat, were characterized by low toxicity, and culture filtrates of F. oxysporum isolate were highly toxic. Phytotoxicity of pathogens manifested itself not only in decrease in laboratory germination ability of buckwheat seeds, but also in inhibition of buckwheat sprout development. It proved that metabolites exerted a prolonged effect on sensitive plants. F.avenaceum, F. oxysporum and F. graminearum have pronounced phy- topathogenic and aggressive properties in relation to buckwheat and test-plants in the laboratory conditions. The sum total of their studied phytotoxic properties is convincing enough to consider them potentially hazardous to buckwheat for wilt disease development.

Relevance. Consumer demand development of exotic colors presence in modern tomato hybrids requires a timely response from domestic breeders for creating highly effective hybrids. With regard to cherry tomatoes, special attention of breeders is aimed at achieving excellent taste in new hybrids. One of the indicators is the "content of dry soluble substances in fruits". However, there is no information in the literature about the variation of this trait within different color groups of cherry tomatoes. The aim of our work was the creation of initial material for the selection of F1 cherry tomato hybrids with a high content of dry soluble substances.Materials and methods. All measurements were obtained by the refractometric method and presented in the oBrix scale. The study examined 46 F2 splitting cherry tomato populations, including 17 red, 12 yellow, 7 pink, 8 brown, and 2 purple. Analyzing the obtained data, the following statistical indicators were made: the frequency of occurrence of the variant; arithmetic mean; dispersion; the coefficient of variation; sample mean error. Relative error was used to test the sample results obtained.Results. The coefficients of variation of the trait «content of dry soluble substances in fruits» were calculated in each of the five color groups of cherry tomatoes (from 17.43% for brown-fruited to 25.13% for red-fruited). The boundaries of variability and average values of the content of dry soluble substances were determined both within the groups (from 7.2 oBr in pink-fruited to 8.8 oBr in yellow-fruited ones), and for each studied breeding sample. The practical result of the work was selection of the most promising breeding material within different color groups of cherry tomato, combining high values of dry matter with a complex of economically valuable traits.