A brief history of the All Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding for 170 years is presented. The Institute has passed the way from an arboretum to a unique pomology and breeding scientifi c institution on fruit crops. Nowadays, the Institute is the only specialized breeding institution on fruit crops in Russia and round the world. Its tasks are to embrace a comprehensive development of priority directions of researches connected with horticulture development including breeding and variety rearing of fruit and berry crops, progressive forms of market horticulture organization; production of planting material of fruit and berry crops, etc. 177 cultivars have been developed at the Institute, 123 of them have been included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements Admitted for Use. Breeding investigations are being carried out on 13 crops mostly on apples, pears, currants, cherries, etc. The realization of the contemporary breeding programs is fulfilled in a close contact of breeders with the specialists of other laboratories: biochemistry, technological estimation of fruit and storage, molecular genetics, cytology, biotechnology and physiology of fruit plant resistance. The Institute staff is characterized by a high qualifi cation, continuity of generations, and vision of the industry development prospects.

Horticulture intensification stipulates increasing of stand density, use of cultivars with compact and low-sized trees. This paper pays attention to the development of apple cultivars with natural dwarf habit of trees and small compact crown as well as columnar cultivars as a new biological form. Data generalization for many years has shown that the greatest number of dwarf apple seedlings have been obtained in the following hybrid families from multiple repeated crossings such as [(Pepin Shafranny x Pomonkitaika) x Skryzhapel] - 8,5 %, [Pepin Shafranny x (Wealthy x Antonovka Obyknovennaya)] - 5,1 % as well as from crossings in families: Skryzhapel x McIntosh - 7,7 %, Antonovka Obyknovennaya x King - 2,7 %, McIntosh x Kitaika-mat’ - 2,4 %. A great number of seedlings with a volume compact crown have been obtained among the seedlings genetically associated with McIntosh. The greatest output of compact seedlings with a volume crown has been obtained in the families where one of the parents is seedling 11-16164 (McIntosh - open pollination), 31,7 - 52,7 %. It has been determined that compact seedlings are usually less vigorous. The selected dwarf compact seedlings are of interest as valuable sources for the further breeding. The introduction of columnar apple cultivars as a new biological apple form at most allows intensifying fruit production. Columnar apple breeding has been carried out at our Institute since 1981. Eight columnar cultivars have been developed. Brief descriptions of four cultivars (Priokskoye, Vostorg, Poezia and Sozvezdie) are given in the paper. The selected donor of high compactness (34-34-98 seedling) gives a chance to expect a possible increase of compactness degree (a relation of internode length to shoot thickness) in new cultivars.

The results of the long-term investigations in the field of breeding and variety investigation of small fruits the All Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding are given. The created variety collections of small fruits were allowed singling out the most adaptive varieties and sources for cultivation in the local conditions and for further breeding. The breeding work has being carried out according to long-term programs. The basic methods of the research are interspecific and intervarietal crossings. The use of donors of resistance to powdery mildew, rust and bud mite in the hybridization has allowed accelerating the development of black currant varieties with a complex resistance to diseases and bud mite. A method of selection of black currant varieties resistant to powdery mildew, rust and bud mite has been developed and certificated. A genetically new initial gooseberry material resistant to powdery mildew and leaf spots have been obtained when using Grossularia robusta. The researches show the prospects of PCR methods in black currant breeding for resistance to bud mite and estimations of genetic diversity of the small fruits gene pool. About 30 black currants, 19 red currants and 6 gooseberries have been selected at the All Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding as a result of the long-term breeding that signifi cantly influenced upon the up-to-date assortment of small fruits in RF. A unique variety and hybrid gene pool of small fruits has been created in the institute as a pledge of success for further breeding work.

In 2015 the All Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding celebrates its 170 anniversary. This article summarizes the work of the laboratory of physiology of resistance of fruit crops in the last 44 years. The research results of cherry seedlings selection for winter hardiness by negative temperature influence upon germinating seeds and flower buds after thaw are presented. The results of the long-term investigations of the basic components of fruit and small fruits winter hardiness by artifi cial freezing method are discussed. The genotypes of fruit and small fruits having all components of winter hardiness have been singled out. The prospects of study of physiological and biochemical processes and mechanisms which occur in plants during the adaptation to a stress have been analyzed. It gives an opportunity to develop new highly adaptive varieties of fruit and small fruits crops.

The results of biochemical study of fruit of 10 fruit and small fruit crops (apple, pear, sour cherry, sweet cherry, plum, strawberry, black currant, red currant, gooseberry and sea buckthorn) are presented for the period 1995-2014. 956 variety samples were investigated for the whole period. The contents of soluble solids, sugars, organic acids and phenolics were estimated. It is noted that fruit and small fruit crops cultivated in conditions of the Central Chernozem Region vary in the content of different biochemical components in fruit. The varietal differences of biochemical characters were determined for each crop and the best genotypes were singled out for their further use in breeding and introduction into orchard industry. The highest content of the ascorbic acid was found in the following varieties and hybrid forms: apples - Veteran, Ivanovskoye, Vita and 91 elite and selected seedlings; cherries - ELS 32512; plums - Bolhovchanka, Evrasia-21, Okskaya, ELS 12614 and OS 18896; strawberries - Vechnaya Vesna, Divnaya, Kalinka, Lirovidnaya, Pandora and Sudarushka; black currants - Ametist, Desertnaya Ogoltsovoyoy, Orlovskaya Serenada, Perun, Pegas, Tatianin Den and 14 elite and selected seedlings; red currants - Asya, Marmeladnitsa, Niva, Ustina and 16 elite and selected seedlings; gooseberries - ELS 17-8-8; seabuckthorn - Desert Maslichny, Dubovchanka, Zolotaya Kosa, Zolotoy Kluchik, Karamelka, Moriachka, Ranniy Stolovy and Surpriz Baltiki. On the basis of analysis of hybrid progeny of apples, black currants and red currants it has been concluded that there is an opportunity to obtain genotypes with the necessary level of expression of biochemical characters on the basis of parental form selection as well as to combine several characters of biochemical composition with large fruit size in one genotype.

As a result of the long-term study of apple winter hardiness the varieties Veteran, Bolotovskoye, Imrus, Candil Orlovsky, Kulikovskoye, Pamyat Voinu, Orlik, Orlinka, Orlovskoye Polosatoye, Prishvinskoye, Olimpiyskoye, Pamyat Isaeva, Sinap Orlovsky, Rozhdestvenskoye and Svezhest breeding in the All-Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding have been recognized as apple varieties having resistance to unfavorable winter conditions on the level of Antonovka Obyknovennaya and that is sufficient for the Middle zone of fruit-growing in Russia. By means of modeling injuring factors in autumn and winter the resistance potential of buds and tissues was determined according to the components of winter hardiness. The use of physiological and biochemical methods allowed to determine the variations of gaining the resistant state in autumn and winter for apple varieties with different winter hardiness. Under air temperature lowing in autumn and winter and under cryostress force the increase of the quantity of bound water in shoot cells, saccharose, anthocyans, cyanidins, proline and ascorbic acid playing the protective role in resistance to unfavorable winter conditions were observed in winter hardy varieties (Antonovka Obyknovennaya, Imrus, Orlovim, Svezhest, Rozhdestvenskoye, etc.) in contrast to those varieties which were not winter hardy (Priam). A low level of peroxidase activity and higher activity of polyphenoloxidase were determined in winter hardy varieties during autumn and winter that may be considered as one of the plant functions of adaptativity favoring the resistance to unfavorable winter conditions. It is concluded that the indices of bound water relative to unbound water, ferment activity, dynamics of saccharose, proline, ascorbic acid anthocyans and cyanidins contents in shoot tissues as well as their response to cryostresses may be the diagnostic showing of resistance of apple varieties to unfavorable conditions.

The arboretum of the All-Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding is a unique collection of the woody plants. It performs scientific, educational, environmental and aesthetic functions. There are more than 250 species, forms and varieties, representing 31 families and 56 genera. Some species growing in the arboretum are listed as endangered of different levels. They are Armeniaca manshurica (Maxim.) Skvortz., Betula Raddeana Trautv., Quercus mongolica Fisch.et Turcz., Staphylea pinnata L., Corylus colurna L., Taxus baccata L. and others. The studies confi rmed that Quercus rubra L., Corylus colurna L., Acer pseudoplatanus L., Larix sibirica Ldb., Abies sibirica Ledeb., Pseudotsuga Menziesii (Mirb.) Franco, Ptelea trifoliata L., Pinus sibirica Du Tour., Cotoneaster lucidus Schlecht., Syringa velutina Kom. and Spiraea betulifolia Pall. are decorative almost during the whole year, resistant to pests and diseases. These species may be recommended for phytotechnology for improving the environment by means of plants and promising for further study in order to use them in green building in central Russia.