Relevance. The study of correlations between cucumber traits makes it possible to conduct a preliminary assessment of plants more objectively, to identify forms with high economically valuable traits, and their comprehensive assessment will make it possible to select the best source material for further selection.Methodology. In 2021, in the Crimean SC "Gavrish", experiments were laid with 24 parthenocarpic F1 hybrids of the smooth type in two repetitions, 8 plants each. Cucumber was grown in a film greenhouse on soils in spring-summer turnover. Cultivation technology – in accordance with the requirements adopted in the region. The evaluation of economically valuable traits was performed according to the generally accepted method.Results. During the correlation analysis, high, medium positive and negative relationships were established between the individual main economic characteristics of the parthenocarpic cucumber when grown in an unheated film greenhouse. The method of correlation analysis revealed a significantly high correlation between the degree of branching by determinant lateral shoots and the number of fruits per node (r=0.84), the number of female flowers per plant (r=0.72) and the number of fruits per plant (r=0.68). Fruit length and index are highly negatively correlated with the number of fruits per plant (r=-0.86) and the number of female flowers per plant (r=-0.84…-0.85). A high correlation appears between weight, length, fruit shape index and the number of fruits in a node (r=-0.75...-0.76).The trait commercial yield significantly negatively correlates with the trait length of internodes on the main shoot (r=-0.64…-0.68).

Relevance. In connection with the introduction of various types of chelated microfertilizers into production, it is necessary to develop new elements of varietal technology for the cultivation of melons and gourds in order to obtain stable yields in the arid conditions of the Volgograd Trans-Volga region. These studies will be relevant in this period of time.Material and technique. The object of research is watermelon, variety Meteor. We studied the types and methods of using chelate microfertilizers: Helaton Extra, Chelate B, Chelate Fe. Fertilizers were used for soaking seeds before sowing and for foliar treatment of plants during the growing season.Results. During the research period of 2019-2021, new forms of microfertilizers were studied. As a result of the research, new preparations for different methods of processing had a positive effect on the growth and development of table watermelon plants. The evaluation of the results obtained showed a positive effect of new microfertilizers on the germination energy and seed germination. The maximum growth of lashes was recorded when seeds were soaked before sowing: Helaton Extra preparation and foliar feeding of plants during the growing season with microfertilizer boron chelate. The best results of increasing the leaf surface were obtained in variants with the use of Helaton Extra microfertilizer for soaking seeds and treating plants on vegetative organs. Accordingly, the highest yield was obtained when using Helaton Extra fertilizer for seed treatment before sowing and spraying plants during the growing season. The output of marketable products was noted at a fairly high level. The average weight of the fetus in all studied variants ranged from 5.9 kg to 7.8 kg. The length of the growing season in all variants increased slightly. Comparative analysis of growth processes and productivity of watermelon variety Meteor when using new forms of water-soluble fertilizers for seed soaking and foliar treatment of plants showed greater efficiency from their use.

Relevance and methodology. Currently, due to changing weather conditions, the cultivation of melons and gourds is shifting to areas that were not previously engaged in melon growing. Therefore, the testing of available varieties in various environmental conditions is relevant. The purpose of this work is to evaluate melon varieties bred at the Bykovskaya melon breeding experimental station in various soil and climatic conditions. Three varieties of melon were used as the object of research. The tests were carried out in the conditions of the Volgograd region, the Krasnodar region and the Republic of Kazakhstan. During the research, the melon varieties were evaluated according to the following indicators: yield, duration of the growing season, dry matter content.Results. As a result of the research, it was revealed that the variety Harmonia was the most stable in terms of the duration of the growing season (75-79 days). A consistently high content of dry matter in all areas of the study was in the varieties Comet and Idyll from 12.0 to 15.0%. All varieties had a good tasting score. The average fruit weight of all melon varieties grown in Krasnodar and the Volgograd region was at the same level. The high average weight in the conditions of Kazakhstan was distinguished by the Idyll variety - 4.3 kg. The melon varieties Harmoniya and Idyllia have a consistently high yield in all three zones. The variety Kometa had the highest yield in the conditions of Kazakhstan - 16.3 t/ha. Thus, melon varieties that have been tested in different regions of cultivation have high quality indicators and yields and are suitable for growing marketable products in the regions of the study.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a cultivated plant of the Amaranthaceae family of Peruvian origin with high nutritional value. The Krasnodar region of Russia is a region with favorable climatic conditions for growing quinoa. The studies were carried out on the basis of Quinoa Center LLC, located in the Novokubansky district of the Krasnodar Territory. Four quinoa varieties were used as research material: Blanca de Juli, White Peru, Salcedo, the local variety Seva (included in the State Register of the Russian Federation in 2017) served as the standard. Various morphological parameters of plants were assessed and phenological observations were carried out.The results showed statistically significant differences between varieties in plant productivity. The White Peru variety responded positively to the new conditions and was introduced without irrigation. The productivity of the panicle was on average 100 g, for the standard variety Seva - 70 g. In the dynamics of the ontogenetic development cycle of four quinoa varieties, it was established that the optimal sowing time in the conditions of the Krasnodar Territory is May. The tested varieties were also assessed for grain quality. In the conditions of the Krasnodar region they showed good results, thanks to selection for white grain and panicle uniformity. However, not all of them can be adapted, since they need constant watering and for late-ripening varieties autumn rains negatively affect their yield. The local early ripening variety Seva is of interest to Peru. In Peru, the main problem reducing production is low yield caused by frost in the Puno Peru region. The Seva variety reaches phenological phases: the beginning of panicle formation (R6), panicle formation (R7), flowering (R8) and full panicle ripening, physiological maturity (R12) and due to its early ripening it avoids frost. Therefore, the Seva variety can be recommended for sowing in the Puno-Peru region, since it has a gene pool that provides cold resistance but this requires detailed study. In general, to optimize the introduction of quinoa in Russia further research on adaptability in the Krasnodar region is necessary.

Purpose. Betalains, plant pigments of red beet roots, exhibit antioxidant activity and reduce the risks of many pathological conditions. However, the widespread introduction of betalains is hampered by insufficient knowledge of their transformations during the growing season and storage of root crops, which was the purpose of the work.Methods. Root crops of five varieties of table beets were used in the studies. The content and stability of betalains were determined by spectrophotometric methods according to the numerical indices of the absorption spectra of extracts from root crops.Results. In the beet roots in the first 20 days of vegetation after germination, the content of betaxanthines is higher than that of betacyanins, but by the 40th day, betacyanins exceed betacyanins over betaxanthin in the ratio of 1.26-2.21. By the 70th 90th days of vegetation, the main pool of betalains is formed, their content reaches 84.5-198.6 mg / 100 g, the ratio of betacyanins / betaxanthins and resistance are 2.47-9.76 and 0.82-0.91 respectively. The highest excess of the content of betacyanins over betaxanthins by 8.11 9.65 times was obtained in beet root crops of Creolka and Veselaia Smulyanka varieties. The stability of betalains during six-month storage decreases less than 1.4 times.Conclusion. It is advisable to use the developed spectrophotometric method for determining the stability of betalains in the express analysis of beet root crops. Betalains are more stable than other plant antioxidants. Beet roots are more preferred for fortifying diets than other foods with antioxidant activity.

Relevance. The effectiveness of fertilizers depends on the need of plants for nutrients and on the ability of the soil to meet this need. According to the Research Institute of Raw Materials of the Alcohol Industry, the responsiveness of chicory to individual substances changes dramatically during the growing season. In the first period of its development, chicory responds sharply positively only to phosphorus. In the future, the phosphorus efficiency remains stable for two months and by the end of the growing season, attenuation begins. The potash efficiency, on the contrary, is low in the first months, and by the end of the growing season, in contrast to the action of phosphorus, it gives a sharp rise. The efficiency of nitrogen during the growing season occupies an average position between the efficiency of phosphorus and potassium.Methodology. The aim of the research was to identify the most effective doses of macro- and microelements and methods of their application (basic and top dressing) to ensure maximum yields of root chicory root crops. The experiments were carried out in the Nonchernozem zone of the Russian Federation in the Rostov district of the Yaroslavl region on the experimental field of the Rostov experimental station for chicory¬ – a branch of the FSBSI FSVC.Results. As a result of the conducted studies, it was found that an increase in the dose of nitrogen nutrition against the background of phosphorus-potassium fertilizer increased the yield of root chicory root crops, fractional application of mineral fertilizers is more effective compared to the main application, the introduction of boron and cobalt increased the content of inulin and sugars in root crops. The inulin content increased as the dose of nitrogen fertilizers increased.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the biochemical components in the heads of some red cabbage accessions (Russian cultivar Mikhnevskaya, Russian hybrid from Co Sedek Promethey F1, Turkish variety Mohrenkopf, hybrids from the Netherlands Zomiro F1, Pecky F1, Remala F1, Japanese hybrid Pretino F1), during cultivation in the conditions of the Leningrad region. The content of dry matter, nutritional compounds of protein and sugars, biologically active pigments anthocyanins, chlorophylls, carotenoids, phenolic acids expressed in gallic acid equivalents, as well as the level of antioxidant activity using DPPH were determined. It was found that the content of most chemical components varied greatly between accessions, especially sugars, pigments, and phenolic compounds. As a result of metabolomic profiling, nine monosaccharides (84% of the total) and two disaccharides were identified, including five sugars common to all studied accessions, the predominant of which was fructose. The content of total chlorophylls in heads of cabbage was in the range of 0.48-50.43 mg/100 g (chlorophyll a was 70%), carotenoids in the range of 0.95-15.58 mg/100 g. Carotenoids included carotenes, represented mainly by βcarotene, luteins, violaxanthins, xanthophylls. The main anthocyanin in red cabbage accessions is cyanidin. A total of 19 components of the anthocyanin profile were identified; of which there are six main components, that account for 80% of the total. 11 phenolic compounds of various nature were identified, and all studied accessions contained quinic, ferulic, and sinapic acids. Sources of valuable biochemical traits have been found for breeding on quality for healthy nutrition: the cultivar Mohrenkopf stood out for its high content of dry substances; sugars – hybrid Zomiro F1; anthocyanins – hybrid Pecky F1; phenolic compounds – Pecky F1 and Mohrenkopf; high antioxidant activity - Mikhnevskaya, Mohrenkopf and Pecky F1.

Beet is considered a difficult breeding object due to its biological peculiarities that make it difficult to obtain hybrid seed progeny. In cross-pollinated crops, the maximum hybridization is achieved by using sterile mother plants, which are extremely rare in the nature. Inbreeding is one of the ways to isolate genotypes with cytoplasmic male sterility, which are controlled by recessive alleles of nuclear genes and S-factor of mitochondrial DNA, from a complex heterogeneous population. The main distinguishing features allowing to identify plants with male sterility are the structure and coloring of anthers, and the quality composition of pollen. The diversity of phenotypic manifestation of marker coloration in sterile anthers is determined by the ratio of different pigments. Diversity of pollen grains of fertile and sterile plants is caused by differences in their development at the late stages of androgenesis. The degree of sterilization varies in different genotypes, which is associated with complex regulatory mechanisms of interaction between the genetic apparatus of the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Along with abnormalities of pollen grain micropopulations, self-fertilization results in morphological changes in the structure of inflorescences and number of flower organs, which has a direct impact on the seed productivity of plants. The studies summarized in this publication are relevant and essential for the search of effective ways to control plant development in ontogenesis and universal selection criteria in the process of creating fundamentally new forms of plants, which is especially important for breeding.

Relevance. In Belarus, no full-fledged studies have previously been carried out to identify species diversity, to identify forms of vegetable beans that have similar genetic diversity. The purpose of the research is to determine the number and ratio of biotypes, to identify the level of genetic polymorphism in vegetable bean varieties by electrophoresis of storage proteins.Materials and Methods. The research was carried out at the BSAA in 2021–2022 on soddy-podzolic medium loamy soil. The experience was based on generally accepted methods and guidelines. The objects of research were 42 varieties of vegetable beans (34 - bush form) and (8 - climbing) of Belarusian and Russian selection. Analysis of seed storage proteins in vegetable bean varieties and identification of spectra were carried out according to the methods. To assess the differentiating positions (zones) of the spectrum, identify protein components, and estimate the molecular masses of proteins, standard marker solutions of proteins “Thermo Scientific” – Unstained Protein Ladder (range 5–112 kDa, number of identified proteins – 11) were used.Results. Differences between genotypes were revealed in internal genetic diversity and elements of the protein spectrum of globulins. It has been established that vegetable bean varieties are characterized by hidden genetic variability and a certain level of polymorphism with a different number of biotypes in the structure of the varietal population. In 60% of the analyzed forms, there is a direct relationship between the manifestation of rare, selection-significant components and the degree of complexity of the total component composition of the protein spectrum. This criterion has practical significance and can be used in breeding work with the vegetable bean crop.

The vegetable growing industry in Russia is the main component of crop production, the development of which determines the basis of life and food security. Being the most important and indispensable products of plant origin in the human diet, for a Russian, vegetables are in third place in importance after bread and potatoes. However, according to Rosstat, the level of selfsufficiency in vegetables and food melons in the country is 86,3%, which implies the need to increase their production. To improve the situation in the vegetable growing industry, an important place is given to the issues of improving selection and seed production, since the variety and high-quality seeds are the main elements of modern zonal crop cultivation technologies. At the Federal Scientific Center for Vegetable Growing, selection and seed production of vegetable crops is moving to an innovative development path, where, along with classical methods, modern methods are used: molecular marking according to the main economic characteristics, accelerated creation of homozygous lines using doubled haploid methods, plant immunity. In recent years, various methods of pre-sowing preparation of seeds have been developed to increase their viability and germination friendliness, to obtain even seedlings without harming the ecosystem. Based on the fundamental and priority applied research of previous years, in 2022, the creation of 17 varieties and hybrids of vegetable, melon and flower crops for all potential vegetable growing zones was completed. In order to provide the industry with pure-grade high-quality seed and increase the productivity of crops through the full use of the potential of the variety, the Federal Research Center for Vegetable Growing is constantly working in primary seed production. The developed zonal cultivation technologies will allow growing domestic products in various soil and climatic conditions of the country.