The number and phenology of ground beetles living on the shores of Lake Baikal is not still sufficiently studied. The results of parallel monitoring of the species composition, abundance, and phenological features of the seasonal activity of ground beetles in two protected areas in the northern and southern parts of the Eastern Baikal region presented. We have established that the thermic regime, biodiversity, phenology and abundance of ground beetles on the Khamar-Daban ridge (Baikal Reserve, southeastern Cisbaikalia) significantly exceed those on the Barguzinsky Ridge (Barguzinsky Reserve, northeastern Cisbaikalia). The amount of accumulated heat determines the phenological features of the seasonal activity and affects the abundance of ground beetles. Their response to weather conditions is species-specific.

The main task of modern industrial gardening is the search for constructive solutions that allow the industry to reach the frontiers of high profitability and quick payback of invested funds. A significant factor limiting the production of fruit products are pests and pathogens. The objective of the research is to clarify the specific and quantitative composition of pests in industrial fruit plantations and nurseries and to develop environmentally low-risk methods of controlling their numbers.The taxonomic structure of the complex of phytophagans and pathogens in fruit nurseries and industrial plantings has been determined. In the industrial fruit plantations of the Crimea, the species composition this year was represented by 35 species of phytophagans, of which 12 dominated in number and harmfulness. 6 species were identified in fruit nurseries, of which representatives Lepidoptera, Hemiptera and Acariformes are dominated. In 2022, a change was found in comparison with the average data for 2020-2021. The share of the Lepidoptera complex increased by 2.0% due to the number of fruit moths (3 species of Noctuidae family), moth (1 species of Arcfidae family), leafroller moths (3 species of Tortricidae family) and white butterfly (1 species of Pieridae family). The population of Hemiptera increased by 10.0%, Coleoptera – decreased by 10.0% and Acariformes – decreased by 2.0 times. The appearance of a new invasive species of two-striped quince moth (Euzophera bigella Zell.) in apple orchards of two districts of the Crimea has been recorded. Since 2021, two species from the order of physopods (thrips, Thysanoptera) have been identified on the apple trees and their share in the phytophagans’ complex is 10.0%. The system of controlling the number of spider mites has been improved by releasing acariphagans. The effectiveness of regulating the number of carpophage leafroller moths by male disorientation was determined: biological effectiveness is 99.8%, ecotoxicological – reducing the pesticide load by 11.7 kg, l/ha by reducing 12 insecticide treatments and economic – cost recovery by 4.5 times with a payback of insecticide use by 3.9 times.

On Juniperus excelsa in the natural populations of the Crimea, 28 species of fungi from 24 genera, 19 families, 15 orders, 6 classes, 2 divisions were identified. The article presents an original methodology for the collection and multivariate analysis of symbiotrophic fungi on woody plants, where fungi are distributed in ecological niches, which are organs and parts of a plant. For each type of fungus, 6 main parameters are recorded that determine its location in the ecological niche: edatop, plant age, its condition, size of the substrate, as well as the intensity and prevalence of the fungus along the tree. Each finding of a fungus is displayed on a schematic drawing of the morphological structure of a tree, which is the basis for building a mycological model. For Juniperus excelsa, the features of the formation and development of 28 fungal species in 12 ecological niches and 6 edatopes were determined; fungi are differentiated according to the intensity of their development, distribution according to the substrate, confinement to the age of the plant; the dependence of the development of fungi on the state of the tree was established. Distribution of fungi by ecological niches and ecological niches was carried out, the levels of specialization of each type of fungus were established. A new technique for collecting and processing mycological material makes it possible to obtain more than 100 new data on the ecology and biology of symbiotrophic fungi.

The paper presents results of the long-term introduction trials of 490 species of medicinal plants of the native flora of Donbass in the Donetsk Botanical Garden. The study has shown that their introduction success depends on the method of cultivation and the conditions of growth place. Based on the assessment of introduction success, it is recommended to introduce 31 species in the Donetsk region.

In the Botanical Garden and collection nurseries of VILAR branches, medicinal plants are preserved in the form of intact plants and seeds. For 70 years, the biological features and primary methods of growing more than 90 species of promising medicinal plants have been studied, of which 24 were transferred to other departments of the institute for further study. As a result of research work on the basis of biocollections of the Botanical Garden, together with other research departments of the Institute, more than 30 new medicines and medicinal forms have been created. The scheme recommended and often used by us for creating commercial plantations of medicinal plants by farms / organizations that want to grow them for the first time allows them to optimally and efficiently use all available resources. Medicinal plants are grown simultaneously or almost at the same time: in the experimental plot (15–30 species), the so-called pharmacy garden; b) on experimental - industrial sites (4–6 species); c) on commercial plantations (1–3 species).

A morphological and biological description of 5 studied species of the genus Coreopsis L. (C. basalis (A. Dietr.) S.F. Blake, C. grandiflora Hogg. Ex Sweet., C. lanceolata L., C. longipes Hook., C. tripteris L) is given presented in the collection of the Nikitsky Botanical Garden. Under the conditions of introduction to the South Coast, coreopsis go through a full cycle of growth and development, bloom and bear fruit. The paper presents a morphometric description of seeds, as well as studied the germination and germination energy of seeds of species in laboratory conditions and in open ground conditions. It was revealed that the indicators of seeds of the third and fourth years of storage are reduced by more than two times in all species germinated in laboratory conditions, with the exception of C. basalis, the germination rate of seeds of which harvested in 2019 is 92%. Seeds of C. tripteris collected in 2019 and seeds of all the studied species collected in 2018 did not germinate in laboratory conditions and in open ground conditions. It has been established that the seeds of the studied species of coreopsis harvested in 2021 are characterized by the highest rates of seed germination energy in open ground conditions, especially in C. tripteris, whose seed germination energy in 2021 was 90%, compared to 2019, 2020 and 2022 collection, sown also in open ground, the indicators of which are lower. The obtained results allow us to draw a conclusion about the maximum and optimal period of storage of seeds of species of the genus Coreopsis L. in a seed bank for three to four years and at a temperature of +22-+25ºС.

The fundamental niche of Daphne taurica Kotov is considered in the conditions of a realized niche of phytocenosis on the western slope of the Mokrousovsky heights (the right bank of the Bolshaya Burulcha River). The analysis is based on the classical geobotanical description by V.N. Golubev. Calculations of the parameters of the ecological niche of the species were made according to the original program "Pover". Unified information on the placement of plant species of the described phytocenosis on gradients of environmental factors is extracted from the Ecodata database.The implemented fragment of the gradient and the optimum point on it were determined for the leading factors-conditions and resource factors: illumination-shading, thermal mode, aridity-humidity (ombre mode), cryoregime, continentality, humidification, moisture variability, substrate acidity, salt regime (anionic composition), carbonate content, nitrogen content, humus content, granulometric (mechanical) composition of the substrate. The position of phytocenosis species on the gradients of factors-conditions and factors-resources, that is, their range values from the point of minimum to the point of maximum (fundamental values), as well as the comfort range ("comfort corridor") corresponding to the implemented part of the gradient, in general, for phytocenosis is given in the form of graphic drawings, and the ecological niche, in in the form of a petal diagram.Daphne taurica sublimated stenotope, placed in the comfort zone on the following gradients: "lighting-shading", "moisture variability", "substrate reaction", "anionic composition", "carbonate content" and "nitrogen content". Shifted to the lower part of the gradient: "thermal mode", "cryoregime", "humidification"; located outside the comfort corridor in the pessimum zone: "ombre mode" and "substrate porosity". The last two can rightfully be considered limiting factors. The species requires effective protection.

The article presents calculations of climatic parameters for the time series of 1931-2020, including three consecutive reference thirty-year periods (1931-1961, 1961-1990 and 1991-2020) to identify climatic changes on the Southern coast of Crimea. An analysis of trends in air temperature and precipitation, relative humidity, evaporation, humidification coefficients, characteristics of warm and frost-free periods is carried out. The study revealed a significant increase in temperature during the early spring and summer periods in recent decades. There was no significant increase in the duration of the active vegetation period with temperatures above 10°C, and the risk of plant damage due to late spring frosts persists due to the temperature levels in April and November. A significant increase in the sum of active air temperatures above 10°C, acceleration of vegetation growth and maturity of plants was observed. In summer months, there was a two to three-fold increase in the number of uncomfortable hot days for humans and plants with a maximum air temperature above 30°C, as well as an intensification of drought phenomena causing temperature and water stress in plants. Analysis of precipitation trends using the Mann-Kendall test showed a significant downward trend in April and August over the last thirty years and an upward trend in January. However, no statistically significant trends were identified for the entire 90-year period, either in individual months or over all for the year. The presented climate data for the 30-year reference period of 1991-2020 contain a stable warming trend, objectively characterize the actual specificity of the climate of the studied region, and can be considered as a modern climate norm for meteorological elements for the Southern coast of Crimea.