Aim. Investigation of the effectiveness of a DNA insecticide with a high level of environmental friendliness on Diaspis echinocacti Bouche in the greenhouse of the Nikitsky Botanical Garden.Materials and Methods. The object of the study was the insect pest Diaspis echinocacti Bouche. The number of D. echinocacti larvae was identified on segments of Opuntia ficus-indica L. (Mill.) using a Nikon SMZ 745T microscope and computer microphotography. In the experiment, the effectiveness of the DNA insecticide "Cactus-NBG" on D. echinocacti was studied, the preparation "Tanrek VK", VRK, from the class of neonicotinoids being used as a standard insecticide.Results. It was revealed that the treatment with the DNA insecticide "Cactus-NBG" against D. echinocacti larvae had a significant insecticidal effect. The biological effectiveness of the preparation was 82.0%. The mortality of larvae after treatment significantly increased in comparison with the control (p<0.05) and was measured at 43.2±5.0%, 53.2±2.3%, and 84.2±2.2% on the 3rd, 7th, and 14th day after treatment respectively.Conclusion. As a result of treatment of O. ficus-indica against D. echinocacti with the contact DNA insecticide "Cactus-NBG", a significant insecticidal effect was found. On the 14th day after treatment, the mortality of D. echinocacti in "Cactus-NBG" was 84.2±2.2%, in the "Tanrek" group - 86.0±1.4% and in the control group treated with water -11.2±1.2%. The biological effectiveness of "Cactus-NBG" on the 14th day was 82.0%. Thus, the preparation "Cactus-NBG", based on the antisense fragment of the D. echinocacti genome, caused a significant mortality of the target insect pest and can compete with modern chemical preparations.

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The results of the primary introduction test of small-flowered hesperaloe (Hesperaloe parviflora (Torr.) J.M. Coult., 1894) in the Nikitsky Botanical Gardens (NBG), on the Southern Coast of the Crimea (SCC); in Sevastopol (Cape Fiolent) are presented. The features of the growth and development of the studied plants growing in open and protected ground are given. Factors affecting the set of fruits with viable seeds have been identified, the frost resistance of this species has been determined. Based on long-term observations, it has been established that Hesperaloe parviflora is very resistant to fungal diseases, viruses and harmful insects, which have not been detected over many years of research. We have been developed criteria that in the future will allow us to provide scientifically sound recommendations on the agrotechnics of growing small-flowered Hesperaloe in the conditions of the Southern Coast of the Crimea (SCC) and on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus (BSCC). As a result of the studies of small-flowered Hesperaloe, it has been proved that this species has successfully passed the primary introduction test and is promising for gardening on the SCC.

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