Relevance. Growing plants in artificial conditions (closed agroecosystems) requires precise regulation of plant growth factors, starting from the first stages of ontogenesis. One of the parameters is the presence or absence of light in the period of seed germination. For most types of cabbage the standard method is germination in the dark, but for freshly harvested seeds (at rest) light exposure is necessary. According to the literature, the mechanisms of the effect of light on seed germination are complex and ambiguous, so the issue needs detailed research.Methods. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to study the germination of seeds of broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica Plenck) and Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa var. chinensis), taking into account the light factor and the simultaneous analysis of antioxidant activity as a marker of changes in metabolic processes.Results. The experiment has revealed a significant increase in the antioxidant activity of the microgreens during germination in the dark compared to germination in the light (in broccoli by 5.5 times, in Chinese cabbage by 4.8 times). Later on, after the seedlings are moved to the light, the differences between the light and dark versions practically disappear. After germination in the light, the antioxidant activity of microgreens in comparison with the original (dry seeds) decreased by 3-3.5 times, while in the dark – on the contrary, increased by 1.5-1.6 times. The final results of germination (germination energy and seed germination) practically do not differ in the versions. In the case of dark germination, the height of microgreens is greater (due to etiolation and stretching in the absence of light), however, later on, the differences in the versions are smoothed out. The biomass of microgreens in the version of light germination on the 4th day after sowing seeds in broccoli is by 9.1% higher, in Chinese cabbage – by 10.5%. In case of Chinese cabbage, differences remained until the end of the experiment (on the 18th day from sowing seeds), in case of broccoli they were smoothed out. Comparison of two kinds of cabbage has showen that broccoli in the closed system of the synergotron forms a much higher aboveground biomass than Chinese cabbage (on the 4th day after sowing – by 37%, on the 18th day – by 75.4% in the dark version).

Relevance. Microscopic fungi exhibit the greatest exoenzymatic activity, and xylotrophs are capable of possessing a complex of oxidase and hydrolase enzymes to destroy lignin.Methods. Among the soil micromycetes isolated from the rhizosphere of annual leguminous crops, a search was made for strains that are promising from the point of view of effective microorganism technology, in order to create optimal conditions for increasing soil fertility and crop yields. The detection of total phenol oxidase activity was carried out according to the method of Bavendamm, cultivating the strains on microbiological agar with the addition of an aromatic lignin derivative (0.06% tannin) and the growth factor was calculated. The cellulase activity of the strains was judged by the degree of hydrolysis of the filter paper. Alternaria alternata, Bipolaris, Botrytis fabae, Cunninghamella echinulata, Curvularia lunata, Macrophoma phaseolicola, Trichoderma koningii, Trichoderma viride and Ulocladium botrytis strains were found to cleave lignin and cellulose.Results. When comparing the phenoloxidase activity of the strains, it was proposed to take into account the growth factor, expressed as the ratio of the diameter of the colony on the substrate with the addition of tannin to the diameter of the colony without tannin. Thus, perspective strains of T. koningii and U. botrytis strains with respect to the complex activity of enzymes were identified. The strains C. lunata, A. alternata and B. australiensis showed high cellulase activity. The strain of non-pathogenic soil fungus C. echinulata has the ability to degrade lignin

Researches conducted on lands Nikolayev state agricultural research station IIA NAAS in 2017- 2018. Soil of an experimental plot is chernozem southern weakly eroded clay loamy on loess’s, it is noted by high contents potassium, average – phosphorus and it is not enough provided by nitrogen. Climate of region – continental, is characterized sharp and repeated by fluctuations annual and month temperature of air, greater spare of heat and aridity. Agrotechnic in experiment was generally accepted for southern Steppe of Ukraine. Scheme of experience included three factors – a sowing periods: II ten-day period of October (winter), II ten-day period of November (underwinter), I ten-day period of April (spring); variants of fertilizers: without fertilizers (control), recommended dose (N60P60) and N30Р30 broadcast + N30Р30 with irrigated water; the modes of irrigation: 80-70-70% of minimum moisture-holding capacity and 90-80-70% of minimum moisture-holding capacity. It is shown that hyssop – valuable spicy-aromatic culture, which on their own biological particularity, requirements to soil-climatic conditions can be successfully grown in southern Steppe of Ukraine, providing high harvest of floral mass for use in medical pharmacology. Most productivity variety Marquis (at a rate of 28.4-28.5 c/hа dry cheese) provided in variant, where contributed 50% dose of fertilizers broadcast and 50% with irrigated water and winter sowing period of culture. Maximum contents of essential oil has fixed in same variant at mode irrigation 80-70-70% of minimum moisture-holding capacity, where it has formed 0.85 %. Contents of ascorbic acid in plant raw material varied from 100.4 before 104.9 mg%.

Relevance. Common dill (Anethum graveolens L.) is an annual plant of the celery family (Apiaceae). It has alternated variously repeatedly pinnatisected simple leaves character- ized by a number of morphological features including color, presence of waxy bloom, size and density of the final segments, size and shape of the leaf blade. Leaves on different nodes of the same plant can be variable. Environment conditions of plant cultivation also affect some morphological characteristics of the leaf (inc. size of the leaf and its final segments). But, under the same conditions each variety of dill possess a certain set of morphological features that determine the variety identity. In recent years, dill varieties with new morphological features of the leaf blade have emerged, and it is important to evaluate and classify the existing morphologic diversity of the plant.Methods. Several methods are currently used to describe morphological features of dill leaves structure: developed by VIR (All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources), UPOV, the plant approbation manual, description of leafy vegetables in “Cultivated Flora” compendium. There are similarities and differences between the methods in description of characteristics and their grouping according to the extent of the characters. In this study the current methods for description of the morphological features of dill leafs were compared. The described morphological evaluation of the dill varieties was carried out at 2016–2018 in open field in the Research Institute of Vegetable Crop Breeding (LLC), in the “Gavrish-Slobodskoy” Plant Breeding Center (Pavlovskaya Sloboda, Istrinsky district, Moscow region).Results. As a result, it was revealed that the UPOV method more comprehensively describes the morphological characteristics of dill leaf blade. This method can be extended in the following direction: Establish groups according to the length of leaf, using leaf blade length without petiole: small leaf blade – 5-12 cm, medium – 12-25 cm, large – 25- 40 cm; Establish new character: a density of leaf segments (in parts of the 2nd order) and identify the following groups: thin (up to 5 segments), medium density (6-15 segments), and dense (16 or more segments) arrangement of the segments; Establish new character: segment length, grouping it according their actual length: up to 1 cm – short, from 1 to 1.5 cm – medium, and more than 1.5 cm – long leaf segments. According to the evaluated leaf morphological characteristics: size, color, presence of waxy bloom, “leaf patterns”, the dill plants are very diverse. Two dill morphotypes can be distinguished by presence or absence of waxy bloom, 3 morphotypes by the leaf shape (diamond-shaped, elongated, triangular), and 27 morphotypes – by location and size of the final leaf segments.

Relevance An adaptive approach to the selection of vegetable plants highlights Siberian region for the distinctness of the general climate manifestations. The region is characterized by the general aridity of spring and the first half of summer combined with the sharp fluctuations of temperature during the growing season, a short frost-free period. And there is a positive aspect of the Siberian climate – the high level of solar insolation contributes to the intensification of photosynthesis and hastens all growth processes, reducing the need for the sum of biological temperatures, on average, by 200-300 degrees. Methods The developmental biology of radish in Siberian conditions has a number of characteristic features. Siberian radish cultivars have individual traits of the cropper development with the formation of plant ability of productive and generative time of germination in these conditions. During the period of breeding work in the region, 9 radish cultivars have been created and reproduced with various methods. Among them 5 cultivars have been created with methods of individual and mass selection from the best hybrid combinations of crossing, 2 cultivars with method of polyploidy, 1 cultivar with the method of inbred lines with the ability to fix the necessary characteristics in the generation, 1 cultivar with the use of pigmentation genes transgression when fixing the violet colour of the radish-root. Results The study of radish growth and its development with the replanting and direct method of obtaining seeds solves the issues of expanding the distribution range of Siberian selection cultivars. Qualitative seeds can be obtained only with the replanting method in the conditions of Siberia, in which the plants go through all the necessary stages of jarovization, excluding subsequently premature bolting.

Relevance Identification of forms resistant to thermal stress is important not only at the stage of search, but also later in the selection process. Methods The paper presents the results obtained during the studies on the variability of tomato male gametophyte traits (pollen viability, pollen tube length, pollen resistance and resistance along pollen tubes) in the hybrid F2, F3 and F4 offspring derived from different crossing combinations strongly resistant to high temperature stress (8 hybrid combinations). Results Recombination differences expressed in the values of average variation per family (S2) have been found in the F2 populations segregated for a complex of pollen traits, which made it possible to isolate transgressive recombinants from different hybrid combinations, to produce seeds from them and to further perform selection cycles in F3. It has been found that high intrapopulation variability of male gametophyte traits is preserved in F3 and F4 offspring, which reflects the response of their genotypes to high temperature. The offspring derived from the best F2 recombinants has been shown to not preserve a high level of resistance in F3 and F4. As for the pollen heat resistance, the actual shift of the trait values in F3 in relation to F2 made 0.92, while it made 0.65 in F4 in relation to F2. The shift of the values in the dynamics of the F2, F3 and F4 generations from different hybrid combinations was somewhat higher for the resistance of pollen tubes making 0.99 (F3/F2) and 1.15 (F4/F2). The most pronounced positive shift towards high values in F3 and F4 in relation to F2 was recorded just in three combinations, L7 x L305, L7 x cv. Ceros, L7 x cv. Lider (R – 1.91; 1.29 and 1.08, respectively). High variability in the populations of F4 offspring is observed for quantitative traits, as well, namely, inflorescence number per plant, flower number per inflorescence, the number of set fruits per inflorescence and seed number in fruits. The differences in the offspring diversity found during estimation of the segregating F2 populations derived from different crossing combinations for the variability range have not been confirmed in F3 and F4.

Spicy-flavoring cultures are an indispensable source of vitamins, macro-and microelements, organic acids. Early and rapid formation and return of the crop greatly increases the value of these crops. One of the valuable spice-aromatic plants of the family Lamiaceae L. is Melissa officinalis (Melicca officinalis L.), which is grown as an essential oil culture. Melissa officinalis contains biologically active substances that can be used to enrich food products. Fresh Melicca officinalis leaves produce essential oil which contains precious substances citronellal, citrategeneric, linalool [1]. Leaves and young shoots in the open ground cut to bloom. Consume fresh or dry melissa demanding soil fertility and irrigation. The article provides information about its origin and biological features. A brief overview of the nutritional and medicinal value is given. One of the important areas of work in the creation of modern vegetable varieties is the selection of high content of biologically active substances with antioxidant activity, and suitability for growing on hydroponic plants in protected soil to supply the population with fragrant vitamin products of fresh herbs all year round. Cv. Zhemchuzhina of Melissa officinalis can be grown in multi circle hydroponics (MCH), using natural substrate (peat mixes). Young shoots of this variety can be consumed as early as 35 days after sowing, in which the content of water-soluble antioxidants in march is 5.9 mg/g in units of Gallic acid. Subsequent cuts should be carried out at intervals of 30-45 days, depending on the season. The article also describes the main elements of the technology of growing medicinal melissa in the open and protected ground for greenery and seed production.

Relevance. The quality of food products in Russia and delivered to retail chains for mass consumption is currently one of the most important food safety priorities.Methods. The article contains the results of studies of nitrate content in fruit and vegetable products during 2018-2019 period, obtained from VNIITeK laboratory, comparisons were made with the permissible level of Maximum residue levels (MRL) for nitrate, which are set in Technical regulation TR TS 021/2011. Totally, 252 samples were studied, for the period from January 2018 to April 2018 inclusive 2019.Results. The nitrate content was determined by liquid chromatography. It was shown, that content of nitrate ions in fruit and vegetable products varies in a wide range, depending on the selected group, at the same time, the lowest level of nitrate is established in children 's fruit puree, the highest levels are found in tomato sauce.

Relevance. Melon is one of the most common cultures among melons. Bykovskaya for melon breeding research station scouting for new varieties of melon. When breeding melons, it is necessary to pay attention to such economic characteristics of melons as precocity, productivity, high quality products, resistance to disease, cold resistance.Methods. Studies were carried out in 2017-2018 at the Bikovskaya experimental station, in rainfed conditions. Object of study – varieties and hybrid populations of melon.Results. As a result of selection work the new variety sample of melon of Syngent x Dune is received. In 2017, this population was first included in the station variety testing. According to the research results, the new hybrid population Matures before The standard of the autumn variety for 6 days. The excess in yield over the standard is 6.6 t / ha. The taste of the new variety sample is at the level of standard varieties Osen. Thus, the variety sample of Syngent x Dune has a beautiful appearance, high yield of marketable products, good taste of the fruit, resistance to sunburn, good transportability, which will diversify the range of melon varieties grown in Russia.

The aim of the study is to develop a high–yielding variety of Dracocephalum moldavica L., suitable for cultivation in the Central region of the Russian Federation, and to study the seeding rates and sowing methods on its example. The experimental part of the work was performed in Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in 2016-2017 by field and laboratory experiments. New variety "Nezhnost" (selection № 14-99) is derived by the method of individual-family selection of the cultivated population, is significantly superior to the zoned variety Gorynych on the yield of dry herb (at LSD05=1,8 с/ha) and seed (at LSD05=0,61 с/ha), gross yield of essential oil to by 20%. The object of the study of varietal features of seeding rates and methods of sowing was a promising variety "Nezhnost", for which two-factor experiment was put: 6 variants of seeding rates and 3 variants of sowing methods. Sowing period: early spring. Harvesting: when browning 3/4 of stems. The biological potential of plants has been fully realized in wide-row crops with seeding rate of 2.0-2.5 million PCs/ha, contributing to the formation of productive architectonics, optimization of the production process and maximum realization of seed productivity. To obtain high yields of Dracocephalum moldavica L. when cultivated on seeds in the Central region, the rate of seeding (2,5 million pieces of germinating seeds per hectare) is reduced by 20% of the rate when sowing on green mass, a wide-row method of sowing is used.