During the years of agrarian transformation, the area of fruit and small fruit plantings in agricultural organizations has declined sharply due to low investment attractiveness and high labor intensity of the branch. Economic efficiency of horticulture varies by year and tends to growth. However, the achieved level of profitability does not allow the expanded reproduction in the branch. Lower than in the western countries competitiveness of domestic horticultural products and increase the share of imported fruit products in the domestic market, is not a sufficient level of state support for the orchards and care of young plantations, the monopoly of processing industry enterprises, the disparity of prices in commodity exchange between horticulture and other sectors of the economy, high rates of inflation inhibit the growth of economical efficiency of fruit production. Priority directions of development of horticulture involve extensive use of domestic production technology of fruit production, adapted to local climatic conditions, planting of gardens of intensive type, the reconstruction of perennial plants on the basis of scientific turnover garden, development of agro-industrial integration and other scientific developments of Russian scientists in the field of breeding of fruit and small fruits crops, mechanization of production processes, storage, processing and commodity processing production, growing of planting material, adapted to local climatic conditions. It is necessary to increase funding for horticulture with the aim of increasing its investment attractiveness. For level of state support up to 50 %, stubbing of gardens - up to 80 % of the costs, differentiation the level of state support depending on the density of plantings are needed to stimulate laying of plantings.

The need of increase in level of food self-reliance is noted. The necessary volumes of production, the area of plantings and the required volumes of production of landing material for achievement of target indicators of development are determined. The importance of branches for development of economy of regional subjects is shown. The conclusions of the formed tendencies reducing the production effi ciency are made. The priority directions of research, actual scientifi c and practical tasks and methodical ap-proaches to their decision are defi ned.

The priority directions of apple breeding at the All Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding are identified in the article: creating the immune to scab and columnar varieties. Particular attention is paid to breeding at the polyploidal level. For the first time in the world the long-term breeding work has allowed developing 18 triploid apple varieties from intervalent crossings (2x x 4x), eleven of which have been zoned. Triploid varieties with immunity to scab are of great practical value. These varieties are:‘Aleksandr Boiko’, ‘Vavilovskoye’, ‘Zhilinskoye’, ‘Maslovskoye’, ‘Prazdnichnoye’, ‘Spasskoye’ and ‘Yablochny Spas’. Besides, 5 triploid zoned apple varieties have been developed from the crossing of diploid varieties (2x x 2x). The varieties ‘Sinap Orlovskiy’ and ‘Rozhdestvenskoye’ are of special interest. ‘Sinap Orlovskiy’ is cultivated in a great number of orchards in Russia and Belarus and ‘Rozhdestvenskoye’ is propagated both in complex and amateur orchards. The favourable characteristics of triploid apple varieties are more regular fruit-bearing, high marketable and consumer’s qualities of fruit and higher autogamy. Agronomical and biological characteristics of three triploid apple varieties accepted for state testing and one variety ‘Ministr Kisiliov’ included in the State Register in 2017 are given in the article. The variety ‘Ministr Kisiliov’ bears fruit of 170 g weight and the fruit appearance and taste are estimated by 4,4 points. Fruit can be stored in the refrigerator conditions till mid March. For state testing the following apple varieties have been accepted in 2017: ‘Mars’ that is characterized by high yields, beautiful fruit of 180 g weight and the estimation of fruit appearance 4,5 point and taste 4,4 point, storage life till mid March; ‘Academic Saveliev’ that is characterized by early fruiting, scab resistance, fruit marketability (160 g), attractive fruit appearance and good taste (4,4 point); ‘Trener Petrov’ is characterized by high yields, marketable fruit (170 g), fruit appearance - 4,4 point and taste - 4,3 point.

The morphological, biological and economic characteristics of the new apple variety Kamskaya are presented in the article.

The paper offers the results of tangerine varieties studying in the Republic of Abkhazia. Research was conducted in 2012-2015 in the territory of experimental sites of Research Institute of Agricul-ture (Abkhazian Academy of Science). Objects of research were 31 accessions of tangerine from the collection of citrus plants. The clones Apsny (25. 09), and Olympiyskiy 2014 (26. 04), the varieties Sentjabr’skiy (29.09), Slava Vavilova (02.10), Sukhumskiy sverhranniy (3. 10) are characterized by the earliest maturing of fruits; Citrus unshiu (typical form) (19. 11) and the variety Iveriya (2. 11) are characterized by the latest maturing of fruits. The longest period of fruits maturing is noted for Citrus unshiu (25 days) and the shortest period of fruits maturing is noted at the varieties Sukhumskiy sverhranniy (13 days) and Slava Vavilova (15 days). A conveyor of tangerine varieties of 14 forms including such as Citrus unshiu, Sochinskiy-23, Iveriya, Chernomorskiy, Kokhorskiy,Jubileyny, Abkhazskiy ranniy, Miyagawa Wase, Kowano-Wase, Sukhumskiy sverhranniy, Slava Vavilova, Sentjabr’skiy, as well as the clones Olympiyskiy 2014, and Apsny is offered. The varieties included in the conveyor are distributed on 4 groups: varieties with the latest maturing term, with medium maturing term, early varieties and new forms of extra-early maturing term. The listed varieties are characterized by medium and large fruits sizes, high productivity and allow to obtain fresh fruits from the third ten-day event of September till the middle of December. Data on biochemical composition of fruits are provided: solid basis, acidum ascorbinicum, titrable acids, sugars and glucoacetometric coeffi cient. The varieties Kowano-Wase, Sukhumskiy sverhranniy, Jubileyny and clones Olympiyskiy 2014 and Apsny were revealed according to the totality of quantitative and biochemical characteristics of fruits.

As a result of many years of breeding and variety study in All Russian Horticultural Institute of Breed-ing, Agrotechnology and Nursery new varieties of cherry (Assol, Silva, Chereshnevaya), sweet cherries (Sinyavskaya) and plums (Yakhontovaya, Zanyatnaya and Aleksiy) were obtained. In the article it is given economic and biological characterization of still insuffi ciently widespread varieties, the introduction of which will signifi cantly improve the existing assortment of stone fruit crops and prolong the consumption of fruits of domestic varieties. The cherry variety Chereshnevaya has a very early ripening, large fruits of good quality, resistance to coccomicosis. The variety Assol among the Moscow varieties is distinguished by high taste and commercial qualities, fruit resistance to Clasterosporium carpophilum and anthracnose. The variety Silva has an attractive appearance, dark burgundy fruits with a high content of vitamin C and antioxidant substances, high winter hardiness of fl owering buds and polygenic stable resistance to coccom-icosis. The cherry variety Sinyavskaya of medium-early maturity is distinguished by large, dark red fruits of excellent sour-sweet taste, with a small stone. The plum variety Yakhontovaya combines large-fruited, good taste and high yields. The variety Zanyatnaya is characterized by high early fruiting, productivity and good fruit quality. The variety Alexiy is undersized and is characterized by late ripening, high winter hardiness, regular and abundant fruiting. Based on the results of many years of study, these varieties exceed those that are regionalized by major economic and biological characteristics. They are included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements, approved for use from 2008 to 2013.

A new medicinal and vegetable plant of phytolacca (Phytolacca americana L., syn. Phytolacca decandra) is introduced in many regions of Russia. It is known that the content of biologically active substances can be changed when introducing into the culture under new growing conditions. For this reason, our goal was to study the content of the main groups of polyphenols in the organs of the plant phytolacca, such as leaves, stem, fruits. We found four groups of phenolic compounds: simple phenolic compounds and oxybenzoic acids, oxycinnamic acids and their esters, fl avonoids and condensed and polymeric polyphenols in phyto-laca leaves and stems. We haven’t found a fraction of oxycinnamic acids and fl avonoids in the extracts of mature and green fruits. The obtained data indicate that phytolacca as a promising source of polyphenols and betacyanins with antioxidant properties can be used for obtaining phytopreparations.

Results of long-term researches on cultivation of cherry in intensive planting are submitted. The goal of work was to identify the optimal efficiency and durability of scion-rootstock combinations of cherries on the basis of monitoring of productivity during the 18-year period of plantations exploitation. The efficiency of trees of 12 scion-rootstock combinations at cultivation according to the planting scheme 5×2,5 m (800 trees/ha) in conditions of the Leninsky district of the Moscow region was studied. The dependence of the cherry yield on weather conditions, the scion-rootstock combination and the exploitation period was established. Safety of trees of the majority of combinations was up to standard of 85-100 % till 12-th year of cultivation. Stable annual fructifi cation was typical of late-ripening varieties Apuchtinskaya and Rusinka. Varieties Volochaevka and Molodeznaya were without crops in 2006 after a severe winter and significantly were reduced the productivity in the years with spring frosts (2004 and 2008). The maximum level of productivity (higher than 10 t/ha) during full fructifi cation (6-11 year of exploitation of a garden) is marked at variety Apuchtinskaya on all rootstocks. This variety was also the most short-lived. By 2016, about 60 % of the tree varieties Apuchtinskaya fell, and the preserved efficiency was decreased in 2 times in comparison with 2009. Reduction of safetyand effi ciency on 16-18 years was typical for the varieties Rusinka and Molodeznaya on rootstocks Moskovia and AVCh-2. The most durable and productive combinations were revealed: Volochaevka on Moskovia and AVCh-2, Molodeznaya on Moskovia, Molodeznaya and Rusinka on Izmaylovskiy with productivity more than 3 t/ha for 18-th year of exploitation of garden.