The N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR) is working on replenishing seed and herbarium collections of cultivated plants and their wild relatives through collection missions in various regions of Russia. The collections are replenished with both live specimens (plantlets, runners, cuttings, bulbs, seeds, etc.), and with herbarium specimens of crop wild relatives (CWR). The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is characterized by a variety of natural conditions and resources, while many territories are difficult to reach by transport. Collection missions were carried out by VIR in the territory of Yakutia from 1972 to 1990. Field research in the territory of the republic is relevant to this day.In 2020, field research in the area of the projected bridge crossing over the Lena River near the city of Yakutsk resulted in collecting 18 samples of wild relatives of fruit, vegetable, essential oil, oil and fiber, forage legume, and cereals crops (live plants and seeds), as well as 45 CWR herbarium specimens. CWR (species of currants, onions, horseradish, water sorrel, tarragon wormwood, etc.) were found in floodplain habitats and on river banks, some were collected in ruderal biotopes, near settlements, less often in forest phytocenoses, and on steppe meadow slopes. All the samples were included in VIR collections. The phytocenoses from which CWR were collected, were comprehensively described.

Twenty-six habitats in the Western Caucasus have been examined. Fifty-nine samples of seeds of cultivated plants, their wild relatives, and 77 herbarium specimens have been collected. Some of the samples are landraces of Phaseolus beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), spring garlic (Allium sativum L.), shallots (Allium ascalonicum L.), hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L. var. longum (DC.) Sendtn.), chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.), etc. Another part of the samples are cultivated plants forms of folk breeding, e.g., cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.), etc. Samples of such wild relatives of cultivated plants as Lactuca serriola L., Prunus spinosa L., Cicerbita racemosa (Willd.) Beauverd, Asclepias syriaca L., Lathyrus sylvestris L., etc. were included in the VIR collections.

Abstract. Relevance. Preservation of the plant genetic diversity is necessary for carrying out largescale breeding activities in order to improve existing economically important species and create varieties of cultivated plants. The priority method is the in situ conservation. Hence is the relevance of studies of vulnerable crop wild relatives (CWR) in the Northwestern Federal District of Russia (NWFDR) for designing recommendations on their in situ conservation.
Materials. The materials used in the present work were the herbarium collections of the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (WIR), of the V.L. Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (LE), as well as the literature data, results of expeditionary surveys by VIR in 1946, 1948 and 1949, and from 2005 to 2020. The species included in the regional Red Data Books (RDB) were analyzed, data from GBIF and CWR open databases, and materials and maps of the Agroatlas used.
Results and Discussions. Six species of the genus Allium, i.e. A. angulosum L., A. oleraceum L., A. schoenoprasum L., A. strictum Schrad., A. vineale L., and A. ursinum L. have been identified and proposed for conservation in the Northwestern Federal District of Russia. Maps have been built, numerous data sources, as well as the author’s own observations, analyzed. Conservation recommendations have been developed for each species based on their vulnerability.

The article presents a brief overview of expeditionary surveys of the territory of Russia by VIR scientists in 2020 within the framework of the State Assignment for the research project No. 0481-2020-0001 “Ensuring the preservation and replenishment of the collection of plant genetic resources”. In 2020, with the support from budgetary and non-budgetary sources, VIR scientists participated in 8 collecting missions to various regions of Russia (Krasnodar Territory, Adygea, Karelia, including Valaam Island, Murmansk and Arkhangelsk provinces, the Solovetsky Islands, Yakutia, and Khabarovsk Territory). The seeds, cuttings, live plants, and herbarium specimens collected in 2020 for replenishing the VIR collection totaled 580 samples.