Edible honeysuckle is a popular fruit crop. Its therapeutic and health-promoting effects are attributed to a high content of bioactive compounds in the fruits. Unlike the traditional plant multiplication methods, the in vitro propagation allows scientists to obtain high-quality planting material of honeysuckle in a great quantity and within a short time. The research was carried out at the Laboratory of Breeding and Genetic Research on Field Crops of the Federal Scientific Center of Agricultural Biotechnology of the Far East named after A.K. Chaiki. Honeysuckle variety Podarok amurchanam created by the Far Eastern State Agrarian University was used as the research object. The research materials were sterilized according to the methodology of N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources with some modifications. Several products were used as chemical agents for sterilization in the following sequence: a 5% solution of surfactants, fungicide Fundazol, EC (1 g/l), the bleaching agent ACE freshly diluted with distilled water in the proportion 1:9 (0.50% of NaOCl in the working solution), and 70% ethanol. The primary explants were cultured on an MS containing 20 g/l sucrose and 6 g/l agar (hereafter – MS) and supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine (BA) at a concentration of 0.5 mg/l. The pH of the medium was adjusted to 5.7-5.8 using 1N КОН. The explants (microcuttings with one-two internodes) were subcultured on an MS supplemented with BA (0.5 mg/l). The morphometric parameters of the plants were measured on the 35th day of cultivation. The sterilization of the explants with Fundazol (1 g/l) and the ACE diluted with distilled water in the proportion 1:9 allowed us to obtain a high number of viable microclones (50%). The elimination of leaves from the honeysuckle microcuttings drastically decreased the survival rate and led to the death of the microclones in most cases (the mortality rate was 98.7 %). Subculturing the microcuttings on the MS supplemented with BA at a concentration of 0.5 mg/l facilitated the normal growth and development of the regenerated honeysuckle plants (the average reproduction rate was 4.65).

Scientific relevance. The garden petunia, Petunia hybrida, is a popular and wide spread ornamental crop from the family Solanaceae. It is a promising model plant for molecular and genetic research. In vitro micropropagation plays an important role in the distribution of the garden petunia because the survivability and quality of seed material decreases significantly in every subsequent generation. Besides, micropropagation reduces the cost of production substantially. Considering that very few researchers addressed this question in the Russian Federation, this direction of research is still worthy of attention.Materials and methods. The experiments were conducted by the Laboratory of Breeding and Genetic Research on Field Crops at FSBSI “Federal Scientific Center of Agricultural Biotechnology of the Far East named after A.K. Chaiki”. Seeds of Petunia hybrida (double-flowered) were used as primary explants. Liquid bleacher ACE diluted with distilled water in the proportion 1:9 was used as a sterilizing agent (the working solution contained 0.50% NaOCl). The total time of exposure was 15 minutes. The primary explants were subcultured onto a hormone-free Murashige and Skoog basal medium containing 20 g/L sucrose and 6 g/L agar. Isolated in vitro objects were cultured in test tubes with cotton-gauze plugs at an illuminance of 4000 lx, a temperature of 22–25 °C, and a 16h photoperiod in a culture room. The duration of one passage was 60 days. Micropropagation was carried out using 7- 10 mm cuttings with one or two nodes. The pot culture of the regenerants was established under controlled conditions in a light room (photoperiod was 16 hours, temperature was 23°С).Results. The optimal method for introducing Petunia hybrida into cell culture is the use of seeds treated with the solution of bleacher ACE that was diluted with distilled water in the proportion 1:9. The optimal time of exposure is 15 minutes. Petunia hybrida demonstrated a high regeneration rate on the hormone-free MS medium – it had a fast growth and development rate, and good rhizogenesis; the reproductive rate was 8.77. For the micropropagation of the garden petunia, it is advisable to use cuttings of test tube plants, which should be placed onto a hormone-free MS medium. The test tube plants of Petunia hybrida acclimatized successfully on a soil substrate. This shows the high plasticity of the culture.