Z.K. Klimenko’s research while affiliated with National Academy of Sciences and other places

Representatives of the genus Pelargonium L'Нer belong to one of the most common flower crops. Today, thousands of highly ornamental pelargonium species (zonal, large-flowered, ivy-leaved, fragrant, unique, and angels) are used in landscaping cities around the world. Therefore, the need for accelerated reproduction of valuable plants most adapted to local conditions increases. The implementation of the planned landscaping programs at the present stage can be successfully implemented if they are based on the results of scientific research. The solution of these issues will open up wide opportunities for the use of pelargonium in landscape gardening of the Nikitsky Gardens and the Crimea as a whole.

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.

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.

The article presents the results of a long-term research on the introduction study and evaluation of cultivars of tea-hybrid roses introduced and selected by the Nikitsky Botanical Gardens to determine the possibilities of their use in floriculture of the Southern Coast of the Crimea. The research was conducted in the period from 1955 to 2014. The material for the study was 679 cultivars of garden roses from the tea-hybrid garden group of the collection of the Nikitsky Botanical Gardens. As a result of a comprehensive study, 400 cultivars are recommended for use in the floriculture of the Crimea. The main options for this use becomes the growing of tea-hybrid roses in the open ground for gardening purposes in bush and tree-shaped forms, as well as the growing cultivars for cutting in both open and protected ground. The biological features of the cultivars, which determine the possibility of different types of the use and the cultivars, that have these features were identified: 400 cultivars were recommended for use in landscaping in bush form, 45 cultivars - also in tree-shaped form, 226 cultivars are promising for cutting in the open ground and 107 cultivars - for forcing and cutting in greenhouses. The main methods of propagation of cultivars of tea-hybrid roses under the conditions of the Southern Coast of the Crimea are budding and rooting of green and hardwood cuttings. The optimal timing for propagation by each of these methods is indicated. The best rootstocks for budding were identified, depending on the type of their use in floriculture.