28-29 октября 2008 года в Международной промышленной академии (г. Москва) впервые в России при поддержке Продовольственной и сельскохозяйственной организации ООН (ФАО) прошла Международная конференция «Проблемы обеспечения продовольственной безопасности: национальный и международный аспекты».

26 ноября 2008 года во Всероссийском НИИ селекции и семеноводства овощных культур проходила Отчетная сессия научно-исследовательских учреждений Отделения растениеводства по итогам научно-производственной деятельности на 2008 год и рассмотрению тематических планов НИОКР на 2009 год среди НИУ овощных кльтур. С докладами выступили директора пяти отраслевых институтов: Всероссийского НИИ селекции и семеноводства овощных культур - В.Ф. Пивоваров, Всероссийского НИИ овощеводства - Литвинов С.С., Всероссийского НИИ картофельного хозяйства - Симаков Е.А., Всероссийского НИИ овощеводства и бахчеводства - Коринец В.В., Краснодарского НИИ овощного и картофельного хозяйства - Самодуров В.Н.

В период с 21 по 24 мая 2008 года в городе Авиньон (Франция) проходила международная конференция «IX EUCARPIA International Meeting on Cucurbitaceae 2008», которая была посвящена генетическим ресурсам, селекции, генетике и биотехнологии тыквенных культур. В конференции приняли участие 223 представителя из 32 стран, в том числе из России.

В августе 2008 года во Всероссийском НИИ при поддержке Российской академии сельскохозяйственных наук, Министерства сельского хозяйства РФ состоялась I Международная научно-практическая конференция «Современные тенденции в селекции и семеноводстве овощных культур. Традиции и перспективы».

All-Russian Research Institute of Vegetable Breeding and Seed Production is one of the oldest scientific institutions for plant breeding. The Gribovskaya experimental station for plant breeding was the initial research centre founded in 1920. Presently, All-Russian Research Institute of Vegetable Breeding and Seed Production keep the traditional scientific course up which was began by outstanding plant breeder Zhegalov S.I. who then developed methods and recommendations for plant breeding. All-Russian Research Institute of Vegetable Breeding and Seed Production are the scientific centre for research, methodology and practice in the field of vegetable breeding and seed management in Nonchernozem zone of Russia. The research core group of All-Russian Research Institute of Vegetable Breeding and Seed Production has developed over 700 cultivars and hybrids, 447 of them were included in the State Registration List of Achievements in Plant Breeding of Russian Federation in 2008.

Breeding program at All-Russian Institute for Vegetable Breeding and Seed production is focused on Amaranth utilization as a culture for seed production, silaging as well as for food and decorative proposes. Due to this the work that has been carried on is a production of ready - made products from Amaranth particularly in case of foliage commodity used for tea component enriching and production of biologically active food additions.

Reviving and developing of pea seed production have become the task of state priority. Due to this in Russia for a demand for fresh pea there should be occupied not less than 100 thousand hectares of sowing area. At present time the seed demand is 30 thousand tons. At All-Russian Research Institute of Vegetable Breeding and Seed Production the elite seed production is carried on for 15 cultivars. These cultivars cover 5 groups of maturity and it enables to provide the raw material of pea for processing during 30 days. The different terms of sowing used prolong the processing up to 45 days.

Vegetables definitely play a great role in food composition of a human. In countries where fruit and vegetable consumption is high, there is reduced cases of cardiovascular and cancel diseases as it was shown by epidemiological data. Vegetables bear the protective properties based on antioxidant actions of such components as vitamins, flavonoids, antozian, polyphenols and microelements including selenium, zinc, and copper and so on. The applications of stimulators of growth are safe environmental methods that can be used for improvement of yield qualities. The influence of Epin, Gumats, APIONs and other growth stimulators on antioxidant and biologically active matter contents has been studied in range of vegetable crops like perennial onion, Japanese cabbage, and bell pepper and so on.