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Background. Due to its simplicity and good reproducibility, SDS-electrophoresis of seed proteins is widely used for investigating the gene pool of legumes and other plants, for species and varietal identification, analyzing the intraspecific variability, and registering collection material. The data obtained by this method agree well with the DNA analysis results complement them. Typically, legume seed proteins, including representatives of the genus Vicia L., show clear informative SDS electrophoretic profiles. When analyzing seed accessions of vetch species of the section Peregrinae Kupicha using standard approaches previously developed at VIR and approved by ISTA (the International Seed Testing Association), clear electrophoretic protein profiles could not be obtained for many accessions. This called into question the applicability of standard approaches to identifying vetch species in the section Peregrinae. The objective of the work was to clarify the nature of seed proteins degradation in representatives of the Peregrinae section and to find ways to prevent it to ensure the possibility of carrying out species identification and registration of all accessions in the vetch collection using a unified approach. Material and methods. Seed proteins of a number of vetch species Vicia L. from sections Bithynicae (B. Fedtsch.) Maxted, Hypechusa (Alef.) Aschers. et Graebner, Microcarinae Maxted and Peregrinae, members of the subgenus Vicia, were analyzed by SDS-electrophoresis using the standard method of protein extraction from flour with 0.025 M Tris-glycine buffer pH 8.3 at room temperature and its modifications, including heating the extract at 80°C or 100°C with or without the addition of 2-mercaptoethanol, as well as the addition of cysteine and serine protease inhibitors. Results and discussion. An analysis of seed proteins of representatives of most sections of the subgenus Vicia yielded informative species-specific protein profiles, whereas species of the section Peregrinae were characterized by the protein profiles, which indicated protein degradation, and species of this section differed in the frequency of such profile occurrence. While such profiles were obtained for all seeds of seven accessions of V. aintabensis Boiss & Hausskn. ex Boiss differing in geographical origin, year and place of regeneration, and 12 out of 13 of V. peregrina  L. accessions demonstrated profiles of partially or completely degraded proteins, complete seed protein profiles were obtained for six out of nine V. michauxii Sprengel accessions. A change in conditions for protein isolation, namely replacement of their extraction from flour with Tris-glycine buffer pH 8.3 at room temperature with extraction in the same buffer by a short-term heating at 100°C in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol, made it possible to obtain complete protein profiles for all accessions representing the section Peregrinae. The protein profiles of representatives of other vetch sections, as well as the profile of soybean proteins used as a standard for legume species identification, did not differ from the original ones under the modified conditions. Conclusions. The obtained results suggest that protein degradation in species of the Peregrinae section is associated with the abnormal activity of endogenous seed proteases under standard protein extraction conditions, and this trait is determined genotypically. A new modification of the method for isolating proteins from seeds makes it possible to apply the generally accepted approaches based on SDS-electrophoresis in the analysis of the gene pool of the Peregrinae section of the subgenus Vicia, as well as other vetch species.

Background. The creation of tomato cultivars and hybrids with a complex of resistance genes is the main task of a breeder. This process can be accelerated through the use of molecular markers at the stages of initial forms selection and the offspring analysis. There is a large amount of information in the literature about DNA markers of resistance genes. Their significant part was recommended for the use in marker-assisted breeding. The purpose of our work was to screen a collection of tomato varieties and hybrids using molecular markers of genes for resistance to the most common diseases of open-ground tomato (late blight, root nematodes, tomato bronzing virus (TSWV)) and to identify gene sources for breeding work. The following markers were selected for research: Sw-5-2 (Sw-5b gene of resistance to TSWV), Mi23 (Mi1.2 gene of resistance to the root-knot nematode), 2 markers NC-LB-9-78 and NC-LB-9-79 (late blight resistance gene Ph-3). During the work, a collection of 46 accessions of tomato cultivars and hybrids was analyzed. Results. The molecular genetic analysis has yielded clear, reproducible fragments that corresponded to the expected ones. All the used markers were codominant. Analysis of the studied collection accessions found the analyzed genes to be polymorphic. The cultivars and hybrids F₁ of tomato identified as promising for the use in breeding have resistance to root nematodes (F₁ hybrids: A-01, ‘Imitator’, ‘Manon’, cultivars ‘Elegiya’ and ‘Buoy-Tur’), to tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) (F₁ hybrids: A-01, ‘Manon’ and cultivar ‘Buoy-Tur’), and also to late blight (hybrids F₁: А-01, ‘Azhur’, ‘Barin’, ‘Vlastelin stepej’, ‘Zhirdyaj’, Luchshij SeDeK, ‘Manon’ and cultivars: ‘Buoy-Tur’, ‘Zefir v shokolade’, ‘Zolotaya kaplya’, ‘Krasavec’, ‘Lodochka’, ‘Metelitsa’, ‘Alice's Dream’, ‘Sibirskij tigr’, ‘Slavyanskij shedevr’, ‘Elegiya’). It is advisable to use these accessions as sources of resistance genes. Based on the obtained data, five initial forms were selected for breeding and assessed for the intracultivar polymorphism of the studied genes. Cultivars ‘Krasavec’ and ‘Sibirskij tigr’ were used as parent forms. Their hybridization was carried out and hybrid forms homozygous for the dominant allele of the Ph-3 gene were obtained. Conclusions. The use of molecular markers in the conducted study allowed screening the collection of tomato varieties and hybrids for the presence of resistance genes to the most common diseases. Based on the obtained data, parental pairs were selected, hybridization carried out, and hybrid forms with the late blight resistance gene obtained.

Nomenclatural standards of three raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) cultivars ‘Kleopatra’ (WIR-98480), ‘Sulamif’’ (WIR-98517) and ‘Shakhrazada’ (WIR-98536) bred at the I.V. Michurin Federal Scientific Center (FSC) were prepared according to the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants. The nomenclatural standards of these cultivars have been transferred to N.I. Vavilov Federal Research Center of the All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR) for storage in the Herbarium of Cultivated Plants of the World, Their Wild Relatives and Weeds (WIR). Plant material for herbarium specimens was collected in the experimental field of the I.V. Michurin FSC by the cultivars’ author and handed to VIR for genotyping as well as for preservation in the live collection of VIR in compliance with the comprehensive strategy for registering and preserving domestic cultivars of the vegetatively propagated crops in a genebank. Microsatellite profiles of the three cultivars in question were obtained by using six nuclear SSR-markers. The genotyped specimens of the same raspberry cultivars, genotypically identical to the nomenclatural standards, were transferred to the VIR field collection and preservation in controlled conditions in the VIR in vitro collection.

Background. Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is a microbiotic whose seeds quickly lose germination in uncontrolled conditions at room temperatures. This determines the need to preserve accessions in special conditions. Low temperature storage (LTS) allows to maintain high seed germination ability, but not for all accessions. Therefore, it is relevant to assess the results of LTS at the VIR Genebank and to make an attempt to determine the best geographical conditions for growing plants and harvesting seeds that will be subjected to LTS. Materials and methods. The work was carried out on 312 soybean accessions from the VIR collection, originating from almost the entire area of soybean cultivation. The accessions used in the research were reproduced at three VIR experiment stations (ES), namely Adler ES, Kuban ES (Krasnodar Territory) and the Far East ES (Primorsky Territory). The seeds were harvested in 1999 to 2017 and stored in sealed foil laminated bags at –10°C from 2002 to 2021. The accessions were removed from LTS and germination assessed in 2022. Results. At the beginning of LTS, seed germination (G_i) ranged from 12 to 100% (averaging 79.1%), while that after LTS (G_r) ranged from 1 to 97% (57.8% on average). The retention of germination ability was expressed as the germination index (GI = G_r / G_i), which ranged from 0.02 to 1.73 (an average of 0.72). All the indicators of germination in the range of up to 20 years of LTS were not associated with the duration of LTS and with the number of years before LTS (0.5-4 years in our research). The climatic conditions characteristic of the place of reproduction had a significant impact on G_i and G_r, but not on GI. The average G_i of seeds obtained at the Adler ES and Kuban ES did not differ significantly (77.4% and 75.7%), while that of seeds harvested at the Far East ES was significantly higher (84.0%). G_r of the accessions from the Far East ES (64.3%) was also greater than that of accessions from the Kuban ES (52.2%) and Adler ES (57.2%). The excessively high sum of temperatures above 10°C (recorded in some years at all stations) reduced G_i, G_r but had little effect on GI. The highest values of G_i, G_r, and GI were demonstrated by the accessions maturing in 101-120 days. Additionally drying of the most late-ripening accessions (later than 140 days) in sheaves under an awning yielded seeds with high germination ability and good LTS tolerance. Conclusion. The seeds from different places of reproduction of accessions differed in germination before and after LTS, and, on an average, the highest values were demonstrated by the seeds harvested at the Far East ES, where the temperature regime is closer to the optimal one for soybeans. The seed germination index showed relative independence from the conditions of reproduction of accessions, including the climate and weather conditions, as well as the initial germination ability and LTS duration.

The majority of proteins in soybean seeds are storage ones, including β-conglycinin and glycinin, which are necessary for seed germination. At the same time, they are the most valuable soy proteins used in the food industry, since their subunit composition and proportion of total protein can affect the quality of the resulting food product. β-conglycinins are trimers with different composition of subunits which are designated as α', α, β and encoded by the CG-1, CG-3, and CG-4 genes, respectively. The PCR analysis employed a model soybean cultivar ‘Sentyabrinka’. A complementary DNA synthesized from the RNA isolated from seeds of the studied cultivar served as a template. The in silico created pairs of primers for CG-1, CG-3, and CG-4 gene transcripts were used. As the result of PCR and the analysis of the obtained electrophoregrams, optimal annealing temperatures of primers for the CG-1, CG-3 and CG-4 genes were selected, at which only the characteristic fragment was observed. Thus, a molecular genetic toolkit has been developed for a comprehensive study of the qualitative and quantitative composition of soybean protein and can be used for further analysis of differential expression of genes responsible for the synthesis of β-conglycinin subunits.

Stanislav Ivanovich Grib, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor, an Honored Scientist of the Republic of Belarus, a Laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Belarus, an Academician of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of Belarus, a Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, a talented Belarusian scientist in the field of plant breeding, known in the country and abroad, the leader of the Belarusian scientific school in the area of breeding and seed production, an experienced organizer of agricultural science, turned 80 years old on August 6, 2024. He was the first in Belarus to scientifically substantiate and implement in practice a new scientific direction, that is, breeding of intensive varieties of grain crops with a yield of 10-12 t/ha of grain; developed methods for broadening genetic diversity and identifying genotypes that combine high productivity and good product quality with tolerance to biotic and abiotic environmental factors; substantiated the parameters of the model of intensive varieties; created and introduced into production systems of highly productive, resource-saving varieties of barley, triticale, and spring wheat. The results of his research have been published in more than 700 scientific works, including 12 monographs, books and textbooks. Stanislav Ivanovich is the author of eight inventions and 89 varieties of agricultural plants. Academician S.I. Grib, the leader of the scientific school of plant breeding in Belarus, trained four doctors and twelve candidates of science. S.I. Grib's achievements have been recognized abroad. He was elected a foreign member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, an Honorary Professor of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a member of the European Association of Plant Breeders (EUCARPIA), and an Honorary Doctor of the Belarusian Agricultural Academy (BSAA). Stanislav Ivanovich was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor, a diploma of the Supreme Council of the BSSR, medals and diplomas of the Exhibition of Economic Achievements, honorary diplomas of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Belarus, and the Scientific and Practical Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for Agriculture.