The history of systematic purposeful apple breeding at the Orel Fruit and Berry Experimental Station (now the Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding) is briefl y described. At the fi rst stage of the work North-American and folk breeding varieties were widely used in hybridization. At present, the main objectives in apple breeding are: 1) the creation of triploid varieties; 2) the development of scab immune varieties (V_f ); 3) the creation of columnar varieties. Over 50 apple varieties have already been created and included in the State register of breeding achievements admitted for use, including 11 summer varieties, 5 autumn varieties and 30 winter varieties. Brief economical and biological characteristics of 30 zoned winter varieties and 10 winter varieties passing the state testing are given. Apple winter varieties with fruits that can be keeping in storage until the end of February and even until the end of May are of particular value. Such varieties were described previously: Aleksandr Boiko, Blagodat, Vavilovskoye and Ministr Kisilev. In this article the varieties Veniaminovskoye, Veteran, Den Pobedy, Ivanovskoye, Kulikovskoye, Svezhest, Sinap Orlovsky and Stroevskoye are described in more details. Scab immune variety Veniaminovskoye bears beautiful fruit with high taste qualities and these fruit are capable to be stored till the end of February. Fruit of the Veteran variety have got high taste estimation and are capable to to be stored till middle March without losing their commodity qualities. Triploidy variety Den Pobedy is characterized by high commodity and consumer qualities of fruit that are capable to be stored till March. Scab immune variety Svezhest is characterized by the longest keeping quality of fruit. The fruit of this variety are stored till late May and longer. The fruit of well-known variety Sinap Orlovsky are capable to be stored till May having high taste qualities. The introduction of apple varieties with a long-term keeping quality of fruit will contribute to providing the population with fresh fruit almost all year round.

The aim of the study was a comparative study of the biochemical composition of the apple fruits of domestic varieties and hybrids, suitable for organic farming, not inferior to the best in the world in terms of content of biologically active compounds. The biochemical composition of 13 apple varieties of diff erent geographical origin was studied by representative methods. It is proved that the antioxidant activity of apples grown in the Moscow region is 3-5 % higher than the antioxidant activity of imported varieties. The relationship between the antioxidant activity of the aqueous extract obtained from fresh fruits, titratable acidity (r = 0.58549) and ascorbic acid content (r = 0.468335) was established. The varieties Golden delicious, Granny Smith and Royal Gala are not superior to the content of the most important biologically active substances the new varieties and hybrids of All-Russian Horticultural Institute for Breeding, Agrotechnology and Nursery. Gallic acid was most found in apples hybrid 1 (0.075 mg/g) and varieties Antonovka Obyknovennaya, Chinese Kerr, Mayak Zagorya, Podarok Grafskomy, Marat Busurin, Lobo and Royal Gala (average 0.063 mg/g). In apple varieties Granny Smith and Golden delicious, the content of gallic acid was 1.3-2 times less compared to a hybrid 1. The content of chlorogenic acid in fruits was on average 25-45 % more than the gallic. The order of accumulation of elements in fruits and their total content was established. Diff erences in the composition of carbohydrates in the studied fruits were revealed.

The article presents the results of studies of the expressiveness of genetic systems for the adaptation of grape varieties of various ecological-geographical origin to low temperatures in a state of organic rest and high temperatures in the summer period on the example of proteins with peroxidase activity. Specifi c proteins of cold and heat stress were identifi ed. A large peroxidase activity was established in the grapevine grape varieties Kristall, Dostoyny and Krasnostop AZOS, which characterizes their increased resistance to oxidative stress during the winter period. Using the method of artifi cial freezing on the basis of histochemical studies, it was confi rmed that the varieties Kristall, Dostoyny, Krasnostop AZOS are highly frost-resistant (the starch content in the small-cell core zone is 5.0 points), the Vostorg variety is frostresistant (4.6 points), the Aligote and Zarif varieties are medium-frost resistant (4.4 points and 4.3, respectively). The amount and molecular weight of high temperature stress proteins was determined. It was established that the varieties Dostoyny, Krasnostop AZOS and Vostorg are more resistant to high-temperature and water stress, which is caused by a higher content of heat shock proteins with a molecular weight of 80, 70 and 60 kDa. Under the infl uence of water stress in the model experiment on the leaves of grape varieties, a decrease in the protein content was revealed: with a molecular weight (MW) of 100, 80 and 70 kDa at the Dostoyny variety, with MW 100, 80, 70 kDa at the Krasnostop AZOS variety, with MW 110, 100, 80 kDa at the Vostorg variety, with MW 100 and 80 kDa at the Aligote variety. In the Zarif variety, the content of high-molecular proteins (250, 130, 110 kDa) signifi cantly decreased.

In 2012-2016 the research was carried out in order to study the infl uence of fertigation and foliar feeding by liquid organo-mineral and mineral fertilizers in chelated form on productivity of strawberry agrocenosis in unstable weather conditions. On average, it was revealed that over fi ve years of research the increase in biological yield on the variety Elsanta was 26.1 %, 27.1 % and 33.4 % in cases with foliar feedings by Raykat, Aminocat, Megafol. For Vima Xima strawberry variety, the yield increase was 16.9-29.0 %, however signifi cantly higher yield increase was revealed after Aminocat applying — 29 %. The use of liquid organomineral fertilizers containing nutritional element in chelated form in Elsanta variety plantations, on average over 3 years, was showed a signifi cant yield increase (12.5 %), in the variant with Kelik Calcium + Boron application and for Vima Xima strawberry variety in the the variants supplemented by Floron (19.25 %) and by Atlante Plus (11 %). High biological effi ciency was observed during the formation of productivity on organic and mineral fertilizers Raykat, Megafol, Aminocat, Megafol.

The article presents the key parameters of modern systems of technological processes design, control and management of plant life parameters and robotic machines for the implementation of environmentally friendly technologies in the “Smart garden” system. The software and hardware, ensuring the formation and management of machine technologies of the perennial garden plantings maintenance that allow for economically managed, environmentally safe and sustainable production, taking into account the interests of producers in specific production conditions were analyzed. The article describes the possibility of using unmanned aerial vehicles and robotic machines in horticulture in the management of production processes, technical means of navigation, control over the implementation of technological operations, digital monitoring of crop yields, analysis of diseases and pests on plants. The classification of the means of remote information acquisition installed on the ground robotic means and aircraft was given. The priority tasks for increasing the efficiency of the “Smart Garden” system application, connected with the creation of a unified information network for the collection, storage and processing of data on the parameters of plant life, development of universal modules of technical vision and algorithms for pattern recognition of biological objects in horticulture and fundamentally new mechatronic robotic means for the implementation of technological processes in horticulture (harvesting manipulators, robotic weeders, platforms for monitoring plantations) were determined.

In Russia, about 25 kg of fruit per year is produced per capita, which is 75 % of the rational norm of nutrition. In the domestic agri-food market, more than 70 % are imported fruits. At the present stage, a negative trend in the development of horticulture is the reduction of areas under fruit and berry crops. For 2000-2017 their total area decreased by 250 thousand hectares, or by 32.1 %. A signifi cant increase in the yield of orchards and berry fi elds (88.9 percent) during the reduction of surface area did not ensure a high growth rates of fruit production. During the period under review, their gross collection increased by only 7.6 per cent. The growth of fruit and berry production has been achieved for the set of horticulture development in the households. Here the production of fruits increased to 58.4 %. In agricultural organizations, it decreased by 54.0%. To solve the problem of providing the population with fruits in terms of import substitution, it is necessary to increase the area of orchards by 378 thousand ha, or 73.1%, which will bring the gross harvest of fruit and berry products to 10320 thousand tons. Important areas of development of horticulture is the concentration of fruit production in specialized organizations and farms, the transfer of the sector to an innovative way of development, increasing the investment attractiveness of horticulture through the improvement of state support and the creation of integrated structures.

The history of the development of the magazine “Sadovodstvo i vinogradarstvo” (Horticulture and viticulture) for 180 years is presented. There were analyzed the magazine’s name changing, publication frequency, columns topics, volumes and pressruns, publishing activities. A bibliometric analysis of the main characteristics is presented. During 180 years the magazine’s name was changed 15 times. Founded in 1838 by the Russian Society of horticulture enthusiasts under the auspices of the Empress, he declared himself as a practical guidance for horticulture. First authors of the magazines were famous society members – the professors, famous orchardmans N. A. Krasnoglazov, F. K. Wagner, P. I. Schwartz, P. A. Novikov, P. A. Bolotov. In a soviet time, the magazine became offi cial publishing authority of Agricultural Ministry. There is no information about the circulations of magazine before the revolution. During soviet period numbers of copies published were growing from 1000 in 1924 to 391 thousands in 1981 and started to decline in 1982 (180 thousands) with minimal number in 2013 (190 copies). In 2014 the circulation of magazine was stabilized. During 180 years of its history, the magazine made 31467 publications including 5349 in the pre-soviet era and 26118 after 1917. In the perestroika period, the magazine survived hard times but managed to keep itself and its readership. The editors and the editorial board of the journal strive to maintain the relevance, modernity and attractiveness of the materials of the journal for scientists and practitioners of the agroindustrial complex.