Relevance. Summer savory (Satureja hortensis L.) is an annual herbaceous plant whose essential oil and extracts are used in medicine, perfumery and the food industry.Methods. The article presents the results of studying the effect of the ratio of blue (BL) and red light (RL) in the total spectrum of LED lamps on the morphometric parameters of plants of summer savory varieties Gnom and Perechny aromat in vitro. For in vitro culture, seeds were sterilized with 5% NaCl solution for 10 minutes, placed in Petri dishes with Murashige and Skoog culture medium (MS). Aseptic seedlings at the age of 4-5 days were transplanted into tubes and transferred to racks with LED lamps (for 28 days): (1) from 1st day to 14th day 100% RL, from the 15th to the 28th day 60% RL, 40% BL; (2) 90% RL, 10% BL; (3) 60% RL and 40% BL; (4) 32% RL and 68% BL. The total illumination intensity in all variants was 175 μmol/m2 s.Results. It was found that a change in the RL:BL ratio in the total spectrum affects the morphometric parameters of the savory plants in an in vitro culture. When cultivated under 100% RL, tall plants with long internodes and small leaves are formed, a reduction in the share of RL to 60...32% results in more short-growing plants with large leaves. The results of this work can be used to develop the technology of clonal micropropagation of valuable breeding forms, as well as to create source material for breeding by in vitro culture methods.

One of the way of increasing of genetic variability of onion (Allium cepa L.) is the interspecific hybridization. Development of onion interspecific hybrids consists of the study of initial breeding forms, its heterogeneity, ways of crossing and pollination, overcoming of outbreeding problem, sterility and weak fertility of the hybrids of first and next generations, specifics of hybrid’s seeds development, identification and selection of recombinant forms with breeding valuable traits. The stages of development of the bulbous forms of interspecific hybrids of onion are presented in the article. The study was conducted in the “All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of vegetable breeding and seed production” of the Moscow region. The plants of inbreed progenies I1-5 from BC1-2F5 of bulb forms of interspecific hybrids A. cepa х A. Fistulosum as well as the parental forms were analyzed. The breeding and phytopathological assessment of recombinant forms of onion interspecific hybrids was done for qualitative and quantitative traits and for resistance to downy mildew. Using the individual selection for quality and quantity traits, it was found that the forms, whose traits were not undergo the inbreeding depression because of the higher homozygosity can be used for development of linear initial material for breeding for heterosis. The forms with the inbreeding depression have to be used for crossbreeding. Along with increasing of homozygosity, the new modified genotypes appear because of potential variability and genes recombination. It allows to make the purposive selection of recombinant forms for valuable traits. The selected onion forms from inbreed progenies of I1-5 from BC1-2F5 which have bulbs of flat and well-rounded-flat shape are characterized by high resistance to downy mildew and bulbs with good storage ability. The selection process of the recombinant forms from progenies of onion interspecific hybrids obtained based on repeated inbreeding is shown. Using such techniques as stage-by-stage crossing of A. Cepa L. and A. fistulosum L., embryo culture, polyploidization, backcrossing, inbreeding, selection of recombinant forms, etc., the technology of creation of new initial breeding material of onion was developed.

The particularities of the changes of the morphological parameters of plants-regenerants of tomato hybrids F1 during prolonged cultivation in conditions of in vitro have been studied. The cultivation during 12 passages in hormoneless MS medium does not lead to somaclonal variants, but act to raise the increasing of coefficient of variability of plants-regenerants features.