The cabbage certainly is the major crop in Russia. Its spreading is caused by highly valuable horticultural characteristics. On the market the popular varieties of head cabbage originated at VNIISSOK, such as ‘Ijulskaya 3200’, ‘Nomer Perviy Gribovskiy 147’, ‘Slava 1305’, ‘Podarok’, ‘Moskovskaya pozdnaya 15’, ‘Gako 741’, ‘Vertu 1340’ are appreciated. Hybrids of cabbage are the most valuable for production, due to their high yield ability, uniformity and quality comparing with cultivars. Recently, early-late maturing heterotic hybrids of white head cabbage, originated at VNIISSOK have been developed. These hybrids can be used throughout a year by means of consecutive cultivation and suitable for fresh consumption, long-storage and processing.

The group of bee-pollinated hybrids of cucumber is one of the most demanded for growing in greenhouses in winterspring period. There are ‘Atlet F1’ ‘Karambol F1’ ‘Magnit F1’ ‘Kartel  F1’  and  also  hybrids  pollinators  ‘Kazanova  F1’, ‘Begunok  F1’  ‘Bodriyachok  F1’,  which  occupy  about  800 hectares of  area in  winter  greenhouses. All  hybrids  have attractive appearance, high taste qualities, and are transportable. Buttons are in a great demand and have a high price during  all  the  time  of  cultivation,  from  February to  July. However, the bee-pollinated  cucumbers in later period are also in need, particularly for end of year celebrations. The possibility  to  grow  these  bee  pollinated  cucumbers  like ‘Karambol F1’ in these terms of cultivation is regarded in the article.

Dagestan is the largest region with irrigation system of agriculture in Russia. Irrigated lands provide 70% of total plant production. The field cultivation is carried on arable land in plain region of the republic. The drip irrigation as an ecologically safe technology for watering is regarded as major means for vegetable production farming. This approach maintains the propitious level of water and air in the soil without surface and deep drainage of irrigating water. These irrigated lands are expected to be used first of all for valuable and profitable crops such as tomato that is a leading crop in Dagestan. The experimental work was carried out at OOO ‘Dagagrocomplex’, Aleksandro-Nevskoye, in Tarumovskiy region. The aim of the study was to determinate the optimal dose of mineral fertilizers and the way of their application to improve the productivity without quality loss. The complex analysis of the technology for tomato production under drip irrigation through nontransplanting culture showed its high efficiency, because volume and quality of yield directly depended on soil moisture and precise supporting of mineral nutrition rates. The maximal yield of tomato fruits, 88.7-94.5 t/ha was observed with once mineral fertilizer application at a dose of N180P135K60 with soil humidity 70-80% (field moisture capacity), and also at the dose of N180P135K60 with basic application of N100 in nutrition rate. The result of the study showed that the optimization of two factors, namely soil water rate and mineral nutrition, enabled to produce additionally 39.2 t/ha. It was shown the tight connection between yielding and its quality; when yielding 95 t/ha, the increased contents of dry matter to 7.01%, sugar to 3.8% vitamin C to 18.46% were noticed. The high quality of produced output was supported by pre-watering threshold of moisture at 75-80% (field moisture capacity), when once fertilizer application at a dose of N180P135K60.

The lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is widely known and favorite vegetable crop among people. In Europe the main production of lettuce is performed on protected ground with application of  artificial  light  sources. The artificially-lighted  culture  of salad became very actually acquired in the north. Previously, on the basis of multi-year studies on yield registration and experiments with different regimes of lighting we have defined the appropriate parameters of supplementary lighting for lettuce with sodium high-pressure lamps that provided the production in different seasons per year. The aim was to study the accumulation of biomass and yield quality in lettuce ‘Aphytsion’ being grown in winter rotation under light-emitting diodes lamps. The accumulation of biomass and yield quality was studied in ‘Aphytsion’,  grown in winter rotation under lightemitting diodes lamps ECOLED-BIO-112-185WD120 UniversaLED (ООО ‘GK’  ‘CET’), Perm, in  industrial greenhouse OOO ‘Prigorodniy’  at Syktyvkar city. The commodity  output  was obtained  for  two  cycle  of  cultivation, November-December  and  December-January.  Yield  of foliage biomass was 2.4 kg/m2 with flow density PAR (Photosynthetically active radiation) about 90 μmole quantum/m2  s. at 20 W/m2 with total light energy 54 MJ/m2  supplied to plants from LED lamps. The plants produced about 0.5 g. of dry weight calculated on one mole of spent light energy. Energy efficiency of PAR was 3% that corresponded with data observed earlier with sodium high-pressure lamps. The conclusion was made about the suitableness of this type of light-emitting diode lamps for lettuce cultivation in winter rotation in first photic zone. It was recommended to increase duration of supplemental lighting up to 22-24 hours in December and up to 20-22 hours in January to improve the productivity and biological value of plant output. It enables to raise RAP income in plants by 35 %, on average for one cycle of cultivation.

Existing approaches for evaluation of types of interactions between individual monocultures in consortiums allow obtaining only qualitative results (synergistic, antagonistic, additive interaction) as a whole, without regarding to changes in the cultivation process. Therefore, the development of a new approach for the quantitative determination of this indicator as a continuous function defined during the all period of cultivation is in need. In the course of the research a two-component consortium of lactic acid microorganisms cultivated on different mediums according to directed fermentation process in vegetable products was chosen to analyze types of interaction. As a result, the an original approach that was based on comparison of grow speed of biomass of microorganisms with calculated additive curve determined by results of dynamic analysis of titre of microorganism participating in consortium in monoculture during their cultivation has been elaborated. This approach is a convenient tool to identify complex regularity in changes of types of microorganism interaction in consortium represented by continuous function defined during all cultivation period.

Biodegradable ecovio® plastic films for mulching is a solution of BASF engineering.It offers the excellent mechanical properties, and it is completely destructedas polymer is to be fully composted. Without recycling this covering plastic filmis entirely digested by soil microorganisms. The only thing is to do after harvestingis to bury scraps of plastics into the soil to start the process of biodigestion. Development of ecovio® solution opens new page for wide use of this technology in agriculture. The usage of biodegradable plastic films has shown the good results in plant nursery gardens, vegetable and grape growing.

The article presents data on quantitative and classifying distribution of research workers atVNIISSOK from 2011 to 2015. The scientific contribution of research divisions in different fields of knowledge was shown according to bibliometric indicators such as publishing activity, citation ratio and Hirsch index.

The basic problem of breeding of onions, including development of varieties and hybrids, characterized by high yield, early maturity, marketable product that are grown in different regions of the country is described in the article. The combination of resistance to pests and diseases in the same variety/hybrid is the most problematic. Interspecific hybridization of onions is promising, as a result of which, along with resistance to diseases, provided early spring regrowth of plants, their high shoot formation, the long period of return of greenery as well as a high solids content, vitamins, and volatile production in the bulbs and aboveground mass. Perennial onions are donors of cold and frost resistance. VNIISSOK scientists, Omsk Agricultural Institute and other institutions in the country set up a number of interspecific hybrids with wild species of onions, which are of undoubted interest for practical use. However, a significant portion of perennial species is not compatible with cultivated ones. The main reason is the different number of chromosomes in parents, and hence irregularities in meiosis and sterile progeny. To overcome the sterility of hybrids there are effective methods of modern biotechnology, including the embryo culture in vitro and polyploidization. The initial material for research is the collection of VIR, with more than 3,000 samples and diverse breeding material obtained by breeders of our country.

The biological properties and cultivation technology of savoy cabbage are presented in the article. The ways of breeding of this crop in VNIISSOK, some varieties and hybrids are described. Up to 2016, the 9 varieties and the 11 hybrids of savoy cabbage were included in to the State Register of selective breeding results (plant variety). The bestknown cultivars of VNIISSOK’s breeding are the early maturing «Yubileynaya 2170» (vegetation season is 102-114 days) and the middle-late «Vertyu 1340» (130-150 days).

December 3, 2015 Russian State Agrarian University, Moscow Agricultural Academy named after K.A. Timiryazev, celebrated its remarkable 150-year anniversary. It is the world's leading educational, scientific, methodical center of agricultural education in Russia. It is Alma mater of the scientific and human potential of the domestic agricultural sector. As part of the anniversary celebration, the series of ceremonial events have been held in the institute. The central event was the opening of the monument to N.I. Vavilov, a memorial plaque in honor of the Academy of Education, a solemn meeting of the Academic Council, which were announced numerous congratulations and awarded diplomas and honorary doctors of the mantle, a grand concert at the State Kremlin Palace.