Corylus avellana L. is a rare and endangered species in Kazakhstan, included in the national Red Book. The results of morphological and genetic characterization of the sole known natural population of C. avellana in the Western Kazakhstan region are presented in this study. Sixty wild accessions were evaluated based on tree and leaf morphological traits using standard descriptors in accordance with Bioversity International guidelines. Genetic diversity was assessed using ten nuclear simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. A total of 120 alleles were detected across the nuclear loci, with the number of alleles per locus ranging from 9 to 16 and an average of 12. The mean effective number of alleles (Ne) per locus was 3.862. A high level of intraspecific polymorphism was observed, with an average observed heterozygosity (Ho) of 0.70. The population showed considerable genetic diversity, as highlighted by a mean Shannon’s diversity index of 1.526. STRUCTURE, PCoA, and phylogenetic analyses confirmed strong differentiation between the wild Kazakh population and the cultivated hazelnut germplasm. Due to the lack of viable seeds, in vitro conservation was initiated using vegetative shoots. A two-step disinfection protocol, involving Plant Preservative Mixture and mercuric chloride, significantly improved explant survival, enabling successful establishment of an aseptic in vitro collection. These findings highlight the urgent need for targeted conservation strategies and show the potential of biotechnological approaches for safeguarding Kazakhstan’s only natural C. avellana population.

This study investigates the phenotypic characteristics, genetic diversity, and population structure of four wild cherry species collected from various regions of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan: Prunus fruticosa Pall., Ptunus erythrocarpa (Nevski) Gilli, Prunus griffithii var. tianshanica (Pojark.) Ingram, and Prunus verrucosa (Franch.). A total of 163 accessions were characterized morphologically using standardized descriptors for plant, leaf, and fruit traits. Genetic diversity was assessed using 13 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. STRUCTURE analysis revealed that 87.7% of the accessions were assigned to pure species. However, hybrid accessions were identified in P. griffithii var. tianshanica (34.4%), P. erythrocarpa (18.5%), and P. verrucosa (8.0%). Identical genotypes were found across all species, with P. fruticosa showing the highest proportion (54.8%), likely due to clonal propagation via root suckers. Among the four species, P. verrucosa exhibited the highest genetic diversity, while P. fruticosa had the lowest. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that genetic variation within the species (81%) was substantially greater than variation among the species (19%). These findings enhance our understanding of the genetic relationships among wild cherry species in Central Asia and provide valuable data for conservation planning and breeding programs aimed at improving drought and frost tolerance in Prunus species.

Bacterial, fungal, and viral contaminations pose a pervasive challenge to in vitro propagation of berry crops, presenting significant economic hurdles for the preservation of plant genetic resources and the commercialization of micropropagation. This study aimed to diagnose endophytic and viral contamination in commercial blackberry cultivars and while developing an in vitro method to eliminate bacterial contamination from the Chaсanska Bestrna variety. The Plant Preservative Mixture™ (PPM™) was utilized as a broad-spectrum bactericidal agent within the blackberry in vitro tissue culture. Contaminated shoots were cultured on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 0.2% v/v PPM™, maintained over a 12-week period through three subcultures, before being transferred to medium devoid of PPM™ for an additional 12 weeks. The results were evaluated after 12 and 32 weeks of culture on medium without PPM™. This study demonstrated that PPM™ is an effective control agent and can be successfully used to manage the growth of endophytic contamination. For the Chaсanska Bestrna blackberry variety, 100% aseptic shoots were obtained in vitro without any negative effects on the shoot growth. However, the results indicate the opportunity for further testing of PPM™ on other blackberry varieties experiencing bacterial contamination, as it is possible that the contamination in this study was superficial and the selected concentration of the bactericide proved to be successful. To obtain virus-free planting stocks, in vitro rooted shoots were transferred to a soil substrate consisting of peat (40%), black soil (50%), and perlite (10%), and then adapted in a greenhouse at 20-23°С. The survival rate of blackberry varieties in greenhouse conditions was 93-99%. Keywords: blackberry; tissue culture; in vitro contamination; micropropagation; broad-spectrum biocide

Мақалада таңқурайдың «Брянская Диво» және «Полка» сорттарын клонды микрокөбейтуге қажетті қоректік орта құрамын оңтайландыруға қатысты зерттеу жұмысының нәтижесі берілген. Жасалынған зерттеулер таңқурай сорттарының оқшауланған экспланттары үшін залалсыздандырушы агент пен оның эксплантты өңдеу уақыты да маңызды екенін көрсетті. Біздің зерттеуіміздің нәтижесінде сапрофитті микрофлораға қарсы 0,1% сулема ерітіндісімен 5 минут өңдеудің тиімділігі белгілі болды. Өсімдіктерді in vitro енгізуге қажетті қоректік орта ретінде құрамында 0,5 мг/л бензиламинопурин (БАП), 0,1 мг/л индолил-3-май-қышқылы (ИМҚ), 0,2 мг/л гиббереллин қышқылы (ГҚ), 0,1 мг/л тиамин (В1 витамині), 0,5 мг/л пиридоксин (В6 витамині) және никотин қышқылы (РР витамині), 1 мг/л аскорбин қышқылы, 30 г/л сахароза, 100 мг/л мезоинозит, 2 мг/л глицин мен 10 мг/л темір хелаты болатын Мурасиге және Скуг (МС) таңдалынды. Залалсыздандырылып, қоректік ортаға енгізілген экспланттардың орташа регенерациялану көрсеткіші 95% болды. Зерттеу жұмысы барысында экспланттарда жасырын патогенді микрофлораның болу мүмкіндігін ескере келе, оларды Петри табақшасындағы арнайы Viss қоректік ортасында тексердік. Құрамында 10 г/л сахароза, 15 г/л MgSO47Н2 О, 8 г/л казеин гидролизаты, 2 г/л КН2РО4, 4 г/л ашытқы экстракті мен 6 г/л джелрайт бар аталған ортада бактериялық зақымдану 4-5% көрсетті. Таңқурай сорттарын клонды микрокөбейту үшін құрамында 0,5 мг/л БАП, 0,1 мг/л ИМҚ, 100 мг/л мезоинозит, 2 мг/л глицин, 5 мг/л темір хелаты болатын МС ортасы оңтайлы болып, өз тиімділігін көрсетті.

Genetic variation in four wild Prunus taxa (P. fruticosa, P. erythrocarpa, P. verrucosa and P. griffithii var. tianshanica) was investigated for the first time using six chloroplast DNA regions (matK, r rpl16, ycf1_1, ycf1_2, ndhF and trnH–psbA) analysed through CAPS-based SNP detection. The results revealed weak chloroplast differentiation among P. erythrocarpa, P. verrucosa and P. griffithii var. tianshanica. However, chloroplast variation exhibited a strong geographic signal across the studied populations. The observed chloroplast variation primarily reflected geographic structuring rather than clear differentiation among these closely related taxa. In contrast, P. fruticosa showed distinct chloroplast haplotypes not shared with the other taxa. These findings demonstrate that the developed chloroplast CAPS marker system is effective for detecting chloroplast haplotype variation but has limited discriminatory power among closely related wild Prunus taxa. Further studies using nuclear markers and genome-wide approaches will be required to better resolve their genetic relationships and evolutionary history.

This study presents an optimized protocol for micropropagation of commercially valuable highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) varieties adapted to climatic conditions of Kazakhstan. An effective explant surface disinfection technique was established, providing a high percentage of aseptic plants. Various nutrient media with auxins (IBA, IAA) and cytokinins (zeatin, BAP) were evaluated for shoot proliferation and rooting. The optimal medium for micropropagation was identified as Woodt Plant Medium (WPM) with a double concentration of Ca(NO3)2, 2 mg/L zeatin, 30 g/L sucrose, 3.5 g/L agar, 1.5 g/L gelzan, pH 5.2. The most effective shoot rooting was achieved on half-strength WPM medium with 0.5 mg/L IBA, 30 g/L sucrose, and vermiculite (pH 5.2). In vitro rooted plants were successfully acclimatized to soil conditions by gradually reducing humidity in a controlled greenhouse environment at 20-23°C. The developed micropropagation protocol enables rapid and mass propagation of elite blueberry varieties, ensuring genetic stability and minimizing the risk of pathogen infection. The results obtained contribute to the development of industrial blueberry cultivation in Kazakhstan and promote of modern biotechnological approaches in berry crop production.