The practice of using collection material in the breeding of forage crops has long been relevant and one of the most effective methods for identifying genetic sources of economically valuable traits for breeding new highly productive varieties adapted to local environmental conditions. The purpose of the current study was to create and identify a new promising initial material for breeding crested wheatgrass for productivity in the North Caucasus region. Productivity improvement is the main concern of plant breeding, which all other specific directions are subordinate to. The study was carried out in 2017–2020. The objects of the study were 31 varieties of various ecological and geographical origin taken from the world collection of the All-Russian Research Institute of Plant Production named after N.I. Vavilov and 13 varieties developed by the Stavropol Research Institute of Agriculture, including the variety ‘Vikrav’, approved for use in the North Caucasus region as a hay and pasture grain crop in 1994. The trial was laid in fallow, in a single repetition, the accounting plot area was 1.75 m2 . According to the green and hay mass productivity, there have been identified 7 samples, they are ‘K-50974’ (from the Ukrainian village of Petrovsky), three wild-growing samples ‘K-52357’ (from Ukraine), ‘K-51330’ (from the Chelyabinsk region) and ‘K-52441’ (from Kazakhstan) and three samples ‘2/2–18’, ‘4/2–18’, ‘6/2–18’ (developed by the SNIISKh). According to seed productivity there have been distinguished 9 samples ‘K-50974’ (from the Ukrainian village of Petrovsky), four wild-growing samples ‘K-52357’, ‘K-51330’, ‘K-52441’, ‘K-51104’ and three samples ‘2/2–18’, ‘4/2–18’, ‘6/2–18’ (developed by the SNIISKh). According to the complex of the above described traits there have been identified 5 samples.

Rice is a very moisture-loving crop, therefore it suffers greatly from drought. However, in the world in recent years, there is an increasing shortage of fresh water, which makes the use of upland rice relevant. Therefore, rice varieties with a reduced demand for water supply, developed as a result of breeding work, are more profitable for agricultural producers than agrotechnical or reclamation measures. It is much cheaper to produce such rice with periodic irrigation. The purpose of the current study was to analyze genetically the main quantitative traits of the rice hybrid ‘Kontro x Kuboyar’ with the selection of the best forms for subsequent breeding for drought resistance. The study was carried out in 2019–2020 on the rice plots of the special subdivision ‘Proletarskoye’ belonging to of the Agricultural Research Center “Donskoy” in the Rostov Region. In the course of the study there has been made a genetic analysis of a number of quantitative traits that determine rice productivity. The character of traits’ inheritance in the second and third generations was identical. The inheritance of the trait ‘panicle length’ was characterized by partial negative dominance and monogenic differences in parental varieties. The trait ‘number of spikelets per panicle’ was inherited according to the type of negative dominance of smaller values of the trait and was determined by the interaction of two pairs of genes. The trait ‘1000-kernel weight’ was identified by the partial dominance of large values of the trait and monogenic differences in the parental varieties. The traits ‘kernel length’ and ‘kernel width’ were split according to the monohybrid scheme 1:2:1, and there was no dominance. From the third generation, the best early-maturing forms with optimal values of the traits ‘plant height’, ‘panicle length’, ‘1000-kernel weight’ and ‘the best kernel percentage per panicle’ were selected for the subsequent breeding of drought-resistant rice varieties.

There have been presented the results of a comparative estimation of recombinants developed on the basis of two commercial varieties (‘Sibirskaya 17’ and ‘Novosibirskaya 31’) hybridized with ‘Thatcher Lr19’ and ‘Thatcher Lr24’. Recombinants were evaluated in the field conditions in 2016, 2017 and 2020. The purpose of the current study was to identify the effect of translocations from Thinopyrum elongatum on the manifestation of productivity elements in recombinants of spring bread wheat developed on the basis of two commercial varieties. The analysis of the genetic composition of the Puccinia triticina populations in Western and Eastern Siberia did not identify genes which were virulent to resistance genes Lr19, Lr24, Lr28, Lr41, Lr47, Lr45 LrSp, Lr6Agi 1 and Lr6Agi 2. The recombinants developed on the basis of the variety ‘Sibirskaya 17’ (the variety productivity was 398.3 g/m² , grain weight per head was 1.35 g, 1000-grain weight was 37.8 g) were characterized by the severity of the main agronomically valuable traits at the level of the recipient variety, or significantly lower (productivity was 271.5–327.8 g/m² , grain weight per head was 1.03–1.16 g, 1000-grain weight was 32.5–36.4 g). The recombinants carrying translocations (the length of the period ‘sprouts-heading’ was 44.4 and 44.5 days, grain weight per head was 1.20 and 1.24 g) developed on the basis of the variety ‘Novosibirskaya 31’ (with 42.4 days, 1.02 g) have demonstrated a significant increase in the length of the period ‘sprouts-heading’ and grain weight per head in comparison with the recombinants without translocations (41.6 and 43.6 days, 0.99 and 1.10 g). On average over 3 years, 12 recombinants hybridized from the combination ‘Novosibirskaya 31 x Thatcher Lr19’ produced higher yields (355.6–427.5 g/m²) than those of the recipient variety (301.5 g/m²), both with (6 pcs.), and without (6 pcs.) a translocation.

In the breeding process of agricultural crops, including sorghum, the use of multivariate statistics methods makes it possible to determine the correlation between morphometric traits, yield elements and biochemical parameters of grain in the model population, as well as to identify the load of hypothetical factors. The purpose of the current study was to identify the correlations between morphometric traits, yield elements and biochemical parameters of grain, which characterize the load of hypothetical factors in the model grain sorghum population. For practical breeding process, there have been analyzed 13 economically valuable traits in 27 grain sorghum varieties, developed by the FSBSI Russian Research and Project-technological Institute of sorghum and maize “Rossorgo”. There has been established a different variation degree of the traits of grain sorghum; a strong variation degree was established for such traits as ‘flag leaf area’, ‘the largest leaf area’, ‘panicle stem’, ‘productive tilling capacity’, ‘weight and number of grains per panicle’ (27.3–35.2%); a weak variation degree was established for such traits as ‘protein percentage’ and ‘starch content’ in grain (2.8–8.6%). The group with an average degree of variation includes the traits ‘plant height’ after 30 days of growing and at ripening period, ‘panicle length’, ‘1000-grain weight’, and ‘grain yield’ (10.1–15.6%). When analyzing the matrix of correlation coefficients, there were calculated the hypothetical factors with a contribution of more than 5% to the accumulated variance. There has been built a correlation pleiad, which made it possible to demonstrate mean (r = 0.51–0.68) and strong (r = 0.76–0.94) correlations. There have been considered six hypothetical factors reflecting the total contribution to the accumulated variance, Z-1 – 40.86%, Z-2 – 13.76%, Z-3 – 11.85%, Z-4 – 8.74%, Z- 5 – 6.69%, Z-6 – 5.99%. The first hypothetical factor is determined by such traits as ‘the largest leaf area’ and ‘flag leaf area’ (0.78–0.80), ‘weight and number of grains per panicle’ (0.84–0.91), ‘grain productivity’ (0.77) and ‘productive tillering capacity’ (- 0.78). The results obtained are used in breeding programs to develop grain sorghum varieties and hybrids adapted to the arid conditions of the Lower Volga region.

Currently, with the growth of scientific and technological progress, the issue of the effect of negative anthropogenic factors on the environment is of great urgency. Due to it there is a necessity to develop the most adaptive agricultural varieties, which is the basis of environmentally friendly agriculture. The current study was carried out on the basis of the FSBSI Agricultural Research Center “Donskoy”, located in the southern part of the Rostov region in 2018–2020. The objects of research were 8 varieties sent to the State Variety Testing in 2017–2020 and 5 promising breeding lines of the FSBSI “ARC “Donskoy”. The weather conditions during the years of the study were contrasting, with the most favorable ones in 2018, when there was obtained a record yield of winter durum wheat from 11.25 to 14.04 t/ha. Differences in the yields of the winter durum wheat varieties over the years were characterized by the variation range from 31.9 to 52.4%. There has been identified insignificant deviations in the yields of the variety ‘Solntsedar’ (+3 – -1.9 t/ha) and the variety ‘Zoloto Dona’ (+3.2 – -2.3 t/ha). The greatest deviations from the average yield were established in the varieties ‘Khrizolit’ (+4.5 – -3.6 t/ha), ‘Almaz Dona’ (+4.3 – -2.9 t/ha) and the line ‘721/15’ (+4.8 – -3.3 t/ha). Due to the assessment according to the adaptability parameters, there have been identified 3 groups of varieties. They are the adaptable varieties ‘Lakomka’, ‘Ellada’, ‘Khrizolit’, which will produce maximum yields under cultivation in the areas with favorable agro-climatic conditions at high agro-backgrounds; the weakly responsive varieties ‘Zoloto Dona’ and ‘Solntsedar’, for cultivation on a low agricultural background, which maintain stable yields with the mean values of 6.88–7.04 t/ha), they react poorly to external conditions, i.e. better adapted to bad and worst environments. The varieties ‘Kristella’, ‘Uslada’, ‘Dinas’, ‘Almaz Dona’ are suitable for cultivation on a medium agricultural background, because they are adaptable varieties with bi = 0.97–1.00. However, the variety ‘Almaz Dona’ turned to be unstable in terms of yields. The promising lines that participated in the analysis with different ecological characteristics will be further involved in breeding programs to increase the adaptability of new varieties. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the new varieties and promising lines according to productivity, homeostaticity, adaptability; to identify ecologically adaptable varieties and lines and to give recommendations for further use.

The current paper has presented the estimation results of ecological adaptability of the alfalfa samples. The purpose of the work was to assess the productivity and quality of green mass of the alfalfa samples from the IPI plant genetic resources gene bank and to identify the most adaptive ones according to the trait ‘green mass productivity’ and ‘raw protein percentage’. The study of the collection alfalfa samples was carried out in the southern part of the Rostov region on the plots of the “ARC “Donskoy” in the breeding crop rotation of perennial grasses in 2016–2018. The objects of study were 30 alfalfa samples from the collection of N.I. Vavilov IPI from different countries (Canada, the USA, Peru, France). The variety ‘Rostovskaya 90’ was used as a standard one. The estimation of alfalfa samples on the presence of adaptive properties in them according to the trait ‘green mass productivity’ showed that the most valuable samples in present practical breeding work are the samples ‘K-32873’, ‘K-33299’, ‘K-42684’, ‘K-42249’, ‘K-78803’ with weak responsiveness to changes in environmental conditions; the samples ‘K-36104’, ‘K-48778’, ‘K-42694’, ‘K-45715’, ‘K-47800’, ‘K-47802’, ‘K-43260’ with high resistance to stress; the samples ‘K-43272’, ‘K-50545’, ‘K-47806’, ‘K-47807’ with genetically flexible genotypes. When breeding according to the trait ‘raw protein percentage’, the samples ‘K-47807’, ‘K-47804’, ‘K-42712’ possessing a high raw protein percentage and resistance to changes in this trait are important for further work.

The purpose of the current study was to develop a new drought-resistant initial material, adapted to local conditions and spring durum wheat varieties on its basis. Due to the method of intraspecific hybridization and individual selection, there has been developed the spring durum wheat variety ‘Yasenka’ in the F5 hybrid combination obtained from crossing the varieties ‘Lilek x Nikolasha’. The developed variety is short-stemmed, middle maturing, resistant to drought and lodging. Its potential productivity is high, due to the maximum yield of 6.44 tons per hectare obtained in 2017 when sowing after peas. On average, over three years of competitive variety testing (2015–2017), its yield was 6.02 tons per hectare, which is higher than that of the varieties ‘Volnodonskaya’ on 1.08 and ‘Nikolasha’ on 0.40 tons per hectare. There has been found an advantage in terms of productivity over other varieties when sowing at a later date. Grain and pasta quality indicators are high. When evaluating grain according to the international standard ISO 21415-2, the variety ‘Yasenka’ showed a high Gluten Index (94) and a Minolta color index “b” (30), which corre- sponds to the world quality level. Under natural conditions, it is characterized by field resistance to the main leaf fungal diseases. Against the background of artificial infection, there has been established high resistance to head smut, powdery mildew and hard smut, resistance to septoria blotch and brown rust, moderate susceptibility to head blight. The variety has been included into the State List of Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation since 2018 and it’s protected by the patent of the Russian Federation.

Last years the Rostov region has faced a significant climate continentality increase during the growing season of winter crops. This factor makes necessary to develop new varieties of intensive winter barley with a high level of ecological adaptability, resistance to lodging and leaf diseases, with a high level of potential productivity. The purpose of the current study was to develop a new highly productive, stress-resistant winter barley variety with a high level of adaptability and to evaluate it according to economically valuable traits. The current paper has presented the agrobiological characteristics of the winter barley variety ‘Marusya’, the originator and patent holder of which is the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution “Agrarian Research Center “Donskoy”. The research was carried out from 2018 to 2020 in the fields of experimental crop rotation of the department of barley breeding and seed production of the FSBSI “ARC “Donskoy”. The forecrop was peas. The accounting plot area was 10 m², the number of repetitions was 6. The winter barley variety ‘Timofey’ was used as a standard variety. The species was parallelum. The type of development was facultative. Over the years of study in the Competitive Variety Testing of the FSBSI “ARC “Donskoy” (2018–2020), the variety produced from 8.0 to 11.2 t/ha, that exceeded the standard variety ‘Timofey’ on 0.5–1.5 t/ha. Since 2020, the State Commission for Variety Testing of Agricultural Crops decided to include the variety ‘Marusya’ in the State List of Breeding Achievements in the North Caucasus region. The variety is being studied in the Central Blackearth and Lower Volga regions of the Russian Federation. The consistently high productivity of the new variety is achieved due to the large grain and higher indicators of the yield structure elements and resistance to diseases in comparison with those of the standard variety ‘Timofey’

The variety study of white lupine plants in the Belgorod region was carried out in field trials at the collection nursery of department of plant production, breeding and olericulture of the Belgorod State Agrarian University named after V.Ya. Gorin in 2018–2019. In the trial there were studied 4 varieties and 26 samples of white lupine of grain-fodder selection developed by the All-Russian Research Institute of Lupine, the variety ‘Michurinsky’ was taken as a standard one. Most of the samples in the trial significantly exceeded the standard variety in the value of seed productivity. In 2018 the highest yield of 4.86 t/ha was obtained from the sample ‘CH 40-15’, which was on 1.15 t/ha higher than that of the standard variety. A high yield from 4.19 to 4.82 t/ha was produced by the samples ‘СН 78-16’, ‘СН 20-13’, ‘СН 15-13’ and ‘СН 816-09’, which significantly exceeded the standard variety on 0.48–0.61 t/ha. Under the conditions of the year of 2019, a significant productivity increase (from 0.24 to 2.1 t/ha) in comparison with the standard variety was produced by 19 samples and two varieties ‘Pilgrim’ and ‘Timiryazevsky’. The largest productivity in the trial (5.26 and 5.24 t / ha) was produced by the samples ‘CH 54-08’ and ‘CH 12-13’. The yield increase of the samples ‘СН 77-17’, ‘СН 816-09’, ‘СН 1735-10’, ‘СН 17-14’ was 1.35–1.57 t/ha in comparison with the standard variety. The highest mean yield in the trial for 2 years (4.40–4.47 t/ha) was formed by the samples ‘СН 17-14’ and ‘СН 816-09’, their increase was 0.96–1.03 t/ha or 27.9–29.9% in comparison with the standard variety. The samples ‘СН 12-13’ and ‘СН 54-08’ showed the highest coefficient of adaptability in the trial at the level of 1.36–1.38. The most of the studied samples and the variety ‘Alyi Parus’ possessed the coefficient of adaptability >1, which characterizes them as highly adaptable to the arid conditions of the region. The most varieties and samples exceeded the standard value of the trait ‘seed weight per plant’ which is 4 g. The value of the trait ‘1000-seed weight’ in the trial varied from 234.8 g (the sample ‘CH 35-13’) to 302.6 g (the sample ‘CH 25-11’) in comparison with 264 g (the standard variety).

In order to develop stable feed agrophytocenoses, the most promising and low-cost direction in feed production is the cultivation of companion sowings. In order to study the productivity of complex cenoses of annual feed crops together with soybean there were field trials laid on the experimental plots of the FSBSI Russian Research and Project-technological Institute of sorghum and maize “Rossorgo” in 2015–2017. The purpose of the current study was to substantiate scientifically and practically the development of highly productive agrophytocenoses of annual feed crops in companion sowings with soybean. The analysis of green and dry biomass productivity values showed that in singlemillet species crops, the productivity was higher than in companion sowings with soybean, this is explained by the lower productivity of the legume component. The highest mean productivity of aboveground biomass for three years of study (18.84 t/ha) was given by Japanese millet in its pure form. Siberian and Italian millet formed mean productivity of 16.13 and 15.60 t/ha, respectively. The current paper has presented data on productivity and has studied feed advantages of single-species and two-species sowings. The introduction of soybean in the composition of companion sowings has increased the protein percentage on 26.75–30.78% in dry biomass of feed mixtures in comparison with single-species crops. Aboveground biomass of complex agrocenoses contained more oil, ash and less fiber. According to the variants of the trial, the oil content varied from 2.15 to 5.40%, with the maximum amount identified in soybean in its pure form (5.40%), and the minimum value of this trait was obtained in Japanese millet in its pure form (2.15%). It is worth noting that it is advisable to cultivate annual crops for feed purposes together with soybean, since the feed value of the cutting mass significantly improves.

Soy is a multifaceted agricultural crop. Its demand increases significantly every year. At the same time, the effect of elements of soybean cultivation technology on its yield and water consumption in conditions of erosion-dangerous lands of ordinary blackearth (chernozem) has not been sufficiently determined. The purpose of the current study was to assess the effect of soil cultivation methods, sowing methods and the background of mineral fertilizing on productivity and water consumption of soybean on the eroded slopes of the Pre-Azov area of the Rostov region. The trial was laid in the system of contour-landscape arrangement of the territory with the strip placement of crops on an erosion-dangerous slope with a steepness of up to 3.5–4°. The settlement of trial variants according to the methods of main soil cultivation and sowing methods is systematic, the repetitions of the trial and the background of fertilizers have been randomized. The field trial scheme included options with moldboard and chisel main tillage and such two sowing methods as a wide-row method with 45 cm row spacing, and a continuous row method (soil protection) with 15 cm row spacing. Mineral fertilizing included ‘0’ background was a natural fertility; ‘I’ background was N30Р60 kg/ha; ‘II’ background was N50Р90 kg/ha. The forecrop was spring barley. The study used the generally accepted methods, developed by B.A. Dospekhov (1979), A.N. Kostyakov (1957), S.A. Vorobyov (1971) and others. In the process of the study, there have been determined the parameters and nature of the formation of soil moisture reserves, its total amount for water consumption and for the development of a unit of production depending on various tilling systems, sowing methods and levels of mineral fertilizing. As a result of the study, there was found that the maximum soybean productivity (2.51 t/ha) and the most productive moisture consumption (88 mm t) were obtained using the chisel basic tillage and a continuous row sowing method against the background of mineral fertilizers N50Р90 kg/ha.

The current study was carried out on ordinary blackearth (chernozem) in the southern part of the Rostov region in the FSBSI “ARC “Donskoy” (2017–2020 agricultural years). The purpose of the work was to identify the effect of autumn and spring sowing periods on grain productivity and quality of the facultative barley variety ‘Marusya’ according to various forecrops. There has been considered the dynamics of the productivity of the variety ‘Marusya’ depending on the sowing time when sown after maize for grain and sunflower. There has been established high adaptability of the variety ‘Marusya’ after nonfallow forecrops. It has formed a high productivity when sown in autumn at various times. There has been found out a positive reaction of the variety to sowing on September 10, 20 and 30, where the maximum productivity when sown after maize for grain was 6.76–6.91 t/ha. When sowing at later time, there was a slight decrease in productivity. When sown in spring, the highest protein percentage in grain was 11.0 and 11.6%. However, due to the highest productivity, the maximum protein yield was when sowing in autumn, up to 0.71 t/ha. The calculation of the economic efficiency of grain production showed that the highest profitability (214.1 and 214.4%) was obtained when the variety ‘Marusya’ was sown on September 10 and 20 after maize for grain. On average, over the years of study, the maximum conditional net income according to the forecrop, depending on the sowing time, was from 59658 to 84261 rubles/ha when sown in winter and from 48881 to 59170 rubles/ha in spring. The minimum profitability 62.1–75.2% was identified when sown in spring in 10 days after the soil was physically mature.

Modern plant protection should be as environmentally friendly as possible, therefore, agrotechnical methods should form its basis. The current paper has presented the results of three-year study (2017–2019) of the effect of nitrogen fertilizers and seeding rates on the brown mustard productivity and its ability to suppress weeds. The study was carried out in the Central steppe of the Crimea on the southern low-humus blackearth (chernozem) by the researchers of the FSBSI “Research Institute of agriculture in Crimea”. The purpose of the current study was to determine the effect of nitrogen fertilizers and seeding rates on the productivity and competitiveness of brown mustard. There was found that the amount of weeds depends on the individual weediness of the field and the conditions of moisture supply of the year. By the time the mustard was harvested, the number of weeds increased by almost 1.5 times due to the emergence of new shoots of weeds during the ripening period of mustard. There has been presented the dynamics of dry weeds weight depending on the seeding rate. There has been shown that the growth and development of weeds depends on the density of the brown mustard sowings. With an increase in the seeding rate from 0.5 to 3.0 million pieces per hectare, the dry weeds weight decreased from 180.8 to 44.3 g/m²  on average over three years. An increase in the seeding rate from 2.5 to 3.0 million pieces per hectare did not provide a significant decrease in dry weeds weight. There has been established that the optimal seeding rate for growing brown mustard in the Crimean steppe is 2.5 million pieces per hectare. At this seeding rate, mustard sowings are maximally productive (0.77 t/ha) and are characterized by a high competitive ability to weeds. There has been proven a positive effect of nitrogen fertilizers on brown mustard productivity and growth in the number of weeds. The highest mean productivity of oilseeds for three years was obtained with the application of nitrogen doses N60 and N80 and was 0.78–0.81 t/ha (on 0.28–0.31 t/ha more than that of the control). In the same variants, dry weeds weight was the highest (105.4–106.5 g/m² ).

Systematic work on the development of winter wheat varieties possessing resistance to a complex of the most harmful diseases has been carried out in the Agricultural Research Center “Donskoy” since the early 1970s. During this period, there has been created a large number of varieties that possess resistance to 3–4 diseases in conditions of infectious backgrounds of pathogens. Due to the analysis of varieties, there was identified a small number of varieties resistant to powdery mildew. Powdery mildew, caused by the fungus Blumeria graminis (DC) Speer, annually occurs on wheat, affecting all aboveground plant organs. Earlier the FSBSI “ARC “Donskoy” developed and widely cultivated the medium-resistant varieties ‘Tanais’ (2006), ‘Nakhodka’ (2015), ‘Etyud’, ‘Shef’, ‘Lilit’ (2016), ‘Volnitsa’ (2017), ‘Polina’, Yubiley Dona’ , ‘Podarok Krymu’ (2018), ‘Niva Dona’ (2019). In recent years, breeders have developed such varieties with high resistance to the pathogen as ‘Donskaya Step’ (2016), ‘Premiera’, ‘Univer’ (2018), ‘Priazovye’, ‘Zolotoy Kolos’ (2020). But the breeding process of varieties for resistance to powdery mildew is difficult, since it is explained by the small number of effective resistance genes and their sources. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to identify new sources of resistance to the pathogen. Under the conditions of artificial infection, during last 10 years there was conducted a testing of 302 varieties and samples of winter wheat of domestic and foreign breeding. There have not been identified immune varieties. There was identified a small percentage (15.2) of varieties that were resistant to the pathogen. Among the Russian varieties they were ‘L 3191 k-5-8’, ‘Akhmat’, ‘Alievich’, ‘Barier’, ‘Ulyasha’, ‘Knyaginya Olga’, which were not attacked by the disease over the years of testing. Among foreign varieties, the varieties ‘Bombus’, ‘Sailor’ (France), ‘Etana’, ‘Rotax’, ‘KVS-Emil’ (Germany), ‘Fidelius’ (Austria), ‘MV 09-04’ (Hungary) were identified as the best ones in their resistance to powdery mildew. All identified sources of resistance have been recommended in breeding programs for immunity.

Diseases caused by fungi, bacteria and viruses are a serious obstacle to high yields of sunflower seeds. One of the most harmful fungi is the rust pathogen (Puccinia helianthi Schw.). Based on the analysis of domestic and foreign scientific literature, there has been presented the information on the history of the study of sunflower rust, the biology of the pathogen, the racial composition of its populations, the pathogenesis of the disease and selection for resistance to this disease in the Russian Federation and in other countries of the world. There has been considered the contribution of G.V. Pustovoit and her students in the development of breeding sunflower material with rust resistance based on interspecific hybridization of cultivated sunflower with wild species. There has been shown the contribution of the researchers W.E Sackston, T.J. Gulay, S. Masirevic and others, who proposed methods for assessing breeding material for resistance to a pathogen, methods of artificial infection of plants in a greenhouse and a field, who developed differentiator lines of the rust races. Currently, when calculating the virulence and race code of Puccinia helianthi, there is used a nomenclature adopted by a special international committee. Recently, there have been reports from different countries of the emergence of new, more aggressive races of the causative agent of sunflower rust. In Russia, the work on the study of this pathogen has also expanded. The scientists have monitored the rust races and revealed the racial composition of the fungus populations on sunflower in the regions with a strong manifestation of the disease (Tambov, Saratov and Lipetsk regions, Krasnodar Area). Based on the studied literature data, there has been made a conclusion that it is necessary to expand and accelerate work on monitoring the racial composition of populations of the rust pathogen in agrocenoses and developing breeding material that is resistant to the identified races.