Contemporary horticulture

For 90 years, the Sverdlovsk Breeding Station of Horticulture has been continuously building a currant bioresource collection, improving the assortment for cultivation in the Middle Urals, and identifying sources of economically useful traits for further research. The main contribution to the breeding of black currant was made by candidates of agricultural sciences G.A. Zakharov and T.V. Shagina. By the end of 2025, the State Register of Breeding Achievements Approved for Use in the Russian Federation has included 10 varieties created at the Sverdlovsk Breeding Station of Horticulture - structural subdivision FSBSI UrFASRC, UrB of RAS. Currently, research is being conducted in the Middle Urals using modern methods and technologies. Due to the expansion of berry production areas, work has begun on developing blackcurrant varieties suitable for mechanized harvesting. 5 varieties were selected based on a set of characteristics. In 2024—2025, genetic polymorphism of the original and breeding material was studied using microsatellite loci, and profiles for the genetic identification of 33 varieties were obtained. The study demonstrated that R. nigrum loci located in different linkage groups can be amplified ‘in a single test tube.’ The scientific collaboration contributes to the increased efficiency of scientific research. In 2020, jointly with the Federal Research Center N. I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR), nomenclature standards for 24 blackcurrant cultivar accessions bred by the Sverdlovsk BSH were registered in the VIR Herbarium database and transferred for storage to the Model Fund of the Herbarium of Cultivated Plants of the World, their Wild Relatives, and Weeds (WIR). From 2021 to 2023, research on the antioxidant content and biochemical indicators of currant berries was conducted jointly with the Ural State University of Economics. 23 varieties of black currant and 10 varieties of red currant were studied.

Black currant occupies the largest cultivated area among berry crops in Siberian orchards. However, its productivity potential is not provided due to increasing environmental risks, particularly the growing aridity of the region, deteriorating phytosanitary conditions in orchard ecosystems (orchard phytocoenosis), and rising human impact on the environment. Under these circumstances, the continuous improvement of the cultivar assortment can be achieved through the development of adaptive breeding material. The objective of the research was to evaluate the black currant hybrid collection under arid steppe conditions of the southern Krasnoyarsk region for productivity, early maturation, large fruit size, taste qualities, long fruiting cluster, and uniform ripening berry period, with identification of valuable genetic sources, effective breeding approaches, and optimal crossing schemes. The study was conducted at the Minusinsk Department of Fruit and Berry Crops, Krasnoyarsk Research Institute of Agriculture «Federal Research Center Krasnoyarsk Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences», (2018—2024). The objects of the study were 1935 seedlings from 27 breeding families generated in 2018—2019 through hybridization, using original samples of Minusinsk, Altai, Scandinavian, North American, and West European origin. The hybrid material was evaluated according to standard methodologies. The highest proportion of high-yielding hybrids was obtained in crosses involving the following maternal parents: Minusinskaya Stepnaya (8.5%), Otradnaya (6.1%), 12-76-9 (5.8%), and Dostoynaya (4.5%). The best hybrid families for early maturity were: Otradnaya × (3-75-1 + 3-75-3) (83.2%), Minusinskaya Stepnaya × Sayansky Souvenir (78.1%), and Dostoynaya × (3-75-1 + 3-75-3). The highest yield of large-berried specimens was observed in the families involving cultivars Otradnaya, Dostoynaya, and elite selections 5-63-3, 5-63-1, and 12-76-9. Mediocre and poor berry taste predominated in the progeny (average 80.9%, ranging from 42.8% to 87.1%). Good berry taste was observed in 18.4% of seedlings, with only 14 hybrids (0.7%) exhibiting excellent taste. Among the hybrids, long-clustered types (with more than 8 berries per cluster) accounted for merely 1.7%, medium-clustered (5—7 berries) predominated at 85.1%, while short-clustered types constituted 13.2%. Hybrid plants with uniform berry ripening represented 36.7% of the population. The cultivar Otradnaya demonstrated the highest yield of such hybrids (up to 39.1%), with its hybrid families showing 30.8-54.2% uniformity. Over the study period, 18 promising forms were selected from the hybrid collection, combining enhanced productivity and superior fruit quality while maintaining winter hardiness, drought and heat tolerance, and resistance to major pathogens. The most effective combinations of crosses were: Otradnaya × (3-75-1 + 3-75-3), Minusinskaya Stepnaya × Sayansky Souvenir, Dostoynaya × (3-75-1 + 3-75-3), Otradnaya × 12-76-9, Otradnaya × Syanets Golubki, 12-76-9 × Otradnaya, and 12-76-9 × Dostoynaya.

The relevance of the study stems from the need to optimize the technology of clonal micropropagation Fragaria × ananassa to obtain high-quality planting material with high productivity and preservation of varietal identity. The study investigated the influence of cytokinins (6-benzylaminopurine and thidiazuron) on the generative productivity of the plantlets of the cvs. Solnechnaya Polyanka and Alfa during two years of in vivo conditions. Clonal micropropagation contributed to the accelerated entry of the plantlets into the generative phase of development compared to plants propagated using the traditional method, ensuring fruiting already in the first year of cultivation. The impact of growth regulators on the components of generative productivity in the studied cultivars varied: thidiazuron increased the number of fruits in the cv. Solnechnaya Polyanka, and 6-benzylaminopurine increased it in the cv. Alpha. The effect of growth regulators decreased by the second year, and their effect on fruit weight also depended on genotype. In the cv. Solnechnaya Polyanka, 6-benzylaminopurine increased the weight of fruits of the 1st and 2nd order, while in the cv. Alpha, thidiazuron, increasing the weight of fruits, reduced their total number. The development of effective protocols for clonal micropropagation of garden strawberry requires an individualized approach to each cultivar, taking into account the genotypic characteristics to achieve maximum productivity and maintain varietal identity.

The apple tree occupies a key position in agricultural fruit production in our country and the Stavropol territory. Increasing its productivity is a key objective for food security and minimizing the volume of imported fruits. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of combined mineral nutrition systems on the number of ovaries after the third wave of fruit drop, the average fruit weight, the productivity of apple varieties and the economic efficiency of using such nutrition systems. The experiment includes two factors: factor A – nutrition system (control (without fertilizers); fertigation system; combined system (fertigation + foliar feeding)), factor B – apple varieties (Fuji, Golden Delicious, Gala). The experiment was conducted on the territory of the Scientific and Production Association Agropark «Krasochnoe» located in the Ipatovsky urban district of Stavropol territory in 2023—2025. The planting pattern was 3,5 × 0,8 m². The experiment was repeated 3 times. Ten of the most typical fruit trees in the middle of the row were counted in the sample plots. The sample plot area was 28 m² and the total experimental area was 504 m². Field and laboratory studies, as well as mathematical data processing, were conducted in accordance with current state standards and methods. The research results demonstrated a significant increase in the number of ovaries remaining on a fruit tree after the third wave of fruit drop when using a combined nutrition system compared to the control. An increase in the average fruit weight and yield was noted for all varieties in the third variant of the experiment (fertigation + foliar feeding) where the predominant indicators were recorded for the Golden Delicious variety (average fruit weight 248 g, yield 20.5 t/ha). A very high correlation was found between yield for all apple varieties, the number of ovaries, and average fruit weight. The use of combined mineral nutrition systems is cost-effective under production conditions (162% for Fuji, 234% for Golden Delicious and 135% for Gala).

Growing arugula (Eruca sativa Mill.) in greenhouses is a popular trend, driven by the expansion of vegetable crops in Russia, the development of a healthy lifestyle, and increased consumption of leaf vegetables. The valuable organoleptic qualities of rocket leaves and microgreens are increasingly making it an ingredient in a wide variety of dishes, and the plant is also used in therapeutic nutrition. Since the plant is consumed fresh year-round, it is important to optimize cultivation methods for this crop, taking into account modern technological capabilities for growing in green houses. The aim of this study was to determine the optimal conditions for growing arugula in a multistory horizontal hydroponic system with periodic flooding. The study was conducted to examine the influence of seeding density and nutrient solution on the growth and yield of the arugula (cv. Victoria). When setting up the vegetation experiment, different seeding densities were used: 105, 210, and 315 plants per square meter. A mixture of peat and agroperlite was used as a substrate. The irrigation was performed using a periodic flooding method with three nutrient solution variants with different mineral concentrations (680, 1100, and 1370 ppm). The luminous flux intensity was 160 W/m². An automated control system controlled the lighting regime, with day and night cycles occurring every 12 hours. The experiment lasted 50 days and the plant growth dynamics was monitored by counting leaves. The obtained data was statistically processed. A regression model was constructed taking into account three parameters: yield, number of plants per pot, and nutrient concentration in the solution. It was determined that the maximum number of leaves and fresh mass were obtained at a planting density of 210 plants per 1 m². Optimal conditions for cv. Victoria growing to obtain the maximum yield of leaves were determined: a raw material yield per pot of more than 80 g when sowing 11 seeds per pot (231 plants per 1 m²) and a nutrient solution concentration of 1344 ppm with an NPK ratio of 14:9:20.