Background. Greenbug (Sсhizaphis graminum Rondani) is a key pest of sorghum. By now, 15 resistance genes have been identified in this crop. The Sgr5 - Sgr15 resistance genes have not being used in breeding; however, differential interaction with the herbivore was revealed only for the accessions protected by the Sgr7 - Sgr11 genes. The necessity to continue searching for sorghum accessions with new resistance genes is quite obvious. Materials and methods. Under laboratory conditions, resistance to a Krasnodar population of S. graminum was analyzed in 13 accessions weakly damaged by this herbivore. Besides, the resistance of the earlier selected grain sorghum accessions from China and of F₁ hybrids from crosses of these forms with susceptible sterile lines was studied. Segregation for resistance to the aphid population in the F₂ hybrids from crossing the accessions k-1239 and k-1251 with susceptible testers was also analyzed. Segregation for resistance to a clone weakly damaging the cultivar ‘Sarvashi' was studied in the F₂ ‘Sarvashi s' × k-1251. When studying genetic control of sorghum resistance to the aphid, two experimental approaches were applied: examination of the differential insect-host interaction, and hybridological analysis. Results and conclusions. Nine accessions of grain, sweet and wild sorghum, protected by alleles of greenbug resistance genes differing from earlier identified alleles of the Sgr1 - Sgr6 and Sgr12 genes, have been selected. Pure lines k-105, k-533, k-1239, k-3650, k-6339 and k-10524 selected from grain and sweet sorghum samples are most promising for use in breeding for resistance. A dominant inheritance pattern of greenbug resistance was demonstrated by ten grain sorghum accessions from China: k-830, k-831, k-931, k-932, k-933, k-1238, k-1239, k-1241, k-1251 and k-2588. Each of the accessions k-1239 and k-1251 has two highly effective resistance genes (dominant and recessive), which are not identical to alleles of the effective Sgr5 and Sgr6 genes.

Background. Powdery mildew, caused by Вlumeria graminis (DC.) Speer f. sp. tritici Marchal (Bgt), is one of the most harmful and widespread disease of cultivated wheat in a cool climate with high humidity. The disease infects the foliage, stem and spike of the wheat host. The most economical and environmentally safe method for controlling Bgt is to develop resistant bread wheat cultivars. Up to now, more than 60 genes for resistance to powdery mildew have been identified in wheat. Searching for new effective genes of resistance and introducing them into cultivars is an essential stage of plant breeding for resistance. The aim of our study was to identify wheat accessions resistant to powdery mildew and study their inheritance pattern. Materials and methods. Inheritance of powdery mildew resistance was studied in eight accessions of spring bread wheat held by VIR: k-64433, k-64434, k-64436, k-64997, k-64998, k-65257, k-65449 and k- 65454. Their plants were inoculated in the seedling phase with the Bgt inoculant collected on the field. The population of the fungus was virulent to genes Pm1, Pm2, Pm3 a - d, Pm4 a - b, Pm5, Pm6, Pm7, Pm8, Pm10, Pm11, Pm17 and Pm19, but avirulent to Pm12, PmKu and PmSp. To determine the resistance inheritance pattern and the number of resistance genes, the accessions were crossed with susceptible wheat's resistant lines ‘Wembley 14.31' (Pm12) and ‘Lutescens 13' (PmKu). The parents and F₁-F₂ progenies were inoculated with the Bgt population. A chi-square test was used to analyze the fit between the observed and theoretically predicted segregations. Results and conclusion. Bgt resistance in the studied accessions in their seedling phase was found to be controlled by a single dominant gene. None of them had the dominant Pm12 allele. The group of cultivars from Sweden was protected by the same Pm-gene. The group of Russian cultivars had allelic genes for powdery mildew resistance. The dominant allele PmKu did not protect the accessions k-64433, k-64434, k-64436 and k-65257 from the disease.

Ever increasing anthropogenic impact on the environment in the region requires intensification of biodiversity conservation activities. Geographic location of the Aktobe floristic district (AFD), variability of its cenoflora, mosaic pattern of the soils in the region determine the diversity of floristic elements, including the species composition of crop wild relatives (CWR). Materials on the floristic riches of the district were collected as a result of itinerary-based explorations of the local vegetation, studies of the herbarium collections in Kazakhstan, and summarization of the literary references. Local CWR of the Fabaceae Lindl. family underwent taxonomic, ecological and chorological analyses. The vegetation of the AFD is represented by 412 species from 28 families. The Fabaceae family is leading in the number of crop wild relatives and includes 100 species. Half of the leguminous CWR (50 species) belong to the AFD's largest genus Astragalus L. The second in the number of species are the genera Lathyrus L. and Trifolium L., with 8 species each. Studying the Fabaceae species of the AFD in the context of the moisture factor showed that the xerophilic group predominates, constituting 53.0% of the total number of the family's species. Chorological analysis demonstrated that 33 types of habitat are specific to the Fabaceae CWR species. The largest number of the CWR species (63) belong to the Eurasian steppe group, with their areas of distribution located in whole or in greater part within the Eurasian steppe. Original analysis of disjunctions in the species' areas of distribution showed that 20% out of the 50 Astragalus species in the AFD are disjunctively areal. At the same time, the leading group in the district is the meso-disjunctive one, where distances between the fragments of the areas of the species' distribution are 100-500 km. Within the AFD, the Fabaceae family is the first in the number of endemics, the core of which consists of calcium petrophytes.

Distribution of crop wild relatives of five Rumex species on the map of the Natural Reserves of Russia has been analyzed. Recommendations have been issued for their in situ conservation. In Russia, Rumex acetosa occurs in 59 Natural Reserves of Russia, R. aquaticus in 44, R. hydrolapathum in 19, R. patientia in 6, and R. thyrsiflorus in 43.

One of the features of N. I. Vavilov's phenomenon is the ever unquenchable interest in his ideas and research and, moreover, the growing need for their development. This has become especially urgent in the recent decades - the era of global erosion of agricultural biodiversity and the consolidation of the world community to preserve it.N.I.Vavilov was and remains the ideologist of such preservation. One of the most striking examples of this fact is the ongoing establishment of the Vavilov Gardens in France. They represent one of the aspects in the activities of the Resource Center for Applied Botany (CRBA - Center de Ressources de Botanique Appliquée), a nongovernmental organization having close links with VIR. Vavilov's planetary mission to conserve the world's genetic resources of plants could not but affect France, a country that is at a crossroads of the many routes traversed by the scientist. He visited France many times, had good acquaintances and friends there. This article is an overview of available facts featuring Vavilov's visits to France and his contacts with his French colleagues and Russian emigrants. Among Vavilov 's friends were well-known French biologists A. Chevalier, L. Trabut, E. Miège and others, the Slavist A. Mazon, agricultural historian A. Haudricourt, archaeologist A. Foucher, head of VilmorinAndrieux & Cie Jacqueline Vilmoren, etc. In France, he met with scholars from the diaspora of Russian emigrants, including those who worked at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. Vavilov highly appreciated the professionalism and modesty of French scientists, was grateful to many of them for their help in organizing his expeditionary surveys, obtaining valuable scientific information and plant material. Vavilov was invited to France several times to deliver lectures and reports. For many years he corre-sponded with a number of French scientists.