Fusarium wilt pathogens represent an ongoing threat to pepper production worldwide. This is the first report providing data on the molecular identification of Fusarium fungi that cause wilt in pepper in the southern regions of Russia. Monitoring of the Fusarium infection on pepper was carried out in 2019–2022 in two economically important regions of this culture production: the Krasnodar Krai and Crimea. Based on a phylogenetic analysis of the translation elongation factor (EF1a) and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), as well as the macro- and micromorphological characteristics of the fungi, the causative agents of Fusarium wilt have been identified. The causative agents identified as representatives of the Fusarium species composition included: F. clavus, F. solani, F. oxysporum, F. verticillioides, F. commune, F. torulosum, and F. sporotrichioides. Depending on the region, the specifics of biodiversity and the ratio of these species in pathocomplexes were noted. In Crimea, wilting could be attributed to all of the identified species; in the Krasnodar Krai, F. verticillioides and F. clavus were found to contribute to wilting. The pathogenicity test showed that the pathogens of pepper wilting in Russia, in addition to the already known F. oxysporum and F. solani, are the species F. clavus and F. verticillioides. This is the first report on the ability of these species to cause Fusarium wilt in pepper cultures. The obtained data will be of practical value for the development of biological control measures for fungi of the genus Fusarium, which cause pepper wilt in areas of industrial production and seed production. In addition, data on species composition and aggressive isolates will be used in a pepper breeding program for resistance to Fusarium wilt.

Fusarium basal rot of onions causes large losses during storage of commercial production of onion bulbs, which in turn adversely affects the food market situation in the off-season period. There are no data on the composition of Fusarium spp., which causes onion basal rot in the Russian Federation. Therefore, our research was aimed at Fusarium spp. causing onion basal rot in the Moscow Region of the Russian Federation and studying the pathogenicity of these species for the host plant. We studied 20 isolates of Fusarium spp. collected from affected mature bulbs and seed bulbs. Species identification of the isolates was carried out using analysis of the nucleotide sequences of the three genetic loci ITS, tef1 and rpb2, as well as was based on the macro- and micromorphological characteristics of these isolates. As a result, the species F. annulatum (F. fujikuroi species complex), F. oxysporum (F. oxysporum species complex), F. acuminatum (F. tricinctum species complex) and F. solani (F. solani species complex) were identified to involve in the pathogenesis of Fusarium basal rot. We have shown for the first time that the species F. annulatum and F. acuminatum are highly aggressive and capable of causing onion basal rot. The predominant species were F. annulatum and F. oxysporum. The proportion of these species in the total number of analyzed isolates was 60% and 25%, respectively. The largest proportion (33%) of highly aggressive on mature bulbs isolates was found in the species F. annulatum. The data obtained provide practical insights for developing strategies to manage Fusarium fungi responsible for onion basal rot Moscow Region of the Russian Federation. In addition, data about species composition and aggressive isolates may be used in onion breeding for resistance to Fusarium basal rot.

Relevance.An important feature that determines the technological qualities of varieties and hybrids of beetroot is an erect, compact leaf rosette that persists until the end of the vegetation of plants. In this regard, much attention is paid to the selection of resistance to diseases affecting the leaves of plants, including Cercospora beticola Sacc. When creating resistant to Cercospora interline hybrids based on CMS, the selection of parent components plays an important role. In agroclimatic conditions of the Moscow region, Cercospora on industrial beetroot rarely reaches an economically significant threshold of harmfulness. However, in 2019, epiphytic development of Cercospora on summer first-year crops was observed in the block film greenhouse of the «Federal Scientific Vegetable Center», which allowed to assess the promising breeding material.Material and method. Phytomonitoring on beetroot plantings and sowing of the experimental production Department of the «Federal Scientific Vegetable Center» growing was carried out by methods of visual diagnostics and microscopy. Cercospora lesion in the breeding nursery was evaluated on an 11-point scale, the ranking of samples into five groups of resistance - according to the degree of disease development (R%). Analyzed: 28 sterile lines (А); 13 fertile lines of fixers (В); 25 lines of pollinators (С) and 38 hybrid F1 (АхВхС).Results. It was found that more than half of the studied lines were receptive to Cercospora. The share of relatively resistant lines was 13%. Most of them (8%) are ms - lines « obtained by pollination of CMS with mf-lines В. A close relationship (r=0.86-0.89) between the index of lesion of fixators and the degree of disease development of ms- lines was revealed, in some simple combinations a positive effect of heterosis on resistance to Cercospora relative to mf-В was noted. In the submitted sample F1 hybrids mainly observed between the nature of inheritance according to the degree of disease development (R, %), mixed effects the base line stability of pollinator mf-С (r=0,32) and a closer correlation of the stability of hybrid offspring the F1 with the resistant parent ms-line А (r=0.55). As a result of the evaluation, the most resistant to Cercospora ms- and mf-lines and derived from them hybrid F1, among which only 9% were included in the group of relatively resistant to C. beticola.

Over the years, breeders around the world have made significant changes to the architecture of plants of vegetable pea varieties. The changes made were aimed at increasing, first of all, the yield. New varieties should have an optimal combination of plant height, the number of productive nodes and increased resistance to lodging. Having achieved certain results, breeders find ways to improve the culture, further improving its economically valuable features. The article highlights the priority directions in the selection of vegetable peas in the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution «Federal Scientific Vegetable Center»(FSBSI FSVC), which are directly related to modern market requirements, and considers the specific factors encountered in breeding work, in the production sector and seed practice. Within the framework of import substitution and the achievement of food security of the country, the scientists of the center are intensively working to create new generation varieties: highly productive (by increasing the number of beans at the node and the number of seeds in the bean), suitable for mechanized harvesting (by obtaining appropriate morphotypes with increased stem strength or modified leaf shape) and with high quality indicators of green peas. There is also a constant selection for resistance to abiotic and biotic environmental factors that have been changing in recent years, both in the country and around the world. The article presents the main achievements obtained thanks to the experience and knowledge of the leading breeders of the center, specialists in seed production and production, as well as specialists in the field of plant immunity. Thus, selectively valuable forms with high productivity (up to 30 beans and more than 150 seeds per plant) were obtained, a variety with high resistance to lodging due to the strength of the stem was obtained. Work is underway to create varieties with high quality green peas and resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses.

In the context of climate change phytomonitoring of the prevalence of the most common viral pathogens on the crops becomes even more important, because during the last decades the harmfulness of those pathogens, in particular Bean yellow mosaic (BYMV) has grown in intensity. The causative agent as the most members of Рotyvirus genus, has a wide range of host plants belonging to various families including Fabaceae. In Russia the virus was for the first time identified in the south of the Far East, where in the middle of XX century the massive damage of clove, lupine, sweet pea, pea, bean and Russian bean was observed. The distribution area of BYMV considerably expanded after advancement of heat-loving leguminous crops towards north. During the last years epiphytotics were reported in the planted crops of kidney bean (Phasйolus vulgбris L.), and Russian bean (Faba bona Medik. var. major Harz.) under conditions of temperate continental climate of nonchernozem belt in the RF. It is not feasible to eradicate natural BYMV foci, while the control of the causative agent carriers as a preventive measure is not very effective. There fore at present the search for the sources of resistance to BYMV and creation of parent selection material is a priority area of our phytopatologic research. At the present stage the tasks included: identification and study of the properties of BYMV Moscow isolates; integral assessment of resistance and other economically valuable characteristics of collection material and breeding stock material of kidney bean (810 specimens) and Russian bean (40 specimens) generated in the Laboratory of Legume Selection and Seed Production, Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution “Federal Scientific Vegetable Center”. To achieve the goal visual, serological diagnostic methods were used together with biotesting and electron microscopy. The research revealed special physical-chemical characteristics of BYMV Moscow isolates characterized by 100% harmfulness when occurred as co-infection with the other viruses. The main symptoms caused by the above isolates in indicator plants and host plants under conditions of Moscow Region have been described. Evaluation of collection and selection materials of kidney bean and Russian bean formed the basis for identification of the sources of resistance to BYMV exhibiting integrated economically valuable properties (early ripeness, bean shape and color, productivity, etc.). These specimens have been included into selection program of the Federal Research Vegetable Center which is aimed on creation of high-productive varieties of the kidney bean meeting the modern market demands.

Relevance. Currently, the use of secondary plant-orgin metabolites with high biological activity is becoming an important part of a comprehensive plant protection program. The mechanism of their action is aimed at activating molecular biological and physiological systems that increase the ability of the plant organism to withstand the adverse effects of biotic and abiotic nature. The purpose of these studies is to screen the selectivity of the physiological activity of phytoregulators in relation to different varieties of vegetable beans.Methodology. Plants of two mid-ripening varieties of vegetable beans were twice sprayed with solutions of plant biological products of different chemical composition, isolated from 12 plant species of different families. Control – treatment with water, standards - solutions of Pharmayod and Fitolavin. During the growing season, an analysis of the development of diseases of various etiologies on seed crops was carried out. Seed productivity of plants was taken into account after harvesting and threshing the beans, the sowing qualities of the obtained seeds were studied in accordance with the relevant recommendations and GOST 12042-80, and the biological effectiveness (BE) of the action of phytopreparations was calculated.Results. Two-fold treatment of beans with most of the tested preparations reduced the total percentage of affected plants by more than 25%. The protective effect of the studied glycosides differed significantly depending on their chemical structure, disease etiology and cultivar responsiveness. Among them, there are preparations based on steroidal glycosides - Moldstim and Mestim, which have the most pronounced immunomodulatory effect on the resistance of vegetable beans to phytopathogens. Treatment with Mestim in the selected concentration led to a decrease in seed productivity of plants. Other phytopreparations showed a neutral or stimulating effect on this trait, increasing the proportion of germinating seeds in the yield structure by 3-26% relative to control. The certain varietal specificity has been identified by the total effectiveness of the action. Irioid glycosides from Linaria genistifolia and the sum of iridoids and flavonoids from Linaria vulgaris showed the greatest activity on the responsive cultivar Lika. On the SiBemol variety, there is Moldstim, a steroidal glycoside of the furostanol series, isolated from Capsicum annuum. Their biological effectiveness was higher than that of Fitolavin and Pharmayod standards.