The large-scale nuclear accident took place at the production association “Mayak” in the Southern Urals in 1957. About 74 PBq of radioactive substances were released into the atmosphere, which resulted in the contamination of a vast area – East-Ural radioactive trace (EURT). The results of our study have shown that the density of contamination of 90Sr and 137Cs in the frontal part of the EURT are 6700–15000 and 200–400 kBq/m2, respectively. The total deposition for 90Sr within the East-Ural Radioactive State Reserve was 428.2 (286.4–643.4) TBq, for 137Cs – 15.1 (10.2–22.4) TBq, for 239,240Pu – 1.175 (0.623–2.242) TBq.

Anthocyanin accumulation in vegetative organs has a relationship to stress resistance in plants. In wheat, ability to accumulate anthocyanins in the coleoptile is inherited and controlled by the Rc (red coleoptile) genes. The aim of the current study was to find potential sources of ‘strong’ Rc alleles conferring very high levels of anthocyanin production and to study the effect of genetic background on Rc expression. We measured the relative anthocyanin content (OD530) in the coleoptile of different wheat and wheat-alien genetic stocks and accessions to find potential sources of ‘strong’ Rc alleles conferring very high levels of anthocyanin production. The OD530 values varied from 0.514 to 3.311 in genotypes having red coleoptiles. The highest anthocyanin content was detected in coleoptiles of four Triticum dicoccoides accessions originating from Israel and the Russian T. aestivum cultivar ‘Novosibirskaya 67’, suggesting that their Rc alleles can be used to increase anthocyanin content in the coleoptile of wheat cultivars. It is also suggested that rye Rc alleles, such as that of Russian cultivar ‘Selenga’, can be used to increase anthocyanin content in triticale seedlings

The colored grain of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) contains a large number of polyphenolic compounds that are biologically active ingredients. The purpose of this work was a comparative metabolomic study of extracts from anthocyaninless (control), blue, and deep purple (referred to here as black) grains of seven genetically related wheat lines developed for the grain anthocyanin pigmentation trait. To identify target analytes in ethanol extracts, high-performance liquid chromatography was used in combination with Bruker Daltonics ion trap mass spectrometry. The results showed the presence of 125 biologically active compounds of a phenolic (85) and nonphenolic (40) nature in the grains of T. aestivum (seven lines). Among them, a number of phenolic compounds affiliated with anthocyanins, coumarins, dihydrochalcones, flavan-3-ols, flavanone, flavones, flavonols, hydroxybenzoic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids, isoflavone, lignans, other phenolic acids, stilbenes, and nonphenolic compounds affiliated with alkaloids, carboxylic acids, carotenoids, diterpenoids, essential amino acids, triterpenoids, sterols, nonessential amino acids, phytohormones, purines, and thromboxane receptor antagonists were found in T. aestivum grains for the first time. A comparative analysis of the diversity of the compounds revealed that the lines do not differ from each other in the proportion of phenolic (53.3% to 70.3% of the total number of identified compounds) and nonphenolic compounds (46.7% to 29.7%), but diversity of the compounds was significantly lower in grains of the control line. Even though the lines are genetically closely related and possess similar chemical profiles, some line-specific individual compounds were identified that constitute unique chemical fingerprints and allow to distinguish each line from the six others. Finally, the influence of the genotype on the chemical profiles of the wheat grains is discussed.

Hypothesis: The multiple stressors, in different combinations, may impact differently upon seed quality, and low-level doses of radiation may enhance synergistic or antagonistic effects. Results: During 1991–2014 we investigated the quality of the dandelion (Taraxacum officinale s.l.) seed progeny growing under low-level radiation exposure at the East-Ural Radioactive Trace (EURT) area (result of the Kyshtym accident, Russia), and in plants from areas exposed to background radiation. The viability of the dandelion seed progeny was assessed according to chronic radiation exposure, accounting for the variability of weather conditions among years. Environmental factors (temperature, precipitation, and their ratio in different months) can modify the radiobiological effects. We found a wide range of possible responses to multiple stressors: inhibition, stimulation, and indifferent effects in different seasons. Conclusion: The intraspecific variability of the quality of dandelion seed progeny was greatly increased under conditions of low doses of chronic irradiation. Temperature was the most significant factor for seed progeny formation in the EURT zone, whereas the sums of precipitation and ratios of precipitation to temperature dominantly affected organisms from the background population.