The preservation and study of the biodiversity of subtropical crops are carried out in the genetic collection of the FRC SSC of RAS

The issue of preserving, replenishing, and rational utilization of biological diversity is acute worldwide. Special attention is devoted to the preservation of plant biodiversity at the Federal Research Center “Subtropical Scientific Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences (FRC SSC of RAS)” in Sochi. A comprehensive germplasm of subtropical crops has been collected and maintained, comprising 753 cultivars. Research is conducted on the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar Region, Russian Federation. The climatic conditions of the region correspond to the zone of humid subtropics, allowing the cultivation of many thermophilic plants. The results of the conducted research and the inventory of germplasm in 2023 have led to their categorization into 7 main collections: nut crops, citrus crops, subtropical fruit crops, seed crops, stone fruit crops, subtropical industrial crops, and berry crops. From each collection, a promising assortment has been identified for commercial orchards (54 cultivars), amateur gardeners (126), landscaping (71), as well as for scientific research (breeding, physiological, biochemical, genetic, entomological, phytopathological, etc.) (222). Wild and semi-wild relatives of cultivated plants, possessing valuable traits, are of great value and are regularly utilized in breeding studies, contributing to the maintenance of the collection.