V.K. Zykova’s research while affiliated with National Academy of Sciences and other places

Kinship and genetic diversity determination among six rose varieties from the Grandiflora group were carried out using ISSR thechnics. The studied varities were divided into 3 clades: I) ‘Lezginka’, ‘Queen Elizabeth’ and ‘Koralovy surpriz’ varieties; II) ‘Gurzuf’ and ‘Love’ varieties; III) ‘Komsomolsky ogonek’ variety formed a separate branch. This division into clades was confirmed by a statistical comparison of morphometric characters. On the basis of the obtained data, it can be concluded that the analysis using the selected primer group is well-suited for differentiation rose varieties into groups, which makes it possible, for one thing, to determine the genetic distance between varieties, and for another, to use these data in the future by certification of the varieties promising by resistance characters to the continental climate conditions.

Representatives of the genus Hedera L. have been cultivated in Nikitsky Botanical Gardens over two centuries. The inventory of the collection has revealed thirty five species, cultivars, and forms, including four relics of cultivation – H. helix ‘Angularis’, ‘Rugosa’, ‘Cavendishii’, and H. hibernica ‘Scutifolia’. The presence of three species, thirty-two cultivars and forms belonging to four species, of which two species and four varieties have reached the generative stage and twenty-six cultivars are at the juvenile stage, has been established. There are seven of nine garden groups in the collection. Within morpho-decorative characteristics, two groups have been identified in terms of the color of the leaf blade: monochromatic green (twenty-four varieties and forms); and variegated (eight varieties and forms, of which there are seven white-spotted and one yellow-spotted varieties). In terms of the color type (multicolored), marginal, median, and suffuse colors have been identified. In terms of the shape of the leaf blades, the following groups have been identified among the species and cultivars: finger-cut, rounded-reniform, ovate-elongated, and irregularly asymmetric. In terms of the growth type at the juvenile stage, most species of the genus proved to be plagiotropic; yet cultivars with orthotropic growth type have also been found (in our collection, this is H. helix ‘Conglomerata’). Promising directions for increasing biodiversity of the genus include their further introduction by way of the generic complex, as well as enlarging the collection, primarily with variegated varieties of different color types and varieties from two garden groups that have not yet been present in the collection.

The article presents the results of a comparative introduction study and cultivar evaluation of 7 of common lilac cultivars in the collections of three botanical gardens (the Nikita Botanical Gardens, the Central Siberian Botanical Garden and the Donetsk Botanical Garden) located in zones with conditionally subtropical, temperate continental and continental climate. It is established that the cultivars retain their decorative features in the conditions of introduction and show ecological plasticity, increasing their growing season with an increase in the vegetation period, as well as reducing the area of the leaf blade with a decrease in the average annual precipitation.

Modern collections of flower-ornamental crops of the Nikitsky Botanical Gardens (NBG) are formed as a result of long-term introduction and breeding researches begun, respectively, for Rosa L. in 1812 and 1824., for Syringa L. in 1813 and 1941, for Iris × hybrida hort. in 1812 and 1986, for Hemerocallis × hybrida hort. In 1812 and 1995, for Clematis L. in 1817 and 1953, for Tulipa L. in 1812 and 1960, for Canna × hybrida hort. In 1812 and 1948, for Chrysanthemum × morifolium Ramat. in 1812 and 1939. Each collection currently includes cultivars of both foreign and domestic selection, including those created in the NBG. The total amount of the collections is 2406 species, cultivars and forms. The collections of roses, clematises, cannas and chrysanthemums are the largest in the Russian Federation. The Rosa collection includes 35 garden groups from 36 existing ones, Syringa – 6 from 7 groups of flower coloring, Iris – all 6 existing garden groups, Clematis – 14 garden groups, Tulipa – 14 garden classes from 15, Canna – both existing garden groups, Chrysanthemum – all 11 classes of this crop. Thus, the formed collections quite fully reflect the created varietal diversity of each of these crops and provide a full material for further breeding and identification of adapted assortment for landscaping in the South of Russia.