Secondary metabolites of aromatic plants are used in many health applications as drugs, pheromones, insecticides, fragrances, and antioxidants. Due to the huge commercial demand for these secondary metabolites, the need to overcome the insufficient productivity of aromatic plants has become a significant challenge. Plant breeding is a traditional, labor-intensive, and limited method to improve the ability of aromatic plants to produce secondary metabolites. Modern methods of biotechnology, including genetic engineering and genome editing, can be useful and cost-effective in improving aromatic plants, as they can increase the efficiency of obtaining plants with high productivity and the creation of resistant forms and breeding lines. This review illustrates the importance of developing methods for the modification of aromatic plants belonging to different families, with a predictable quality, resistance to adverse factors and pests, and intensive growth and high yields and productivity of valuable essential oils. Particular attention is paid to successful examples of the modification of aromatic plants, applied methods, and principal approaches

The author examines the object model of the selective dissemination of information (SDI) that forms the basis for designing user information awareness system of the RAS Library for natural Sciences. The SDI system users are offered two types of services: the first is to provide awareness on the list of journals defined by the user, and the second is awareness building on thematic enquiries being formed with the keywords that the user supplies. The suggested SDI system differs from the traditional systems of the kind: designers do not limit the list of journals or the list of primary sources to be addressed within thematic search with the list of full-text resources available by the library’s subscription. This object model and the corresponding SDI system prototype have been operating since 2016. Its successful operation enables to suggest the described object model as a standard model for SDI system.

Genetic polymorphism of alien species in their secondary ranges is an important evidence of invasive process course. In this paper, we studied a molecular genetic variation of Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl. at geographically extensive material from different parts of its secondary distribution range at East European Plain and a contribution of L. polyphyllus to natural vegetation there. Genetic variation was studied on nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer sequences ITS1–2, chloroplast intergenic spacer rpl32–trnL sequences, and on inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. ITS1–2 sequences were non-informative markers of intra-species variability for L. polyphyllus. In the phylogenetic tree on the base of chloroplast rpl32–trnL sequences no geographical trend was revealed among and within the three major clades and subclades but sufficient level of intra-population variability was detected. ISSR sequences of 38 individuals demonstrated statistically significant among-individual variation both within local populations and among local populations. The latter was the only significant factor of sample differentiation in the reduced ordination space at two spatial scales: among the local populations (ANOSIM test, R = 0.33, p < 0.01) as well as among the enlarged locations consisting of the neighboring populations (R = 0.26, p < 0.01). All investigated populations of L. polyphyllus at East European Plain invaded anthropogenically disturbed habitats, with present or former settlement activity. The revealed genetic variability of specimens at the lowest spatial scale may be a cue for a high invasion potential of L. polyphyllus in the studied part of the secondary range at ongoing climatic changes.