Modern Collection Fund of the Laboratory of Ornamental Plants of the Main Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences as a Source of Genetic Resources for Breeding

Abstract

The current policy of forming the collection fund of the laboratory of ornamental plants of the MBG RAS is aimed at creating not only large, but also unique collections that can be in demand in various aspects of research work. Thus one of the most actual and obvious basic directions of use of resources of a collection fund is the organization on its basis of selection work. So, it can be used as a source of formation of working collections for realization of two most often applied principles of selection of pairs for crosses: ecological and geographical and on a complex of economic and biological signs. The aim of the work is to create varieties of ornamental plants based on the use of genetic resources of the collection background of MBG RAS. Representatives of 4 generic complexes from the collection fund of the laboratory of ornamental plants of MBG RAS: Astilbe, Dahlia, Iris and Phlox were used as model objects. The creation of populations for selection is carried out using artificial inter-port and interspecific hybridization, as well as free and limited-free pollination. In the selection of parent pairs and the selection of maternal forms (with free pollination), the concept of the trait is mainly applied. Selection is carried out mainly from populations of F1 hybrids. The method of selection is individual, according to the complex of decorative and economically valuable features. Currently, 6 breeding numbers have been prepared for transfer to the state selection test: 4 representatives of the genus Dahlia and 2 representatives of the genus Astilbe. Keywords—MBG RAS, collection fund, herbaceous perennials, selection process, working collections, prospective breeding numbers