Varieties of Brassica oleracea L. are widespread and favorite crops, where among them the head cabbage and cauliflower are the most economically important. Russia takes third place after India and Chine among countries with largest production areas and gross yield for the crop. In Russia, the area sown to cabbage is about 27 thousand hectares. 728 cultivars and hybrids of eight cabbage crops including 528 hybrids have been added in State Register of Breeding Achievements of Russian Federation in 2017. The collection of Brassica oleracea L. totally contains of 2421 accessions and takes first place at number of collected items among the world’s plant genbanks. The phenotyping, genotyping, passportization, development of core collection and trait collection as well as initial breeding accessions, covering all genetic diversity have been carried out at department of genetic resources of vegetables and melons at VIR. Selection of most promising accessions is performed to find genes and sources for economically valuable traits to develop proper lines and hybrids. There are the enrichment of the collection by means of ordering and gathering in expeditions, the improvement of methods of phenotyping and development of database for all biological accessions studied at the department. In 2007-2016, 255 accessions of Brassica oleracea L. have been included into collection to be used in different national breeding programs.

Tree-shaped plants of tomato have many useful traits, which gain them advantages over common tomato forms. In world plant collection there are over 200 accessions, cultivars and hybrids of tree-shaped tomato. The aim of the study was to develop new initial tomato accessions for breeding program for tree-shaped cultivars and hybrids that are distinguished by a shape, fruit weight and color, improved by interspecific hybridization chemical composition and resistance to the major diseases. The tree-shaped breeding lines: ‘196/12’, ‘374/08’, ‘909/14’, ‘911/14’ and other were observed with the use of interspecific hybridization and selection in the population F2-F4. The selected lines passed the trial in artificially infected condition with Alternaria, viral diseases (MToV, TSWV) and phytoplasmas. Among breeding lines assessed the ‘911/14’, ‘374/08’ and‘40/11’ were less affected by complex of pathogens. The lines ‘196/12’ and ‘909/14’ passed an assessment in the nursery for variety trial in naturally and  provocatively infected conditions with major pathogens. Both breeding lines had an advantage over standard accession ‘Laguna’ and ‘Maraphon’ for total yield capacity and standard fruit harvest; it was more by 9.6% and 52.2% and 9.5% and 53.4% respectively. Fruits of lines 196/12 and 909/14 had good taste quality with high content of dry matter (5.8% and 6.8%), sugars (3.3% and 3.1%), vitamin C (22.2 and 24.8 mg/100 grams). The selected tree-shaped accessions have been used to develop heterotic hybrids and to be sources of economically valuable traits.

Results of estimation of general and specific combining ability of male and female parental tomato forms were given for complex of traits. The estimation was carried out according to incomplete diallel crosses 15x15. Such varities   as   ‘Trapeza’,  Rosovaya  kapelka’,  ‘Seniorita’, ‘Ocharovanie’,  ‘Tigris’   ‘Vishnya  Zheltaya’  (Gavrish), ‘Denezhnoye Derevo’ (national breeding), and  lines: ‘46/06’,  ‘49/09’,  ‘295/09’,  ‘336/11’,  ‘354/11’,  ‘357/11’, ‘388/09’ (nor), ‘498’ (selection of TARI) were used as intial breeding accessions, differing in bush type (determinate and indeterminate), duration of vegetative phase (ultraearly,  early, medium early, middle-ripening), fruit  shape (rounded, oval), fruit color (red, pink, black, orange, tiger and with the gene nor), fruit weight (10 g. and more), brush structure (dense, friable). As a results, ‘Trapeza’, ‘Vishnya Zheltaya’, ‘Ocharovaniye’, ‘Seniorita’, and lines: ‘295/10’, ‘49/09’,  ‘498’,  ‘357/11’,  ‘354/11’,  ‘388/09’  (nor) were selected and recommended to be used in breeding program for development of heterotic hybrids with high fruit setting and generative bush type. The promising hybrids F1 with high constants of specific combining ability for a complex of economically valuable traits have been observed. Because of different lines and accessions were used in crossings, these hybrids varied in internode length of cluster type, classical or shorten; rounded or oval fruit shape; fruit  color, red (F1   combinations ‘354/11’ х ‘Seniorita’, ‘Trapeza’ х  ‘L.49/09’,  L.  ‘49/09’  х  L.354/11), pink (F1 combination ‘Rosovaya Kapelka’ х ‘L.354/11’), yellow (F1 combination ‘Ocharovaniye’ х  ‘Vishiya Zheltaya’), deep brown (F1 combination  ‘L.357/11’ х ‘L.354/11’).

First decade of XXI century is characterized by significant augmentation in vegetable world’s production. Average annual vegetable production has been 346 million tons, and it has exceeded the average annual potato production (318 million tons). It has occurred due to the use of up-to-date technologies for vegetable production and, particularly, in greenhouses. In Russian Federation, the total production of vegetables was 5 275.6 thousand tons in 2015 that was 13.3% more than in 2014. But the total vegetable production in greenhouses was only 722.8 thousand tons, that was 0.7% less than in 2014 (728.1 thousand tons). It can be explained that the old technologies have been used for many greenhouses around Russia. Up-to-date technologies for greenhouses are described in the article. Small-volume hydroponics. Plants are grown in mineral wadding, packed up in the special chutes. Mineral nutrition and water are supplied through special pipe with many branch pipes toward each plant. Advantage: pH and nutrition are maintained, consumption of water and mineral nutrition are optimized, and that improves plants grow control. Expenditures of labor decreased, quality of fruit became better and the yield increased significantly by 45-50 kg/m2 comparing with growing on the soil (25-30 kg/m2). Hydroponics with flowing water (salad production lines). Conveyor for salad and vegetable growing on horizontal moving chutes with flowing water and nutrition was developed. Advantage: high level of automation and mechanization of all processes of growing increased the effectiveness of the use of greenhouse areas (we can place 30% plants more at the same area). Seedling production lines. Production lines for seedlings enable to grow vegetables and leafy vegetables on stationary benches, being furnished with periodical nutrition and water supply at times. Advantage: 700 seedlings additionally on each m2 a year. Future technologies are described, there is so called City Farms, which have been developed by several companies, such as ‘PlantLab’, ‘Philips’, ‘Mirai’. Multi-tiered hydroponics on narrow benches has been developed since 2013 at VNIISSOK. Particularities of breeding program for multi-tiered hydroponics have been shown.

The N.I. Vavilov’s contribution into national and world’s science including plant systematic, plant genetics and breeding, plant immunity and introduction was described in the article. His scientific elaborations on distribution of plant species and varieties on the earth and in regions and centers of origin of cultivated plants, where they intensively formed themselves were given in the article. The scientific significance and practical use of plant genetic resources and ways for their mobilization were regarded in the paper. The further development of Vavilov’s ideas is a tribute of gratitude to rich heritage having been preserved for descendants.

Routine breeding work for cucumber cultivar and hybrid maintenance and their multiplication is carried out at Laboratory of Cucumber and Gourd Breeding and Seed Production, VNIISSOK. The original seeds of 5-6 cultivars or lines of cucumber are annually produced in open field and winter greenhouses at Experimental Production Division, FGBNU VNIISSOK. The seed productivity of cucumber depended on the number of seed bearers on the plant, size of seed bearers and a number of seeds in a fruit, as well as seed plumpness and seed fineness and etc. The condition of growing, such as meteorological factors, nutrition rates, cultivation technology, diseases and pests, cultivar specification influence on seed productivity and the traits mentioned above. The results given summarized multi-year data on 1000 seed weight and number of seeds in a fruits of bee-pollinated cultivars and hybrids, such as ‘Izyaschiy’, ‘Muromskiy 36’, ‘Viyaznikovskiy 37’, ‘Vodoley’, ‘Electron 2’, ‘Yedinstvo’, ‘Korotishka’, ‘Krepish F1’, ‘Brunet F1’. In open field the 1000 seed weight significantly varied among cultivars from 16.6 g. in ‘Viyaznikovskiy 37’ to 24.1 g. in ‘Yedinstvo’. The cultivars ‘Muromskiy 36’, ‘Viyaznikovskiy 37’ and ‘Izyaschiy’ were of the earlies ripening ones and had frailest seeds. Mid ripening cultivars ‘Edinstvo’ was distinguished by the biggest and plumpest seeds that were produced in open field as well as in greenhouse. 1000 seed weight in most cucumber cultivars was higher in open field than in greenhouse by 3.5-10.7 g., whereas this difference was more significant among hybrids. The film mulching increased 1000 seed weight. In seed fruits of bee-pollinated cultivars ‘Vodoley’ and ‘Electron 2’ and ‘Yedinstvo’, there were 250-259 seeds. This characteristic was the most stable in ‘Yedinstvo’. A problem with seed production occurs in cultivars of bush type ‘Korotishka’ and ‘Maliyutka’ because of the small number of seeds in a fruit as compared with other cultivars.

In 1973 the crew of polar expedition, investigating the Middendorff Bay at the messdeck Zarya, discovered the depot of food products hidden in permafrost by head of Russian polar expedition E. Toll in 1900. There were oat flakes ‘Gerkules’ and croutons in the depot. Then the study carried out in Research Institute of Vegetable Drying and Can Industry had shown that all products discovered had preserved all their food qualities. That result leaded to launch up the experimental work on the possibility of preservation of food products and foodstuffs in permafrost till 2050. Quality of product found out in Taymyr Peninsula was analyzed. The results of study on qualities after long preservation in permafrost of such food products and foodstuffs as meat, milk, fish, confectionery, concentrated food, plant seeds were given. As a result of expedition in 2016, 20 samples were taken out and new samples of two types of products were placed into repository. Overall products placed consisted of 23 items, including foodstuffs and plant seeds with account of taking them out in 2025, 2035 and 2050. On the basis of research carried out, it is proved that most of modern and casual food products can be preserved without losing their quality values.

The scheme  of  development  of  two-line  of  hybrids  F1  in European radish based on self-incompatibility includes five stages, as follows: 1 – selection of self-incompatible lines, common and specified combining ability estimation; 2 – inbreeding and selection to make the lines homozygous for morphological traits, common and specified combining ability estimation; maintenance and reproduction of self-incompatible lines; 4 – production of hybrid seeds. The research work on assessment of hybrid F1 that were obtained from cross of eight self-incompatible lines of European winter radish by the Griffing’s method was carried out in 2016. The assessment of length, diameter and yield of radish root was performed. According to the root shape the heterotic hybrids F1 were divided into three groups: rounded-flat,  48.2%; round, 50.0%; and flatten-round,  1.8%. The level of root marketability of hybrids F1 reached 100%. As a result of the work the promising hybrid combination distinguished by high uniformity, marketability and high yield were selected out.

Preservation of biodiverse genetic resources of crops and cultured plants live is the important state task. Plant seeds are suitable object regarded as genetic material to be long termstored, since the each accession is a small package, not demanding a special care. There is a large plant collection over 322 accessions in N.I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Genetic Recourses (VIR), Russia. Genetically determined longevity of seeds can be prolonged by organization of optimized condition of storage. The necessary condition should be created to extend the germination power of seed for long time. There are the seed banks in the world with modern highly technological maintenance, but in case highly extremely situation, the natural seed repository can be more preferable. This sort of seed repository has been launched in the Taymyr Peninsula. Since 1974 the experiment on study of preservation qualities of different products in different packaging has been performed in many research institutes. All-Russian Research Institute of Vegetable Breeding and Seed Production is a partner in the whole experiment. Researchers of breeding laboratories have proved seeds of 27 accessions of main vegetable group, which have been placed in three replications with account of taking the accessions out in 2025, 2035 and 2050.

The physiological abnormalities of plants under protected conditions are one of the most common and economically dangerous phenomena for the grower. One of the frequent causes of this phenomenon in plastic houses is the damage of plants by herbicides; the symptoms of this are very similar to the damages of viral infections.