This article examines the prospects for using potato plants in vitro for maintaining and studying viruses, and provides a brief overview of the recommended protocol for growing and micropropagating potato virus plants in vitro. The creation of a collection of pathogenic and quarantine plant viruses in vitro is essential for developing a plant virus research base. Many viruses do not maintain well in dead plant material for long periods, so a collection of live isolated plants will allow for the preservation of material and year-round research, as well as the monitoring of symptom development dynamics. Observing symptoms under sterile and isolated in vitro conditions will allow for an objective and more accurate characterization of the symptoms caused by various virus strains and species. Certain plants, including those cultured in vitro, can serve as indicators and be used to confirm infection. This study utilized plant micropropagation methods, PCR combined with reverse transcription to detect viruses in plant material, and sterilization methods necessary for working with aseptic plant material. The results of the study demonstrated the effectiveness of preserving plant viruses in vitro. The data obtained using the real-time RT-PCR method demonstrated the persistence of viruses during microclonal propagation of virus-infected plants in vitro, regardless of the passage. This method allows for the storage of live viral material over an extended period of time.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important grain crops for humans. In Russia, the main grain-producing regions are Western Siberia, Krasnodar Krai, and the Volga region. Diseases caused by fungal pathogens, such as stem rust (caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici) and tan spot (caused by Pyrenophora tritici-repentis), significantly reduce wheat yields. This study assessed the seedling resistance of 92 spring bread wheat cultivars grown in the Volga region to two populations of P. graminis f. sp. tritici (Chelyabinsk population of the fungus of 2024 and Chuvashia population of 2025) and two populations of Pyrenophora tritici-repentis (Tambov population of 2024 and Penza population of 2025) under laboratory conditions. Also, the identification of genes for resistance to stem rust (Sr24, Sr25, Sr26, Sr28, Sr31, Sr36, Sr38, Sr57, Sr1A1R) and the dominant allele of the gene for susceptibility to tan spot - Tsn1 were carried out using molecular markers. It was shown that 26 cultivars (28.2%) were resistant to the Chelyabinsk population of stem rust, and 50 cultivars (54.3%) to the Chuvashia population of the fungus. A total of 21 cultivars (22.8%) were resistant to both populations of the stem rust. 15.2% of cultivars were moderately resistant to the Tambov population of tan spot, while 2.2% of cultivars were resistant. 34.7% of cultivars were moderately resistant to the Penza population of the fungus, while 47.8% of cultivars were resistant. Eleven cultivars (11.9%) were moderately resistant to both populations of the tan spot, while 2 cultivars, Ekada 253 and Skirda, were resistant, which accounted for 2.1% of the total number of cultivars. The following genes were identified in the cultivars: Sr31, Sr24, Sr25, Sr28, Sr38, Sr57, Sr1A1R, and Tsn1. Promising cultivars with group resistance were identified: 100 years of TASSR (Sr31, Tsn1), Kanyuk (Sr24+Sr1A1R, tsn1), Ekada 253 (Sr31, tsn1) and Ekada 258 (Sr31, tsn1).

Apple scar skin viroid, ASSVd (Apscaviroid cicatricimali) is a particularly dange rous phytopathogen affecting pome and stone fruit crops. Viroid infection poses a potential threat that can cause economic damage to fruit production. The most common pathways of ASSVd are contact (mechanically through tools) and grafting (from an infected plant to a healthy one). This article provides a brief overview of the viroid and presents data on the validation of oligonucleotides for ASSVd diagnostics with real-time PCR using Russian reagents. Oligonucleotide performance was tested using Russian Syntol and Evrogen reagent kit. Various isolates of closely related viroids from the Avsunviroidae and Pospiviroidae families were used to conduct experiments assessing primer specificity. In this study, oligonucleotide analysis was performed using the NCBI Primer-BLAST online service. Multiple nucleotide sequence alignments of apple fruit scarring viroid isolates were performed using specialized MAFFT and AliView software. Speciesspecific oligonucleotides were bioinformatically analyzed for the formation of secondary structures— hairpins and dimers—that may affect the diagnosis of the phytopathogen. It was found that the cASSVd/hASSVd and ASS-F/ASS-R primers are capable of forming a large number of secondary structures, which can lead to false-positive results. Using the primers ASSVd-F91/ASSVd-R291, ASSF/ ASS-R and the probe ASS-P, it is possible to identify the apple fruit scarring viroid using the real-time PCR method.

This article is devoted to the diagnostics of Attagenus gobicola J. Frivaldszky, 1892, a species invasive to the European part of Russia. The article also presents data on the distribution of this species and elucidates the history of its invasion in Europe. It is emphasized that the risk of further invasion of A. gobicola is highly uncertain, and it is currently extremely difficult to predict whether this species will prove to be a dangerous storage pest or whether its impact will be insignificant. Further monitoring of this invasion is necessary, for which purpose a simplified diagnostic key has been compiled. This work is based on the collection of the Dermestidae family in the entomological collection of the All- Russian Plant Quarantine Center, which includes extensive and reliably identified collections by one of the leading specialists in carpet beetles, E. A. Sokolov. The article provides an adapted illustrated key, allowing for the differentiation of A. gobicola from other species of carpet beetles associated with stored products. The subfamily Attageninae of storage pests includes only the genus Attagenus Latreille, 1802. The key characteristics for diagnosing A. gobicola are: randomly located spines on the posterior surface of the fore tibiae; a long fore tibia (length 4–5 times longer than width); uniformly colored elytra without spots or bands, as well as the structure of the apical antennal segment of the male, which is 6–7 times longer than the previous two segments combined. The key is illustrated with original photographs. The resulting key will significantly facilitate the identification of A. gobicola and will be useful to plant protection and quarantine specialists.

Erwinia rhapontici (Millard 1924) Burkholder 1948 is a phytopathogenic bacterium that causes pink grain of cereals and legumes, as well as various types of rot and other symptoms in a wide range of valuable agricultural plants, and to fully understand the pathogenic potential of this bacterium, it is necessary to study in detail as many strains as possible. The aim of this work is to create a comprehensive characterization of the bacterial strain VNIIKR-B-0035 E. rhapontici, isolated from common winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), origin – Republic of Crimea. The paper presents its morphology studied using cell microscopy, as well as photographs of bacterial colonies cultured on R2A nutrient medium. The cells of this strain are rod-shaped, measuring 0.8–1.5 μm long and 0.2–0.4 μm wide. Bacterial colonies of strain VNIIKR-B-0035 on R2A medium are whitish, slimy, and uniform. They have a round, convex shape, a smooth, shiny surface, and are opaque. They do not produce water-soluble pigments. Biochemical characteristics were studied using the API 20E kit for the identification of Enterobacteriaceae and physiologically similar bacteria (Biomerieux, France). Bacteria of this strain are capable of fermenting many types of sugars, reduce nitrites, do not produce arginine dihydrolase, lysine decarboxylase, ornithine decarboxylase, urease, indole, acetoin, gelatinase and H2S, and are also unable to utilize citrates. Molecular genetic characterization was conducted using four PCR tests for various genes specific to this phytopathogenic bacterium. Strain VNIIKR-B-0035 was identified using PCR tests with primers TSU01/TSU02, ERH-1A/ERH-1B, and isoRF/isoRR, as well as by sequencing a portion of the rpoD gene. This is the first molecular genetic identification of E. rhapontici in Russia. This study confirmed that common barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) can serve as a source of E. rhapontici isolation.

Surface sterilization of sunflower seeds (Helianthus annuus L.) is challenging due to their morphological characteristics. The rough and porous surface of the seeds promotes microbial adhesion, significantly complicating the disinfection process. This study comprehensively evaluates the effectiveness of various chemical agents used for surface sterilization: ethanol (C₂H₆O), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), potassium permanganate (KMnO₄), sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), silver nitrate (AgNO₃), and their combinations. The results showed that most of the tested substances, including ethanol (70–96%), hydrogen peroxide (1–3%), potassium permanganate (0.5–1%), and sodium hypochlorite (1–15%), do not ensure complete seed sterility, regardless of concentration and exposure time. Silver nitrate demonstrated the greatest effectiveness in eliminating surface contamination. At concentrations of 1–5% and a treatment time of 7–15 minutes, this agent completely inhibited microbial growth without significantly reducing seed viability. However, in some experimental variants, partial damage to the seedling root system was observed, indicating the need for precise sterilization parameters.
This study confirms that sunflower seeds require an individualized approach when developing sterilization protocols, balancing disinfection effectiveness with the preservation of the physiological characteristics of the seeds. The obtained data are of practical value for phytopathological, microbiological, and biotechnological research requiring sterile plant material. The results of this study can be used to optimize pre-sowing seed treatment methods in laboratory and industrial settings, as well as to develop new methods for disinfecting seeds with high microbial loads.