Purpose. Jute mallow (Corchorus olitorius L.) is a mucilaginous vegetable and fiber crop cultivated in the tropics, where catnip (Nepeta cataria L.) and Mexican sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia L.) are common weeds. Hence, the study investigated the growth, yield, and nutrient level of jute mallow in weed-free, catnip, and Mexican sunflower environments. Methods. The study involved two screen-house experiments in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with six replications. The treatments were 0 (control), 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 weed plants per pot in both experiments. These are 0, 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 weed count per square meter equivalent, based on the surface area of the pots used. Mexican sunflower and catnip plants interacted with jute plants in the first and second experiments, respectively. Growth parameters of jute mallow were recorded weekly from 5 to 8 weeks after sowing (WAS), and harvesting was done at 8 WAS. The proximate composition of jute was evaluated using standard procedures outlined by AOAC. The data collected were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA), and means were separated using Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at P < 0.05. Results. Catnip and Mexican sunflower negatively impacted the morphological features of jute mallow from 100 plants per square meter upwards. Catnip and Mexican sunflower, at 300 and 100–500 plants per square meter, respectively, reduced the dry weight of jute mallow. The crude protein content of jute mallow was also lessened by Mexican sunflower at some point. Conclusions. The study recommends that the density of catnip and Mexican sunflower plants interacting with jute mallow should be maintained below 100 plants per square meter to prevent yield loss.

The article unveils results and prospects for the introduction of lesser-known vegetable crops of Cucurbitaceous family to extend the diversity among vegetables. Among 5 species the best by commodity yield and quality indexes are selected. The promising species could be recommended for use in horticulture and landscaping. Introduction onto the territory of Ukraine of new lesserknown species of Cucurbitaceous family, such as trichosanthes, luffa, lagenaria, anguria, momordica will enable to extend the use of vegetable crops in landscaping for the designing of alpine hills, ornamental beds, decorating verandas, arbours, balconies with planting, as a wonderful material for artistic visage, restaurant business and agro-tourism. To extend the diversity among the vegetables in openair espalier growing it is promising to run the cultivation of disease and pest resistant, displaying good indices of taste estimate and quality species, namely trichosanthes of 5,1 kg/sq.m. commercial yield, with fresh and canned fruits accumulating high content of a dry matter (6,5 to 10,1%) and sugars (4,1 to 8,5%) and characterized by taste estimate for the processed foodstuff of 8,5 points.

The article highlights potential features for the varieties of vegetable bean and actual losses of yield subject to the total amount of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) received over the vegetation period in the Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. It is established that the potential of the vegetable bean yield in Ukraine depends on PAR received over the vegetation period. All the varieties had their yield upon receiving PAR higher by 0,26-0,41 t / ha compared to that of control. Potential yield of vegetable bean varieties when PAR is used by 2% amounted to 57.25–59.30 t / ha, which was 2.2–3.6 times more than their actual yield. The smallest actual yield loss compared to that potential was inherent in the varieties of Bartoli and Windsor (2.2–2.3 times). The actual yield losses for Karadag and Karestyno varieties were the highest, namely 3.6 times higher compared to the potential prospect.

In the article revealed the scientist basis of vegetables plants nationality varieties resource via government registering of new varieties and their right protection.

The creative and organizational role of academician M. M. Hryshko was analyzed in studying the gene pool of plants in Ukraine and creating collection funds of the National Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, which has been named after this famous scientist since 1991. Investigations on introduction, acclimatization and breeding of plants were described embracing the period from post-war years to the present day. Information was gi­ven that concerns the results of the introduction and plant breeding in the early 1950s as reported by M. M. Hryshko and recent data on species and varietal diversity of cultivated ornamental, fruit, subtropical, agricultural (including energy, feed, vegetable, spice aroma, aromatic, technical, green manure, nectariferous) plants.

Purpose. Studying the norm of reaction of vegetable bean varieties depending on the feeding area, namely the row width. Methods. Field, biometriс, statistical, laboratory ones. Results. ‘Karadag’ (k), ‘Windsorski’, ‘Bartoli’ and ‘Karestino’ varieties were trialed during 2012–2014. In the course of trial the peculiarities were studied concerning the formation of plant height, the number of beans and seed weight of vegetable bean varieties depending on the row width in the phase of technical maturity of the beans. It was found that differential of plant height growth was changed to a greater degree in ‘Windsorsky’ variety (+9,3 cm for every 10 cm) in case of row width narrowing from 60 to 20 cm. ‘Windsorsky’ variety had the largest number of beans and the highest seed weight per plant – 8.9 beans and 14.44 g respectively. Seeds of ‘Karestino’ variety were large, their weight per plant made up 10.56 g, the number of beans totaled to 6.6. Conclusions. The maximum influence of feeding area on a height of plants was found in the phase of technical maturity of beans. The largest increase in plant height for every 10 cm of row spacing was observed in ‘Karadag’ and ‘Windsorski’ varieties. The number of beans also is depended on feeding area. With its reducing, the number of beans and their weight per plant was also reduced in all variants. The largest number of beans and the highest seed weight per plant were in variants with feeding area of 1200 cm2 (row width was 60 cm).

Basic results is resulted multidimen-sional statistical analysis of varieties of pea vegetable as initial material for the breeding of new varieties.

Purpuse. To develop scientific and methodological principles of legal protection of plant varieties in Ukraine in accordance with the requirements of the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) and the European Union (EU), to analyze the relevant methodological and legal norms and approa­ches aimed to improve the system of legal protection of plant varieties as intellectual property objects identified during the expert determination the criteria for distinctiveness, uniformity and stability (DUS-test). Results. Determination of the criteria for distinctiveness, uniformity and stability implies the plant varieties identification by the method of phenotype morphological description (the signs of vegetative and generative organs). The morphological code formula of the variety consists of the corresponding codes of the sign and the degree of its expression that is formed according to the technical documents and DUS methods in all countries of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) and CPVO. Methodological provision for the protection of breeder’s rights and new plant varieties in the EU and the CPVO protocols were analyzed by the comparative method of the general parts and the tables of signs of DUS techniques for the botanical taxons of 4 plant groups: agricultural, vegetable, fruit and decorative. Conclusions. As a result of comparative assessment of DUS methods for plant varieties (CPVO – Protocols, UPOV – TG, Ukraine – UATG) was found that the morphological des­cription of plant varieties during the field trials (qualitative (QL), quantitative (QN) and pseudo-qualitative (PQ) signs of phenotypes) is the basic technique for conducting DUS testing according to the international UPOV requirements as well as to CPVO requirements. National Methods for Plant Varieties Examination for Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability are developed under mandatory requirements of the DOCUMENT TGP 7/3 DEVELOPMENT OF TEST GUIDELINES adopted by the Council at its forty-eighth ordinary session on October 16, 2014. The CPVO and EU methodological bases at the 2015 research stage included protocols for 160 botanical taxons, represented by four plant groups: agricultural (18); vegetables (46); fruit (30) and decorative (66). The CPVO protocols for 122 botanical taxons, namely: agricultural (18), vegetable (44); fruit (28) and decorative (32) are of great value for the application’s scientific and technical examination for plant variety registration inUkraine. Field tests of plant phenotypes in accordance with morpho-descriptive method for variety identification by the relevant features and their degree of expression for harmonized description of plant varieties is practically brought to the UPOV international requirements and partly to CPVO protocols of the European Union.

In the production of original, basic green pea seed it is critical to to single out (select) basic plants. The marked (selected) plants shall comply with their breeder’s description. Since seed breeding events are conducted with every new variety by various persons and in various agroecologic conditions, subjective factors, as well as environmental factors, may interfere with determining parameters of every characteristic considered there. As a consequence, identification and varietal characteristics and properties are subject to change and might not correspond to the breeder’s description; this, of course, affects the quality of variety. For the purpose of leveling the above factors, example of vegetable pea serves as a suggestion of a technique for exeminig parameters of variability of quantitative traits for specific population observing the rule of «golden section».

The article reflects economical value of a valuable food crop, field pea used chiefly as a vegetable (Pisum sativum L partim), its origin and distribution both in the worldwide scale and in our country, establishment of its varietal resources. Exhausting description is provided to new varieties of pea used chiefly as a vegetable, which have been listed in the State Register of Varieties Suitable for Dissemination in Ukraine in 20010-2011 for the harvest in 2012, and for which official description is available.