In the context of global climate change, the current strategy of agroeconomics focuses on the introduction of unique plant species and the selection of new commercially important cultivars adapted to the dramatic weather changes. Cornus officinalis (Cornaceae) has Chinese origin, its reintroduction at the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine started in 1993. The objectives of this research were: to investigate the biometric parameters of fruits and leaves of C. officinalis genotypes, C. officinalis × C. mas hybrid ‘Etude’ and genotype from the grafting C. officinalis on C. mas under cultivation in the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and to determine the degree of adaptation of C. officinalis to the climatic conditions of Ukraine (in particular, Right-Bank Forest Steppe) for selection of promising genotypes for further breeding work. Material and methods. We used: a) 26-year-old maternal plant obtained from a two-year-old seedling in 1993 received from the nursery “Northwoods Wholesale Nursery” Mollala (Oregon, USA), where it was grown as an ornamental plant; b) seedlings of the maternal plant; c) cultivar Etude, which is an artificial hybrid from crossing C. officinalis × C. mas; and d) genotype obtained from grafting C. officinalis on C. mas. In our experiment, the maternal plant is indicated as G-01, while other plants – as G-02–G-08 genotypes. We determined the biometric parameters of the fruit (length, diameter, and weight), endocarp (length, diameter, and weight), pedicel (length and thickness), leaf blade (length, width, and the number of lateral veins) and petiole (length, width, and thickness). We examined the dynamics of fruit and endocarp formation during the season (genotypes G-01–G-03 and G-05) and compared the biometric characteristics of the fruit of genotypes G-01–G-05 from crops of two years, 2010 and 2018, which were most favorable in weather conditions. We have processed quantitative data in the PAST 2.10 software. The differences between the samples were estimated using the Tukey-Kramer test. The degree of variability was determined by the coefficient of variation. To assess the level of variability, we used the classification of Mamaev (1975). Results. We have found that the largest fruits in 2010 were observed in the genotype G-01 and the smallest – in the genotype G-03. The coefficient of variation of the linear parameters of the fruit and endocarp was in the range 5.7–10.1 %; the level of variability was very low or low. The variability of fruit weight and endocarp was high; the coefficient of variation was from 7.0 up to 28.3 %. The amplitude of the linear parameters of the leaf was wide (coefficient of variation was from 9.8 to 31.0 %). The cultivar Etude differed from other C. officinalis genotypes in size and weight of (M = 1800 mg, max = 2400 mg) and a much wider amplitude of variation in the length (17.9–22.6 vs. 14.3–18.2 mm) of the fruit. The largest leaves were in the genotypes G-08 and G-01, and the smallest – in the genotype G-02. The cultivar Etude did not differ so much by the mean leaf morphometric indices and number of veins, but it demonstrated one of the broadest leaf blades (51.5 mm). Conclusions. The data obtained in this study is important for the commercial use of C. officinalis and the cultivar Etude as food and medicinal plant, as well as for breeding in climatic conditions of Ukraine and analysis of hybridization features in the genus Cornus in general.

The key to the 14 species of Lepidium occurring in the Ukraine, including basionyms and the most important synonyms, and distribution of these species within the floristic regions, especially in Ukraine, are presented.

AGROBIODIVERSITY f o r i m p r o v i n g n u t r i t i o n , h e a l t h a n d l i f e q u a l i t y 2018

The fruits of cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) have long been eaten and used for medicinal purposes. During the long history of their use, many cultivars have been created with a wide range of shapes, sizes, colors, biochemical composition, and fruit ripening dates, allowing the planting of the cornelian cherry in different geographical locations and a wide range of environmental conditions. The M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine) has an extensive collection of C. mas cultivars, which differ in many respects, including the time of fruit ripening. Recently a new cultivar, ‘Vytivka Svitlany’, marked by a very early ripening time, has been bred. The fruits of cultivar ‘Vytivka Svitlany’ are red or dark red, oval and more or less elongated, cut off at the top and slightly concave, shiny, juicy, sweet-sour, and slightly tart, with a delicate aroma. After full ripening, the fruits crumble quickly. They are deliciously fresh and suitable for processing in the food industry. In the present paper, the morphological features and biometric characteristics of the fruits of the new cultivar in comparison with other early-ripening cultivars (red-fruited ‘Olena’ and yellow-fruited ‘Alyosha’), as well as the principal biochemical composition of the fruits and its phenological phases for the seasonal development in 2021 according to BBCH scale are represented.

Global climate change and increased land use lead to the loss of biodiversity at all levels of the organization of living organisms – ecosystems, species, landscape population, genetic, molecular biological levels, etc. The reaction of plants to anthropogenic impact, according to experts, may be even stronger than postglacial changes. A shift in the thermal isotherm will cause the plants to either move and adapt, or disappear. Endemic species that make up “biodiversity hotspots” require special attention. Cornus sessilis Torr. ex Durand, the object of our research, is part of one of these points – the California Floristic Province. Researchers are now focusing their efforts on developing a climate change – related biodiversity management strategy. In the case of the threat of extinction of the species in nature, there is a important method of preserving it in culture (ex situ). M. M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (the NBG) pays great attention to the introduction of rare endemic species from the different geographical and floristic regions of the world. The gene pool of Cornus L. s. l. in the NBG consists of more than 30 species and 40 cultivars including the insufficiently researched and little-known Californian endemic C. sessilis. In Europe, it has been grown since 2017 only in Chateau Perouse Botanic Gardens (Saint-Gilles, France) and in Ukraine only the NBG has it. In this article we evaluate the life cycle of the development C. sessilis under conditions of introduction different from the conditions of its natural area. To do this, we used the classic traditional methods of the research on the process of introduction, in particular, botanical plant identification, visual observation, phenology, comparative morphology and biometrics. Morphological descriptors (life form, colour and texture of bark, leaf shape, pubescence character, structure of generative and vegetative buds, inflorescences, flowers, fruits and endocarp) of C. sessilis genotypes introduced to the NBG are identical to those of plants from their natural habitats. The weight of fruits and endocarps were determined by us for the first time. The results of biometric analysis of the size of leaves and fruits showed that the plants of C. sessilis grown in the NBG had the larger leaf blades, but the smaller fruits as compared to those in the wild. In the NBG the plants underwent a full cycle of seasonal development (from the deployment of buds to the leaf fall, inclusive) for 229 days. In general, the phenological strategy of C. sessilis genotypes introduced in the NBG corresponds to that of other species of Cornus s. str., including C. mas L. Our results indicate that C. sessilis, California’s rare endemic species new to Ukraine, has adapted to the new conditions – the plants bear fruits and produce seeds. The experience of successful introduction makes it possible to cultivate a new species to expand the diversity of food, medicinal and reclamation plants of the family Cornaceae as well as the use in synthetic breeding to obtain new cultivars with valuable biological and economic properties. Cornus sessilis compatibility test as rootstocks for other species is important for clarifying the theoretical issues of family ties of species Cornaceae and practical – for widespread reproduction of the required cultivars C. mas breeding in the NBG on a potentially compatible rootstock C. sessilis.