Questions of quality of the sowed seeds in agriculture have paramount value. Use of highquality uniform seeds is the key to successful production of crop production. Vegetable seeds, in particular, leaf vegetables, are most vulnerable in this plan in view of their shallow amount, the long period of fructing time and some other factors. The modern tool methods of evaluation test allow to glance in internal structure of seeds and to scoop more information. The most suitable for these purposes is us the developed method of microfocal X-ray of vegetable seeds. In this work seeds of different types of green and spicy and flavoring vegetable crops are analysed: melissa, marjoram, asparagus, spinach and garden cress. The analysis was carried out both by a method of r of seeds, and by a standard technique. The most typical defects and shortcomings of internal structure of seeds influencing their economic and biological indicators are identified. Comparison of methods is carried out. It is shown that X-ray analysis of quality of seeds, in particular, viability, by visualization of images efficient and rather precise. The small error of a method is compensated with its bigger informational content: that is, the analysis is carried out not by the principle of viable and not viable seeds, there is their division as on viability (full, low quality), and on defects and shortcomings (outstanding, ugly, the defective, injured, etc.). At the same time seeds as a result of the analysis aren't utilized and remain for further work. The method differs in speed and ease of execution. The prospects of development of a method are specified. It is the integrated automatic analysis of quality of seeds. The algorithm of automatic computer X-ray analysis of quality of vegetable seeds is so far developed, the first version of the program is approved.

The results of research work on carrot seed growing through wintering seedlings carried out at laboratory of seed studies and seed production of Transnistrian Research Institute of Agriculture, on the soil of the first terrace at the rive Dniester were presented in the article. Seed bearing plants of garden carrot ‘Krasavka’ were the object of the study. The seeds were sown to produce the seedlings on 15-16 August. In the first decade of December the plants were covered with white agrotextile with density 23g/m2 that was removed at the beginning of April. The proportion of plant that passed the winter depending on a year of cultivation was 95-100% under argotextile, and 50-80% in open plot. The plants under agrotextile reached 28 cm a high and had 5-7 well-developed leaves, while those on the open plot were at phase of active foliage growing about 10-13 cm. long. Thus, for early mechanized planting in optimal terms the wintering seedlings grown under agrotextile had the best biometrical characteristics. Moreover the outcome of carrot seedlings was 1.2-1.25 million per hectare. Such quantity of seedlings was sufficient to plant 9-10 ha of carrot plants, where the coefficient of multiplication reached 9-10, and only 3 when growing seeds through mother plant as biennial culture. Viability of seed plants grown through seedlings was 100%. Losses of plant with weight 120-150 grams from damage caused by diseases was 23%. The seed yield, when growing seedlings was 639 kg/ha, but growing through plants was 332 kg/ha. The seed outcome suitable for precise mechanized sowing through seedling growing was 77%, where seed germination was 90%, with seed fraction 1.51 and >2.0 mm. It was essentially improved their yielding characteristics. Seed outcome from this fraction obtained through planting method was 32%. The proportion of seeds in fraction 1-1.5 mm was 68%. For mechanized single-seed sowing, the seeds can be used only after mini-coating. The seed growing from wintering seedlings fully excluded the application of fungicides for plant protection and seedlings from diseases; there are no expenses for building the expensive storage facilities needed for mother plant storing.

Relevance. The action of viral phytopathogens changes the quality of the male gametophyte, which ultimately leads to a decrease in plant productivity. So, information on the features of the variability of morphofunctional characteristics of the microgametophyte becomes topical. Taking into account the expression of a part of the plant genome in pollen, the male gametophyte can be used as a reliable system for assessing the response of genotypes to the action of viral pathogens. Presuming that the problems of variability of characteristics of the male gametophyte in conditions of viral pathogenesis have not been enough studied, as well as the main factors determining the variability have not been identified, the aim of the research was to study the effect of viral phytopathogens on the male gametophyte characters in tomato.Material and methods. Hybrids F1 and varieties of tomato were used in the experiments. Plants were grown in a greenhouse. They were inoculated with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) or tomato aspermia virus (TAV) in the 4-5 leaf phase. To determine the quality of pollen, flowers of control and infected plants were collected; pollen was isolated and sown on a nutrient medium. The preparations were analyzed under microscope. The viability of the pollen and the length of the pollen tubes were assessed, and the ratio of these indicators was calculated.Results. Infection of plants with viruses changes some functional characteristics of the male gametophyte. The responses manifested as stimulation, inhibition, or neutral effect. The main sources of variability in characters of pollen were the genotype and viral agents. In viral pathogenesis, unequal indicators of pollen grains were found in terms of the rate of germination and growth of pollen tubes (PT). Analysis of the heritability coefficients of the ratio of pollen viability and PT length (experiment / control) revealed positive dominance and overdominance in 70% of cases. Genotypes have been identified that combine a high level of viability when infected with different viruses. The prospect of their use in further research is proposed.

When working with pollen, it is important to keep its functional parameters for some time. To do this, it is necessary to select the best conditions to preserve microgametophyte germination. The influence of two methods of pollen collection and storage of inbred plants of beetroot on their functional characteristics, at germination on an artificial nutrient medium under in vitro conditions was studied. In the first variant pollen was harvested from full-blown flowers in sealed sample bottles, in the second variant small branches with flowers and large buds were separated from inflorescence, placed in paper and then in polyethylene bags and stored till germination in a refrigerated heating circulator at 10-12 deg. C (control is freshly harvested pollen). It is shown that when storing pollen in sample bottles, the pollen viability decreased 3-10 times depending on a sample compared to the initial value already on the second or third days, and after a week of storage, pollen conglomerated, the number of burst pollen grains in the preparation increased. When stored in flowers and in branch buds on the seventh to eighth days, the decrease in pollen viability was no more than 30% of the control, and the growth rate of the pollen tube in most samples remained approximately at the control level. And the sample distribution pattern as to microgametophyte viability retained. The linear dependence covariance coefficient between the viability values before and after week-long storage was R2=0.94. That is, for evaluating the functional microgametophyte parameters of inbred beetroot plants , it is recommended to store pollen directly in branches of blossom placed in paper and then in polyethylene bags at a reduced temperature of 10-12 deg C. This is important when working with a large set of samples where it is not possible to compare them at the same time. | Важным условием при работе с пыльцой является сохранение ее функциональных параметров в течение определенного времени, для чего необходимо подобрать оптимальные условия, позволяющие сохранять жизне- и оплодотворяющую способность микрогаметофита. С этой целью изучено влияние двух способов сбора и хранения пыльцы инбредных растений свеклы столовой на ее функциональные характеристики при проращивании на искусственной питательной среде в условиях in vitro. В первом варианте пыльцу собирали с распустившихся цветков в герметично закрываемые бюксы, во втором – отделяли от соцветия небольшие веточки с цветками и крупными бутонами, помещали их бумажные, а затем в полиэтиленовый пакеты и хранили до проращивания в хладотермостате при 10…12 град. С (контроль – свежесобранная пыльца). Показано, что при хранении пыльцы в бюксах уже на вторые-третьи сутки жизнеспособность (ЖСП) в зависимости от образца снижалась в 3-10 раз по сравнению с исходным значением, а после недельного хранения она слипалась в конгломераты, и увеличивалось число лопнувших пыльцевых зерен в препарате. При хранении в цветках и бутонах на веточках снижение ЖСП на 7-8-е сутки хранения составляло не более 30% от контроля, а скорость роста пыльцевой трубки у большинства образцов оставалась на уровне контрольной. При этом характер распределения образцов по уровню ЖСП микрогаметофита сохранялся. Коэффициент ковариации линейной зависимости между значениями ЖСП до и после недельного хранения составил R2=0,94. То есть, для оценки функциональных параметров микрогаметофита инбредных растений свеклы столовой рекомендуется хранение пыльцы непосредственно на цветущих веточках, помещенных в бумажные, а затем в полиэтиленовый пакеты, при пониженной положительной температуре 10-12 град. С. Это важно при работе с большим набором образцов, когда нет возможности провести их сравнительный анализ единовременно.