The rice plant (Oryza sativa L.) provides nutrition for more than half the world’s population. Traditionally it is considered an Asian crop, but it is also cultivated in Africa, America, Australia and Southern Europe. The main areas of rice growing in the world are occupied with the white-grained varieties. Wild-growing ancestors of cultural rice had a colored grain pericarp. In the countries of traditional rice growing, along with white-grained varieties, red and black grain rice varieties are grown as a dietary and therapeutic product. It is used for food without preliminary grinding of the grains, therefore all nutrients and biologically active substances this culture is valued for are preserved. Rice with the colored grain pericarp has a higher antioxidant activity than white-grained. The review presents data on the content of antioxidant compounds in the varieties of the red- and black-grained rice: phenolic acids, lavonoids, γ-oryzanol, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, etc. Aiming at these useful properties of rice plants with a colored grain pericarp, the leading rice-growing countries work on breeding of the modern pigmented rice varieties. In European countries, Italy and France, the red and black grain varieties of rice with a high content of phytochemical elements have also been bred based on Asian varieties. Breeding of rice varieties with colored grain pericarp was started in the Russian Federation in 2001. As a result, the following rice varieties were developed: red-grained Mars and Rubin (2012), as well as the black-grained glutinous variety Yuzhnaya Noch (2014), which are included in the RF State Register of Protected Breeding Achievements. These varieties have been revealed to contain a large amount of oleic and linolenic acids (up to 43 % each), whereas only their traces are found in the white-grained rice variety Rapan. There are signiicant diferences in the content of antioxidants: Rapan has 7 mg/100 g; Mars and Rubin, 45 mg/100 g; Yuzhnaya Noch, 105 mg/100 g. These varieties have been introduced into commercial production and are used for dietary nutrition and as a starting material for the creation of new exclusive varieties of rice.

Spring triticale (x Triticosecale Wittmack) for Western Siberia is new and poorly studied culture. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of spring triticale varieties and breeding lines and their adaptation to diferent conditions in Western Siberia. A ield experiment was conducted in Novosibirsk region, Russia in 2014. The experiment included seven spring triticale genotypes: the elite variety Ukro, three mutant forms of the facultative type of development (Sirs 57/2/4, Cecad 90/5, О.312/38) and three hybrids (Sirs 57/2/4 x Ukro, Ukro x K-3881, the complex hybrid winter wheat Filatovka x winter rye Korotko stebelnaya 69304 x Sirs 57/2/4). They were studied at two sowing rates (400 seeds per m² and 800 seeds per m²) and on two sowing dates (15 May 2014 and 27 May 2014). The following attributes were measured: grain yield, number of ears, plant height, yield components (ear length, number of spikelets per ear, number of grains per ear, grains weight per ear) and yield quality (1 000-grain weight and test weight of one-liter grain volume). The three-factor analysis of variance revealed that sowing rate efect explained the major part of the total experimental variation in almost all of the traits, except 1 000-grain weight and test weight, the variation of which was determined predominantly by genotype efect. The highest grain productivity of varieties was obtained for the 15 May sowing date at the 400 seeds per m² sowing rate. The three mutant forms used in the experiment showed a lower level of adaptability in comparison with the variety Ukro.

The application of “spring analogs” to explore winterhardiness of wheat gives the possibility to obtain cultivars with higher hardiness. Seasonal life history plasticity of winter cultivars gives the possibility to obtain such “analogs”. Winterhardiness of 34 winter wheat and triticale accessions from Krasnodar was tested in West Siberia environment. Their ofsprings were sown early in the spring near Novosibirsk to study their plasticity and to obtain “spring analogs”. In the fall the percentage of fertile plants was equal to 0 in the case of 5 accessions and to not more than 59.3 in other 29 accessions partly because of the  presence of sterile plants. The progeny of this sowing was sown next year late in the spring. As a result, in the fall fer tile plants were observed in the progeny of only 15 winter accessions. Also plants at the stage of tillering were observed in the progeny of 28 accessions at the beginning of winter. Some of them survived and developed seeds next year earlier than winter cultivars. Variability in performance was observed between these plants in spite of sandy soil (low humidity content) and May-June strong drought. So, such “winter-spring” plants can be used for breeding wheat and triticale accessions suitable for sowing late in the spring or early in the summer and harvesting next year earlier than winter cultivars. They can be developed in accordance with sustainable agriculture, because “winter-spring” plants were generated in an extremely unfavourable environment: sandy acid soil (pH 4.9–5.3) with low fertility (nitrogen content in the upper 40-cm layer was below 25 kg/ha) without fertilizer application. There is a theoretical posibility to breed “winter-spring” plants in simultaneous sowings with spring cultivars.

Potato is an important crop widely cultivated throughout the world. It is prone to several pathogenic fungi, viruses, and bacteria, which cause severe economic loss every year. Recent advances in plant  biotechnology have made it possible to produce resistant cultivars by plant genome editing. This approach allows crop modiications that would be diicult to obtain by conventional breeding techniques. A successful and reproducible plant system requires a responsive in vitro regeneration system. Three Siberian potato cultivars –Kemerovchanin, Tuleevsky, and Sapho – and two control cultivars – Golubizna and Nikulinsky – were chosen for in vitro response tests. The stem explants were excised from in vitro grown plantlets. Their stem explants were incubated on Murashige&Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 1 mg/L trans­zeatin, 0.1 mg/L  IAA, and 10 mg/L GA₃ with vitamins (medium P1). All the stages of cultivation up to obtaining full­ledged regenerant plants were carried out on medium P1. Every two weeks the explants were transferred to fresh nutrient media. All cultivars formed calluses but difered  in terms of callus formation and in callus type. With further cultivation on the medium of the same composition, morphogenesis was observed: shoots formed on wound surfaces of the stem explants. Cultivars Tuleevsky, Kemerovchanin, and Golubizna showed high regeneration ability (73–97.7 %), while that of Sapho (63 %) was poor. All the Siberian cultivars were variable with regard to their morphogenic potentials. Root formation was observed in the shoots within 7 days on hormone­free MS. In the control (hormone­free medium), stem explants of all cultivars did not form calluses or develop shoots on the wound surfaces. The protocol described here is simple and eicient. It can be applied to other potato cultivars.

Broadening of the genetic diversity of common wheat with respect to genes for resistance to biotic and abiotic stress factors, yield and grain quality is one of the urgent problems of modern genetics and breeding. Wild wheat relatives with diverse levels of the genome homoeology are regularly used for widening the genetic diversity of common wheat for genes that increase disease and insect resistance. Studies on the search and introduction of genetic factors determining the grain protein content and yield are also important. Although resistance genes have a prolonged protective efect on donor plants against diverse populations of pathogens, the introgression of target loci into the genome of common wheat can result in a signiicant decrease in the eiciency of the genes – up to complete loss of expression. Additionally, alien gene introgression from wild relatives occurs through whole chromosome or chromosome arm substitutions, or long translocated fragments that, together with target loci, may contain genetic material that afects other agronomically important traits. Therefore, when introducing disease resistance genes into elite wheat varieties, it is important to take into account the efects of alien substitutions and translocations on such traits as the growth habit, heading date, yield potential, grain and baking quality. Adverse efects observed with gene introgressions from wild species are commonly associated with foreign chromatin linked with target loci. However, in many cases, such efects can be the result of the genetic background of the cultivar-recipient. This article presents an overview of published data on the efect of alien introgressions on agronomically important traits of common wheat.

Nowadays one of the priorities in winter soft wheat breeding is to provide resistance to leaf diseases, and, in particular, to leaf rust as the most harmful of them. The gene for resistance to leaf rust, Lr34, provides resistance to wheat plants at the slow development. The use of this gene together with other genes for resistance to leaf rust will allow obtaining varieties and samples less susceptible to the disease. The purpose of this work was to identify the Lr34 gene in the  varieties and collection samples of winter soft wheat in the Agricultural Research Center “Donskoy” (ARC “Donskoy”), because its presence was suspected due to the introduction of the variety “Bezostaya 1” in hybridization of the 1960s, but the study of this gene in our collection has not been carried out yet. The article gives the results of the study of 646 samples of winter soft wheat (including 36 varieties of ARC “Donskoy” introduced in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation and 8 varieties being tested in the State Variety Testing) and identiication of the Lr34 gene and its allelic state. The assessment of the allelic state of the Lr34 gene has been carried out with the help of the codominant marker csLV34 using the method of PCR. There have been identiied 238 samples with the Lr34 gene in the dominant allelic state. The varieties Nakhodka, Bonus, Konkurent, Aksiniya, Kazachka, Donskaya polukarlikovaya, Donskaya bezostaya, Izyuminka, Zernogradka 9, Zernogradka 10 and Zernogradka 11 developed in SSE “ARC “Donskoy” are recommended as a source of the Lr34 gene to breed winter soft wheat resistant to the diseases.

In addition to the green color caused by chlorophyll, grain and vegetative organs of barley can be colored by compounds of phenolic nature, such as melanins and lavonoids, which include anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins. Due to the wide biological activity of these pigmented compounds and their uncolored precursors in respect to plants and humans, there has recently been an increased interest in studying genes that determine pigmentation in plants. The gene network determining the synthesis of lavonoid pigments is the most studied one. Since the 1970s, structural genes that encode the enzymes of lavonoid metabolism, as well as regulatory genes that determine the tissue-speciic accumulation of these pigments in grain tissues, as well as in vegetative organs have been identiied and localized in the barley genome. The Ant1 and Ant2 genes, determining the accumulation of anthocyanins in grain pericarp, the Ant28 gene controlling the biosynthesis of proanthocyanidins (condensed tannins) in seed coat, as well as the HvMpc2, HvMyc2 and HvWD40 genes responsible for the accumulation of anthocyanins in the aleurone layer of barley grain have been determined. Melanins are less studied pigments of plants. Due to the complex structure and resistance to various solvents, the chemical nature of these pigments has not been established. However, due to the comparative analysis of transcriptomes in the colored and uncolored lemma and grain pericarp of barley near-isogenic lines, it was possible to identify the metabolic pathways underlying the formation of the melanin pigmentation. The proposed article reviews the results of the studies on the genetic control of barley coloration.

According to the Food Security Doctrine of the Russian Federation, there are plans for the nearest future to expand the assortment of healthy food products for the country’s population, so a search for relevant food sources is needed. The substances that may aid to prevent a number of serious human diseases include antioxidants, while one of the important quality parameters in food products and their ingredients is their antioxidant activity. Today, the aggregate content of antioxidants and their antioxidant activity have been identified with sufficient accuracy for vegetables and fruits. At the same time, the whole cereal grain has been found to provide higher quantities of bound polyphenols than the equivalent portion of soft fruits or widely consumed vegetables. These compounds are available for metabolism in the large intestine, and thus can produce a beneficial effect on human health. Additionally, a case study of 30 different breakfast cereals has shown that the levels of polyphenols in an average portion of oat-based cereals (40 g) are matchable with those of vegetables or fruits. It is widely known that oat and barley grains have high nutritional value, contain unsaturated fatty acids, basic minerals, proteins and β-glucans (the highest levels among cereal crops), and are characterized by the presence of diverse chemicals with antioxidant properties. In recent years, research efforts have been started in a number of Western countries to analyze the content of antioxidants in the grain of various cereal crops. In today’s Russia, only a small number of works are dedicated to studying these important chemical compounds in oat and barley grain. It should be mentioned that, although cereal crops are recognized as one of the main components in human diet, the research conducted to determine their antioxidant activity has clearly been insufficient. In order to attract the attention of Russian plant scientists, plant breeders, plant physiologists, geneticists and biotechnologists, a survey of modern publications on this problem is presented.

To create stress-resistant, productive and quality wheat varieties, the genetic diversity of wild and cultured relatives is often used – various species belonging to the genera Triticum and Aegilops. Previously, with Triticum militinae, T. timopheevii, T. kiharae, Aegilops cylindrical and Ae. triaristata samples participation, introgressive winter common wheat forms were created and selected for stability and yield. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the biochemical composition and technological grains properties of these forms. Analysis of gluten content in flour by the ISO method revealed a variability level from 28.5 % for the form Erythrospermum 350 × T. militinae to up to 39.6 % for the Zhetysu × T. militinae genotype. In this case, the 1st groups gluten  quality (class “strong”) was found only for the genotypes Erythrospermum 350 × T. militinae (Bezostaya 1 × T. militinae) × T. militinae. According to the physical properties of flour and dough, the introgressive forms vary in the test dilution from 80 to 170 FU  at the level of “filler” and “weak” bread wheat with   the best value for both liquefaction and valorimetric evaluation for the genotypes Bezostaya 1 × Ae. triaristata and Erythrospermum 350 × T. militinae (80 liquefaction units 49 FU and 80–45 FU, respectively). Bread making evaluation for the introgressive forms was comparable with winter wheat varieties including the Almaly standards (720–760 ml) and Karakhan (800 ml), at the bread quality and the baking evaluation. As for hardness, wild relatives and introgressive forms were characterized mainly as medium and hard (52–93 SKCS units). Thus, the introgressive forms studied were mainly related to the “valuable” and “filler” classes according to the technological bakery type evaluation, to the “weak” class according to the flour strength and bread volume, and to the “strong” class at the glutenin HMW composition forecast and the translocation of 1B/1R.

Wheat diseases affecting leaves like leaf rust (Puccinia triticina), tan spot (Pyrenophora tritici-repentis) and spot blotch (Сochliobolus sativus = Bipolaris sorokiniana) are widely spread and potentially dangerous in the West-Asian region of Russia and North Kazakhstan. The study of these pathogens’ populations is very important for genetic protection of wheat. The objective of this study was to explore the population structure of the causative agents of leaf rust and tan spot on spring wheat based on virulence traits and assessing the distribution of the causative agent of spot blotch in the West-Asian region of Russia and North Kazakhstan. The source of inoculum were wheat leaves affected by leaf rust and spot diseases collected in the Chelyabinsk and the Omsk region of Russia and in North Kazakhstan. Virulence analysis of P. triticina using 20 lines with known Lr genes demonstrated that all 109 monopustule isolates were avirulent on ТсLr24. The isolates virulent on ТсLr19 were identified only in the Chelyabinsk population. The prevalence of isolates virulent on ТсLr2a, ТсLr2b, ТсLr2c, ТсLr11, ТсLr15, ТсLr16, ТсLr20 and ТсLr26 was higher in the Omsk and the North Kazakhstani population, while virulence to ТсLr9 was higher in Chelyabinsk. Using 20 TcLr-lines, we identified 27 virulent phenotypes of P. triticina: 12 in the Omsk, 19 in the Chelyabinsk and 8 in the Kazakhstani population. The phenotypes TLTTR (avirulent to TcLr16, TcLr19, TcLr24, TcLr26), TCTTR (avirulent to TcLr9, TcLr16, TcLr19, TcLr24), and TBTTR (avirulent to TcLr9, TcLr16, TcLr19, TcLr24, TcLr26) were observed in all the populations. The phenotypes TQTTR (avirulent to TcLr19, TcLr24, TcLr26) and TGTTR (avirulent to TcLr9, TcLr19, TcLr24, TcLr26, TcLr9, TcLr19, TcLr24, TcLr26) were common in the Omsk and the North Kazakhstani population, while THPTR (avirulent to avTcLr9, TcLr11, TcLr19, TcLr24) and TCTTQ (avirulent to TcLr9, TcLr16, TcLr19, TcLr20, TcLr24) were common in the Omsk and the Chelyabinsk population. There was a high genetic similarity in virulence and phenotypic composition between the Omsk and the North Kazakhstani population as well as between the Omsk and the Chelyabinsk population and a moderate similarity between the Chelyabinsk and the North Kazakhstani population. The prevalence of the spot blotch pathogen was higher in the material collected from the Omsk region, while none of this pathogen was identified in the North Kazakhstani material. The isolates of tan spot were identified in all the regions. Five races of P. tritici-repentis were identified among Chelyabinsk isolates based on the toxins produced by the following pathogens: race 1 (PtrToxA PtrToxС); race 2 (PtrToxA); race 7 (PtrToxA, PtrToxВ), race 8 (PtrToxA, PtrToxВ, PtrToxС), and race 4 (does not produce toxins). Three races were identified in the Omsk region (1 – 3) and four, in North Kazakhstan (1 – 4). A total of 26 P. tritici-repentis phenotypes were identified by virulence analysis using 11 differential lines: two were present in all the populations; two. in Chelyabinsk and North Kazakhstan; one, in Omsk and Chelyabinsk; and all the others were original. A high degree of similarity between the obligate pathogen P. triticina and the saprophytic pathogen P. tritici-repentis in the West-Asian region of Russia and in North Kazakhstan demonstrates that this is one epidemiological region across this wheat production area. The presence of common phenotypes suggests there is a the possibility of gene exchange between the populations and this shall be considered while releasing genetically protected wheat varieties.

The Badain Jaran desert is located in the western part of Inner Mongolia (China) in the Alashan Highland. The investigated soda-salt lakes combine high pH (more than 9) and mineralization (up to 400 g/dm³), where conditions for the development of an alkali-halophilic microbial community are created. The purpose of our work was to isolate and study pure alkali-halophilic microorganisms in the lakes of the Badain Jaran desert. From the accumulative cultures of the cortex salt and the microbial mats of the lakes of the Badain Jaran desert, pure cultures belonging to the family Bacillaceae (the phylum Firmicutes) were isolated and described. With the help of biochemical methods, the ecological and physiological properties of the isolated bacteria were determined. The isolated bacteria exhibit the properties of alkalophiles and obligate alkalophiles and develop at pH 7–10.5, the optima ranging from 9 to 10. With respect to the concentration of NaCl, the strains showed the properties of obligate halophiles and extreme halophiles. With respect to temperature, the isolated microorganisms are mesophiles growing at 10–50 °C, the optimal growth being at 30–40 °C. With respect to the substrates used, the isolated cultures are noted for extensive metabolic activity and, when in their natural habitats, are supposedly active participants of the destruction of organic matter. To study the hydrochemical indicators of water, the following methods were used: atomic emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma, ion chromatography and capillary electrophoresis. As a result, it was found that a sodium cation and anions of carbonate, bicarbonate of chlorine and sulphate dominate in the soda-salt lakes of the Badain Jaran desert in a multicomponent composition. The results obtained broaden the notion of the diversity and ecological significance of bacteria in the extreme natural ecosystems of the Badain Jaran desert. The isolated strains are of interest for biotechnology as producers of enzymes resistant to high pH and mineralization.

Sunflower broomrape is a parasitic chlorophyll plant that affects the root system of the host plant, absorbing water, nutrients and toxic products from it. Germination of broomrape seeds occurs due to strigolactones released into the soil by the roots of sunflower, which attracts arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM-fungi). Strigolactones are substances of the “hunger” of plants and belong to a new class of phytohormones involved in many physiological processes, including the regulation of the availability of nutrients by the roots. The specific receptor KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE2 DIVERGENT (KAI2d) was identified in the broomrape, which is involved in the differential recognition of root sunflower exudates. Several genes of KAI2d have been established in the parasite genome, which encode the KAI2d receptors. As a result of the discovery of substances involved in the germination of broomrape seeds, new strategies for protecting sunflower from this parasitic plant are being discussed, which are under development. On the basis of strigolactones, a synthetic preparation, GR24, and its analogues have been created with the aim of introducing them into the soil to stimulate germination of broomrape seeds. The amino acid methionine strongly inhibits the early development of broomrape without a phytotoxic effect in sunflower. Seeds of broomrape are less likely to recognize the roots of sunflower, which are colonized by AM fungi, bacteria Rhizobium leguminosarum, Azospirillum brasilense due to a change in the composition of root exudates in colonized plants. Of great interest among the synthesized elicitors is acibenzolar-S-methyl. It causes systemic resistance to bacterial, fungal and viral diseases, induces the synthesis of PR proteins, and also activates the protective reactions of sunflower to the introduction of broomrape and leads to lignification of the endoderm and inhibition of haustoria of the broomrape seeds through the cell wall of the root cells.

Biological collections play a huge role in studying biological diversity as systematic storages of biological materials in all combinations and forms. Collection materials have generally been formed over hundreds of years and may describe a vast number of samples counted by billions. Great efforts are made to preserve these materials, as well as to obtain more and more samples. The Russian Federation occupies a huge land area, has a long coastline and huge natural resources, a variety of natural and ecological zones. In this regard, its territory is unique from the viewpoint of biodiversity and development of biological collections. Currently, a large number of collections are being developed in Russia, but there are a number of problems associated, first of all, with the lack of an integrated information resource on bioresource collections (BRC). In order to support the development of scientific infrastructure, the Federal Agency for Scientific Organizations (FASO of Russia) has been working on the development of unified approaches to the use of existing bioresource collections and the establishment of the integrated information system. The paper presents an information portal designed to provide uniform methods of work for all BRC organizations of the FASO of Russia: input, storage, updating and differentiated access to specific information about storage units and their characteristics. The information system “Bioresource Collections of Scientific Organizations” (IS BRC) has been developed as a Web­portal (www.biores.cytogen.ru) integrating databases on bioresource collections of the FASO of Russia and graphical user interface. Access control to the databases integrated into the IS BRC is performed through authorized program access for viewing records, their creation and editing on the basis of REST technology. The graphical user interface (GUI) provides the following features in accordance with the access rights: authorized access to the BRC database; viewing BRC database records; editing BRC database records; creating and deleting BRC database records; statistical data analysis in the BRC database; generation of summary reports on the BRC database; export of records content in PDF/RTF/JSON format. The graphical user interface was implemented using the DRUPAL 7.0 toolkit. Architecturally, the portal is concerned as a central node with a series of modules communicating through the unified interfaces. In this way, we solve the problem of connecting new data sources (collection databases) implemented in different DBMS. Given the fact that currently many organizations support access to the catalogues of their collections independently, the portal also provides external links to these Web resources. At the same time, some information on collections is stored within the BRC databases of the FASO of Russia’s portal in unified formats. The portal contains the following functional sections: the home page containing general information on bioresource collections, the catalog of collections, individual pages for each particular collection with a short description (information about curators, statistical information about the number of storage units in the collection and the number of publications, as well as a link to the catalog of storage units of this BRC). Currently the portal contains more than 13 thousand entities of 65 bioresource collections organizations of the FASO of Russia. It is still being extended.