The use of scientific approach in breeding and nursery farming in Russia is necessary to develop this sub-sector at the contemporary world level. The introduction of the best scientific practices will make it possible to carry out the import substitution process in obtaining a planting material free from harmful viruses. The solution of the set tasks is possible only by building the interaction of the real sector of the economy and scientists through the use of fundamental knowledge with the goal of producing the final high-quality product.

The article outlines the goals, objectives and directions for improving the legislation in the field of seed farming of agricultural plants. The main provisions of Federal laws and normative acts in this area were disclosed and analyzed. The issues of formation and maintenance of the State Register for introducing breeding achievements (varieties and hybrids) into circulation have been considered. There were described the categories of planting material of fruit, small fruit plants and grapes.

The article examines the issues of rendering of state support to the development of horticulture and nursery in the framework of the pilot State program. Comments are given on the use of the mechanism for providing state support in certain regions of the Russian Federation. The current and prospective state of horticulture and nursery was estimated with the use of state support.

The article provides information about existing and developed regulatory documents in the nursery management in Russia. The terms established by these standards are intended for use in all kinds of documentation and literature on the reproduction of fruit and small fruit crops that are part of the scope of work on standardization and (or) using the results of these works; and extend to planting stock (rootstocks, cuttings, seedlings) of fruit, small fruit, subtropical, nut, citrus cultures and tea intended for sale in the trade network and for industrial use. Application of the developed terminology and technical conditions will allow scientists and specialists to determine the demanded areas of scientific research in the dynamically developing sub-branch of horticulture – nursery and to obtain the results of intellectual activity corresponding to world-class developments.

Viruses are widespread in the world and cause significant damage to harvest of strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa), which is the leading berry crop. In the plantations of strawberry in the Moscow region, specialists of the All Russian Horticultural Institute for Breeding, Agrotechnology and Nursery carried out diagnostics and studied the distribution of the most harmful viruses. In the presence of systematic work on the creation of new strawberry varieties, in contemporary conditions it was substantiated the necessity of taking additional measures to increase the efficiency of breeding connected with the creation and study of gene-tic collections of valuable original forms on the basis of a healthy planting stock. It is expected that this practice will contribute to a more objective study of the potential of hybrids. In addition, the use as source parental forms of plants free from harmful viruses, will reduce the costs associated with testing for viruses of promising hybrids on condition to the prevention of skidding and the development of viruses in the collection and breeding plantations. The need for an integrated approach to the creation of collections of valuable original forms of strawberry free from harmful viruses and on their basis hybrid funds with regular phytosanitary measures for the protection of plants from the main diseases and pests, including vectors of viruses, is underlined. Such a strategy will allow to optimize the breeding process and will contribute to the creation of new, competitive varieties.

The problem to limit spreading of malicious viral diseases of raspberry and create high-resistant varieties is acute in the world. At present, more than 20 viral diseases have been revealed on raspberry 5 of which are the most widespread: ring spot of raspberry (RpRSV), rock-cress mosaic (ArMV), latent ring spot of raspberry (SLRSV), black ring spot of tomato (TBRV) and bushy nanism of raspberry (RBDV). The plants of raspberry infected with viruses reduce growth energy, multiplication coefficient, seed production, seed germination, fruit quality and yields. The use in the crosses of infected original parental forms leads to obtaining the obviously sick hybrids that does not allow to evaluating them objectively for their main economic characteristics and properties. To use in the breeding of hybrid fund raspberry sanitized from malicious viruses it is necessary to develop a program of creation of the highest quality gene pool in each breeding and nursery center and to observe it strictly. The main points of this program are the use in crossings only parents which are free from malicious viruses; regular retesting of the original forms; carrying out of hybridization in the conditions of the closed ground, excluding flight of insects and uncontrolled movement of the contaminated pollen or placement of healthy parental forms on separate plots with spatial isolation 1.5-2km; sanitation of valuable parental forms; immediate removing of highly susceptible genotypes from the sites. A reliable way to increase resistance to infection with malicious viruses is genetic stability. These tasks can be solved only with an integrated approach. For this purpose it is necessary to create contemporary breeding and nursery centers where joint researches of breeders, virologists and nursery workers will be conducted.

The All-Russian Horticultural Institute for Breeding, Agrotechnology and Nursery is the developer of a scientifically based system for nursery management in Russia. It is based on many years of fundamental and applied developments of leading scientists of the institution. Complex studies conducted by breeders, physiologists, biotechnologists, virologists laid the foundation for the production of planting material of the highest quality categories on the basis of patented scientific developments. The creation of a network of breeding and nursery centers in Russia will promote the advancement of fundamental scientific developments in production, the introduction of digital technologies and the transition to the cultivation of certified planting material for the laying of intensive industrial plantations.

The conceptual framework is created, strict functional definitions are given to a nursery of horticultural cultures as branches, it is defined what is nursery of horticultural cultures; gradation of categories of landing material of fruit crops are compared, the place and the role of certification in production of landing material of the highest categories of quality is emphasized.

Viruses are dangerous pathogens of fruit and small fruit crops. The prevalence of viral diseases in Russia varies from 32 to 80 % depending on the culture. The main ways to solve the problem of sanitation of horticultural crops from viruses in Russia are the creation of breeding and nursery centers and the introduction of a modern system of certification of planting material. An important task in breeding and nursery centers is to diagnose viruses. Diagnosis is carried out by testing on indicators, serological and molecular methods, electron microscopy. The methods of ELISA and PCR are now increasingly being used. Modern methods of virus diagnostics must meet the requirements of high sensitivity, specificity, reliability, suitability for mass testing of samples. Diagnostic methods need to be adapted to the biological characteristics of specific cultures and types of viruses. For successful testing, the optimal timing and type of samples, the distribution of viruses in the plant, the composition of the extractive buffer, preventing the destruction of viruses, are of great importance. The optimal period of diagnosis of viruses on fruit and small fruit crops by ELISA in open ground in Central Russia is the period from the second half of May to the end of June. The advantage of PCR is the possibility of effective diagnosis of the virus in the tissues in the rest of the plants. Improvement of the PCR method should be carried out in the direction of increasing its productivity, reducing the stages, simplifying and improving the efficiency of procedures for the release of nucleic acids from plant material. Currently, ARHIBAN is working on the sanitation and identification of plants free from malicious viruses: for 2011-2017 16 thousand analysis were made and 3 thousand of virus-free plants were selected. Diagnosis of viruses of fruit and small fruit crops is one of the most important stages in the breeding and nursery centers.

The main stages of creating a certification system for fruit and small fruit crops in Italy are examined. It is enumerated adopted laws and directives in this area in accordance with the requirements of the European Union. A description of the organization of certification of horticultural crops in Italy is given. The role of the inter-professional nursery center − CIVI-ITALIA is highlighted. The results of the activity of the Nursery Center − Centro Attività Vivaistiche are presented.

The article presents the results of studies on genotypic and phenotypic verification of in vivo and in vitro highbush blueberry collections of Central Botanical Garden of the NAS of Belarus. Seven-years of phenorhythm monitoring and morphometric analysis of highbush blueberry varieties Bluecrop, Patriot, Duke, Earliblue, Bluetta, Northland, Spartan, Nui that had been introduced in Belarus has revealed significant interseasonal differences. Morphological feature identification of blueberry varieties was complemented with DNA profiling by SSR fingerprinting. A set of five pairs of primers capable of identifying the set of alleles that can identify the varieties was selected based on a minimal microsatellite panel. Allele sets of SSR loci from both in vivo and in vitro collections matched the allele spectra from Corvallis Vaccinium Database and Genetic Resources Information Network (US Department of Agriculture), which allowed to determine the cultivar identity of the plants.

This paper describes the results of multi-year research on the development of technology for obtaining, propagation and maintenance of fruit, nut, and small fruit crops free of viruses and virus-like diseases with the purpose of transition of horticultural sector of the Republic of Moldova to the international certification norms. The Institute’s Laboratory of Virology has created acollection of virus-free clones, which includes over 350 varieties and rootstocks. Process regulation has been elaborated to be used as guidance for economic agents and controlling agencies. The main provisions of this document were brought into compliance with the legislative acts of the EU unified system of certification and published in 2013 in the national official edition “Monitorul Official” № 136139 under the number 415.

The article contains an analytical review of information and analytical tools and instrumentation for horticulture. The issues of control and management of plant vital functions in the implementation of environmentally safe technologies in nursery are considered. Peculiarities of agrotechnology management system with software and hardware base for industrial fruit nurseries are given. The normative and technical database is considered: “Machines for modern technologies of industrial gardening in Russia” and “Computer program for the rational selection of machinery and construction of machine technologies in horticulture”, providing the functional formation and management of machine technologies, allowing to scale, summarize and systematize current production data, the structure and implementation of technical means for horticulture. A block diagram of the system of intellectual control of industrial technologies in horticulture is offered. The effectiveness of the system consists of saving money associated with the transition from traditional methods of managing technology to automated, through the use of software systems, the use of a set of instruments to monitor factors of environmental change and assess the state of plants, eliminate the “human factor” and optimize plant nutrition regimes. The current state of technical support for the horticulture sector is analyzed. It is noted that existing domestic machines do not provide competitive production of horticultural products. In the Federal Scientific Agricultural Engineering Center VIM, a new generation of technology is being developed, taking into account the best domestic and foreign experience. With the participation of specialists from the Rosinformagrotech of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia, scientists from VIM and ARHIBAN, three prototype models of machines were tested: a garden mower with a remote section, a mower-shredder and a device for introducing herbicides into the trenches. As a result, it was revealed that technical means in comparison with traditional machine technologies and used machines provide productivity growth of up to 30%, a reduction in fuel consumption and labor-intensive maintenance, better working conditions and quality of work performed.