Russian Spring Research Articles

The BLUP method in evaluation of breeding values of Russian spring wheat lines using micro- and macroelements in seeds.

Genomic selection is a technology that allows for the determination of the genetic value of varieties of agricultural plants and animal breeds, based on information about genotypes and phenotypes. The measured breeding value (BV) for varieties and breeds in relation to the target trait allows breeding stages to be thoroughly planned and the parent forms suitable for crossing to be chosen. In this work, the BLUP method was used to assess the breeding value of 149 Russian varieties and introgression lines (4 measurements for each variety or line, 596 phenotypic points) of spring wheat according to the content of seven chemical elements in the grain - K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, Zn, Cu. The quality of the evaluation of breeding values was assessed using cross-validation, when the sample was randomly divided into five parts, one of which was chosen as a test population. The following average values of the Pearson correlation were obtained for predicting the concentration of trace elements: K - 0.67, Ca - 0.61, Mg - 0.4, Mn - 0.5, Fe - 0.38, Zn - 0.46, Cu - 0.48. Out of the 35 models studied, the p-value was below the nominal significant threshold (p-value < 0.05) for 28 models. For 11 models, the p-value was significant after correction for multiple testing (p-value < 0.001). For Ca and K, four out of five models and for Mn two out of five models had a p-value below the threshold adjusted for multiple testing. For 30 varieties that showed the best varietal values for Ca, K and Mn, the average breeding value was 296.43, 785.11 and 4.87 mg/kg higher, respectively, than the average breeding value of the population. The results obtained show the relevance of the application of genomic selection models even in such limited-size samples. The models for K, Ca and Mn are suitable for assessing the breeding value of Russian wheat varieties based on these characteristics.

Форпост КЛ – первый отечественный сорт ярового рапса, устойчивый к имидазолиноновым гербицидам

A spring rapeseed cultivar Forpost KL has been developed during the period of 2009–2019 by an individual selection method in F2 from ESI-No. 65/2009 × Luch hybrid combination. That was the first Russian spring rapeseed cultivar resistant to imidazolinone herbicides. In 2015–2019, in the competitive crop variety testing conducted in the All-Russian Research Rapeseed Institute, the cultivar Forpost KL exceeded the standard Rif on seed yield by 0.15 t/ha (by 7.6 %), on oil yield – by 0.07 t/ha, and its glucos-inolate content in seeds was lower by 2.6 µmol/g. Forpost KL has been included into the State Register of breeding achievements (Patent No. 12408) and approved for production in the North-West (2), Central (3), Volga-Vyatka (4), Central Black Earth (5), Middle Volga (7), Ural ( 9), West Siberian (10), and East Siberian (11) regions from 2022.

Evaluation of Resistance to Stem Rust and Identification of Sr Genes in Russian Spring and Winter Wheat Cultivars in the Volga Region

The Volga region is one of the main grain-producing regions of Russia. Wheat stem rust caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici is among the most destructive fungal diseases of wheat. Recently, its harmfulness has increased in the Volga region. In this regard, an analysis of the resistance and diversity of the Sr genes in the Russian wheat cultivars is necessary. In this work, 126 wheat cultivars (including 23 durum wheat cultivars and 103 bread wheat cultivars) approved for use in the Volga region were evaluated for their resistance to two samples of P. graminis f. sp. tritici populations from different Volga region areas at the seedling stage. Specific DNA primers were used to identify resistance genes (Sr2, Sr24, Sr25, Sr26, Sr28, Sr31, Sr32, Sr36, Sr38, Sr39, and Sr57). Highly resistant cultivars (30 from 126) were identified. In bread wheat cultivars, the genes Sr31 (in 19 cultivars), Sr24 (in one cultivar), Sr25 (in 15 spring wheat cultivars), Sr28 (in six cultivars), Sr38 (in two cultivars), and Sr57 (in 15 cultivars) and their combinations—Sr31 + Sr25, Sr31 + Sr38, Sr31 + Sr28, Sr31 + Sr57, Sr31 + Sr28 + Sr57, and Sr31 + Sr24—were identified. The obtained results may be used to develop strategies for breeding rust-resistant cultivars.

ГЕОПОЛІТИЧНІ НАСТРОЇ ДОНЕЧЧАН В УМОВАХ ЗБРОЙНОГО КОНФЛІКТУ (2014–2021 РР.)

The article analyzes the geopolitical orientations of the citizens of Donetsk, in the conditions of the hybrid aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine during 2014–2021. It was found out that the prewar period of pro-Russian sentiments of local residents expressed not in separatist ambitions, but in desire to join Russian political/economic projects. In the conditions of "Russian spring" these moods have not proved fundamental changes, as sociological surveys showed. Most of their participants did not aim to join their region to an aggressor country. Further aggravation of the military-political situation by the Kremlin has led to the separation of the Donetsk region in two territories controlled by the Ukrainian authorities and temporarily occupied. This affected the change in geopolitical sympathies. During 2015–2017, an equable commitment between the European Union and Eurasian Customs Union in the polls, with a significant proportion of neutral status, is observed. They are experiencing minor movements towards the growth of the European course. However, the opposite trend is observed in the future. This is due to socio-political events in Ukraine and the influence of hostile propaganda to the mass consciousness of Donetsk.

Identification of QTLs for Grain Protein Content in Russian Spring Wheat Varieties.

Most modern breeding programs aim to develop wheat (T. aestivum L.) varieties with a high grain protein content (GPC) due to its greater milling and cooking quality, and improved grain price. Here, we used a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to map single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with GPC in 93 spring bread wheat varieties developed by eight Russian Breeding Centers. The varieties were evaluated for GPC, grain weight per spike (GWS), and thousand-kernel weight (TKW) at six environments, and genotyped with 9351 polymorphic SNPs and two SNPs associated with the NAM-A1 gene. GPC varied from 9.8 to 20.0%, depending on the genotype and environment. Nearly 52% of the genotypes had a GPC > 14.5%, which is the threshold value for entry into high-class wheat varieties. Broad-sense heritability for GPC was moderate (0.42), which is due to the significant effect of environment and genotype × environment interactions. GWAS performed on mean GPC evaluated across six environments identified eleven significant marker-trait associations, of which nine were physically mapped on chromosome 6A. Screening of wheat varieties for allelic variants of the NAM-A1 gene indicated that 60% of the varieties contained the NAM-A1c allele, followed by 33% for NAM-A1d, and 5% for NAM-A1a alleles. Varieties with the NAM-A1d allele showed significantly (p < 0.01) smaller GPC than those with NAM-A1c and NAM-A1a. However, no significant differences between NAM-A1 alleles were observed for both GWS and TKW.

Prospect for Incorporation of Ppd-D1a Allele in Russian Spring Bread Wheat Cultivars

Prospect for Incorporation of Ppd-D1a Allele in Russian Spring Bread Wheat Cultivars

Development of the Ukrainian Orthodoxy in the Conditions of the Revanchist Policy of the Russian Federation against Ukraine

The article analyzes the development of Ukrainian Orthodoxy in the context of the revenge policy of Russia against Ukraine at the turn of the 21st century. It is discovered that almost a quarter of a century of inactivity of the Ukrainian authorities and active anti-Ukrainian and anti-state actions of the Russian Orthodox Church and its Little-Russian branch the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate contributed to their introduction into the Ukrainian humanitarian space of fundamental ideas, dogmas, and postulates of the “Russian World,” which subsequently led to the occupation by Russia of Crimea and parts of Donbas and the so-called “Russian Spring” in 2014. It is shown that Russia’s armed and information aggression in early 2014 called into question the very existence of the Ukrainian state and the Ukrainian nation, but thanks to the all-Ukrainian patriotic movement, including the stated policy and position of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, the enemy was stopped. It is proved that the undeclared Russian-Ukrainian hybrid warfare led not only to temporary territorial losses, huge casualties, tragedies, etc., but also to the unification of Ukrainians, the creation of the Ukrainian political nation, and a significant consolidation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate. Russian aggression became a catalyst for the unity of pro-Ukrainian forces and contributed to the intensification of the process of creating the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Research on religious identification of representatives of the Ukrainian community has been carried out using the methods of individual questionnaire survey and included observation; the influence of the destructive Russian factor on their religious self-identification has been traced. It is found that in the context of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Armed Forces, which began on February 24, 2022, Ukrainians united in the name of victory over the aggressor, so the patriotic believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate will have to make a final choice about whether or not to join the Orthodox Church of Ukraine not only to weaken the pro-Russian fifth column in Ukraine but to help resistance forces in liberating the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.

The Doctrine of “The Russian World” as a Political Ideology of Russian Aggression Against Ukraine

The article analyzes the conceptual foundations of the geopolitical doctrine of the "Russian world", which has become a political ideology and the basis of Russia's hybrid aggression against Ukraine. The imperial essence of Putin's Russia as the successor to the Russian and Soviet empires has been revealed. The concept of "Russian peace" is understood as an important element of Russia's revenge policy towards Ukraine and Ukrainians. It is proved that the Kremlin leadership and their supporters in Ukraine actively use this doctrine to deny the modern ethnocultural reality, namely, do not recognize Ukrainians as a separate, original people, but only a sub-ethnic group of the great Russians. The basic elements of the "Russian world" are described, first of all, the Russian Orthodox Church, the information component, the Russian language, culture, education, science, and so on. The criminal role of the "Russian world" in the preparation and course of the undeclared Russian-Ukrainian hybrid war has been clarified. Those regions of Ukraine where the "Russian world" became most widespread and popular among the anti-Ukrainian local population later became either easy prey for the aggressor (like Crimea) or an arena of bloody confrontation (like Donetsk and Luhansk regions). Conversely, where pro-Ukrainian forces were in the majority, they were able to stop the offensive of the "Russian world" – and the so-called "Russian spring". It is proved that the leaders of Russia and their henchmen purposefully deny and ignore the modern ethnocultural reality and actively implement in the spiritual, informational, linguistic, cultural, educational and scientific space of Ukraine ideas and principles of the "Russian world", which ultimately weakens the Ukrainian state. nation and Ukrainian national identity. The ways of overcoming and final liquidation of ideas, ideological bases, ideology, and basic elements of the "Russian world" by the Ukrainian state are offered. First of all, it is the elimination of the so-called lines of demarcation in Ukrainian society, the acquisition of strategic importance of state significance by Ukrainian studies, including the Ukrainian "soft power" of conciliar, diplomatic and political nature and the building of the Ukrainian Independent Conciliar State on Ukrainian-centric principles. modern renewed nationalism and Ukrainian studies as an educational humanities discipline, integrative science and patriotic worldview).

Putin and Chaos (How Chaos Theory is Interpreted in the Kremlin)

The article considers chaos theory as a scientific concept that was developed to explain nonlinear dynamics in objects of a complex nature and to solve applied problems in engineering, meteorology, economics, construction, etc. Application of chaos theory in sociology provides for good outcomes in big social systems. In the context of social management, it opens the discourse of models that overcome “the curse of complexity”. It explains the social transformations processes that include the critical complexity. The research reveals that in modern Russia the pseudoscientific concept of “managed chaos” is developed and is being used to wage the hybrid war. Russians are erroneously attribute to the USA strategists and in fact legitimizes subversive activities against countries where the Russian Federation conducts or plans to start military operations. V. Putin is well informed about the “managed chaos” tactics; content-analysis of his public narratives detected at least 50 mentions of the term “chaos” in the following contexts: 1) as a as a difficult legacy of the 90's, which he skillfully overcame; 2) to characterize different countries and regions of the world, where the culprits of chaos are allegedly created the the USA; 3) conceptualization of chaos as a global phenomenon and a weapon of hybrid warfare. The analysis of Russian sources shows that the “managed chaos” tactic is understood as a politics of deep invasion in the internal affairs of the sovereign states, subversive operations, economic and diplomatic pressure, interference in the electoral process, political corruption, information interventions, the formation of the fifth column and any kinds of destructive measures. From the experience of the 2014 events of the so-called "Russian Spring" in Ukraine, operations of "managed chaos" unfolded in three directions: 1) chaos of the mass consciousness, 2) obstruction of state institutions, 3) organization of street protests and riots. The conclusion is formulated that the chaos of large systems is a necessary and specific element of social dynamics and social changes; as for the nature of the transformation, it depends on the choice of the model of the system's existence in the near future.

ВПЛИВ РЕВАНШИСТСЬКОЇ ПОЛІТИКИ КРЕМЛЯ НА РЕЛІГІЙНІ КОНФЛІКТИ В СУЧАСНІЙ УКРАЇНІ

The article analyzes the influence of the Kremlin's revanchist policy on religious conflicts in modern Ukraine. It is revealed that the Russian state has existed for three centuries in the format of an empire (feudalcapitalist, totalitarian-Soviet, and autocratic), during which time Ukraine and Ukrainians were an important component of these imperial state formations. It was found that almost a quarter of a century of inactivity of the domestic authorities and active anti-Ukrainian and anti-state actions of the Russian Orthodox Church and its Little Russia branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate contributed to their introduction into the Ukrainian humanitarian space. later led to the so-called "Russian spring" in 2014. It is proved that the armed and information aggression of the Russian Federation in early 2014, intensified by the anti-Ukrainian activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, called into question the very existence of Ukrainian statehood and the Ukrainian nation, but thanks to the all-Ukrainian The enemy was stopped by the Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate. It is shown that the combination of efforts of the Ukrainian authorities, civil society and believers is extremely important for the development of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. It was revealed that for the final victory over the Russian aggressor, in addition to military, geopolitical, diplomatic, political, economic, ethnocultural factors, it will be necessary to use the sacred-spiritual factor - the unification of Ukrainian Orthodoxy into the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and its national-patriotic state activity to overcome the Kremlin's revanchist policy towards the Ukrainian nation and eliminate religious conflicts in modern Ukraine.

RUSSIAN WORLD IS A SIGNIFICANT ELEMENT OF THE REVENGE POLICY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AGAINST UKRAINE

The article analyzes the political and ideological concept of the «russian world» as an important element of the revanchist policy of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. The imperial essence of Putin's Russia as the successor to the Russian and Soviet empires has been revealed. Although formally Russia is a federation of many peoples, in reality it is an imperial state that not only tries to preserve the status quo after the collapse of the USSR, but also makes active attempts to regain its geopolitical influence in both the near and far abroad. The basic elements of «russian world» are characterized. These are, first of all, the Russian Orthodox Church, the information component, the Russian language, culture, education, science, and so on. The criminal role of «russian world» in the preparation and course of the Russian-Ukrainian war has been clarified. It was those regions of Ukraine where «russian world» became most widespread and popular among the anti-Ukrainian local population that later became either easy prey for the aggressor (like Crimea) or an arena of bloody confrontation (like Donetsk and Luhansk regions). Conversely, where pro-Ukrainian forces were in the majority, they were able to stop the offensive «russian world» and the so-called «russian spring». The ways of overcoming and final liquidation of ideas, ideological bases and ideology and basic elements of «russian world» by the Ukrainian state are offered. First of all, it is the development of the Ukrainian Independent Conciliar State on the basis of Ukraine-centric principles (combination and synergy of Ukrainian modern renewed nationalism and Ukrainian studies as an educational humanities discipline, integrative science and patriotic worldview). Ukrainian Independent Conciliar State in the XXI century. should become the leader of Central and Eastern Europe and enter the top twenty most developed countries in the world.

Influence of biomodified mineral fertilizers on sawing quality of spring barley

Nowadays, the ability to demonstrate the achievement of Russian spring barley selection is significantly limited. The reason for this is the poor use on the fields of agricultural enterprises of the possibility of increasing productivity by improving sowing qualities.

Producing high-quality seeding material of Russian spring soft wheat varieties in Priobskaya zone of Altay forest steppes

A sufficient output of food and feed grain is one of priorities in Russian agribusiness. The reported study aims at the agrobiologic assessing spring soft wheat varieties in conditions of Priobskaya zone of Altay forest steppes. The experiments were carried out on production fields in 2018 – 2019. As an object of research 5 mid-ripening spring wheat varieties are taken. A maximum yield (2.1 t/ha) was produced when growing such varieties as Altayskaya zhnitsa and OmGAU 90. The variability of crops is reported to be low (Cv%<10). A high wheat gluten value is detected in the following varieties: Altayskaya zhnitsa (36.2%), Altayskaya stepnaya (36.9%), and OmGAU 90 (37.1%). A maximum of grain unit is given by Altayskaya zhnitsa (785 g/l). It is recommended to cultivate Altayskaya zhnitsa, OmGAU 90, Altayskaya 100 in Priobskaya zone of Altay forest steppes.

РЕАКЦІЯ ЖИТЕЛІВ ДОНЕЦЬКОЇ ОБЛАСТІ НА ЗБРОЙНУ АГРЕСІЮ РОСІЇ ПРОТИ УКРАЇНИ У 2014 р.

The article clarifies and analyzes the reaction of the population of Donetsk region to the "Russian spring" and the military invasion of Donbass. The mechanisms of the Russian special coordination center in resolving the military confrontation in the Donetsk region in order to incite public hatred to demonstrate the alleged «internal conflict» and not the aggression of the Russian Federation have been studied. The evolution of the mood of Donetsk residents in connection with the active hostilities in eastern Ukraine and the reasons for their changes have been established. Thus, it was found that the revolutionary changes were perceived ambiguously by the residents of Donetsk region. This was due to their significant presence under the influence of those media outlets that discredited the events on the Maidan and their supporters. Relevant sentiments were used by both internal and external forces that pursued their own goals. This led to a socio-political confrontation between pro-Russian forces and supporters of a united Ukraine. The active resistance of the Ukrainian population to the «Russian Spring» and the desire of the majority, according to opinion polls, to thwart the Kremlin leadership's plans to provoke internal conflict and forced it to intervene militarily with paramilitary and military groups. They were disguised as local «militias» who spread bloodshed and enmity through various provocations. However, the offensive of the Ukrainian army and the weak support of the inhabitants of the terrorist activities of the «DNR» threatened the existence of the Russian occupation administration, which prompted official Moscow to introduce battalion tactical groups of the Russian Armed Forces on the mainland of Ukraine. Their intervention led to significant losses of the Ukrainian army and the signing of a plan for a peaceful settlement of the situation in the east of the country, the so-called Minsk-1. This divided the territory of Donetsk region into temporarily occupied and controlled Ukraine. After active hostilities, the attitude of Donetsk residents towards Ukraine and its army changed, as a significant part of them sought to withdraw the latter from their region; the number of supporters of the "independence of the DNR" increased and, at the same time, the number of those who sought to join the region to the Russian Federation decreased.

Genome-wide association study of leaf rust resistance in Russian spring wheat varieties

BackgroundLeaf rust (Puccinia triticina Eriks.) is one of the most dangerous diseases of common wheat worldwide. Three approaches: genome-wide association study (GWAS), marker-assisted selection (MAS) and phytopathological evaluation in field, were used for assessment of the genetic diversity of Russian spring wheat varieties on leaf rust resistance loci and for identification of associated molecular markers.ResultsThe collection, consisting of 100 Russian varieties of spring wheat, was evaluated over three seasons for resistance to the native population of leaf rust specific to the West Siberian region of Russia. The results indicated that most cultivars showed high susceptibility to P. triticina, with severity ratings (SR) of 60S–90S, however some cultivars showed a high level of leaf rust resistance (SR < 20MR-R). Based on the results of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) performed using the wheat 15 K genotyping array, 20 SNPs located on chromosomes 6D, 6A, 6B, 5A, 1B, 2A, 2B and 7A were revealed to be associated with leaf rust resistance. Genotyping with markers developed for known leaf rust resistance genes showed that most of the varieties contain genes Lr1, Lr3a, Lr9, Lr10, Lr17a, Lr20, Lr26 and Lr34, which are not currently effective against the pathogen. In the genome of three wheat varieties, gene Lr6Ai = 2 inherited from Th. intermedium was detected, which provides complete protection against the rust pathogen. It has been suggested that the QTL mapped to the chromosome 5AS of wheat cultivar Tulaikovskaya-zolotistaya, Tulaikovskaya-10, Samsar, and Volgouralskaya may be a new, previously undescribed locus conferring resistance to leaf rust. Obtained results also indicate that chromosome 1BL of the varieties Sonata, Otrada-Sibiri, Tertsiya, Omskaya-23, Tulaikovskaya-1, Obskaya-14, and Sirena may contain an unknown locus that provides a resistance response to local population.ConclusionsThis study provides new insights into the genetic basis of resistance to leaf rust in Russian spring wheat varieties. The SNPs significantly associated with leaf rust resistance can be used for the development and application of diagnostic markers in marker-assisted selection schemes.

Critical increase in the occurrence of heat stress during reproductive growth in Russian wheat beyond 1.5 C global warming

Exposure to a critical high temperature during the reproductive period can harm wheat development, entail yield losses and lead to yield instability. In the recent past, Russian wheat production suffered a few times from marked downturns caused by heat waves that eventually had repercussions on the global wheat market. In this study, we assess the frequency of heat stress days on Russian spring and winter wheat production using climate scenarios generated from five general circulation models and reflecting four emission scenarios. We find that the fraction of cultivated area characterized by a significant positive trend in risk increases sharply if global warming exceeds 1.5 °C targeted by the Paris Agreement. Currently particularly affected areas are the main cultivation regions in the southern Urals and southern Siberia (spring wheat) and southern European Russia (winter wheat). In scenarios not foreseeing mitigation, conditions comparable to those experienced in 2010, considered here as a critical year, could become rather common in the future. We estimated that the probability of incurring in a critical year within a 30-year time window could reach 40–60% (spring wheat), respectively 20-40% (winter wheat) during the second half of the century, over most of the Russian territory. Our analysis suggests that expansion of the cultivation area towards more northern latitudes is not sufficient to prevent risk associated with heat waves, suggesting the need for other measures of adaptation to sustain production and stabilize yield.

Dissection of novel candidate genes for grain texture in Russian wheat varieties.

Wheat grain texture is a complex trait. The crucial role of puroindoline genes in grain texture determination was confirmed. New loci, highly associated with the trait, were identified and dissected. Grain texture is an important milling characteristic of common wheat. Previously, it was shown that the Ha locus on 5DS, containing the puroindoline-a, puroindoline-b and GSP-1 genes, has a crucial role in endosperm texture. However, some other loci were detected on different chromosomes, but no specific genes were proposed to be involved in grain hardness organization. In this study, we used a panel of Russian spring wheat varieties. The grain texture of varieties ranged from soft to hard. Analysis of the flour particle size and flour particle specific surface of wheat varieties cultivated in different environments demonstrated high heritability (0.79–0.8) and strong repeatability of the traits. Genotyping of wheat varieties with allele-specific markers for the puroindoline-a and puroindoline-b genes demonstrated that 25% of the studied varieties carried rare allele Pin-D1k, which lacked both Pina and Pinb (double null allele). Our results confirmed the strong impact of this allele on grain texture. Association analysis with the use of SNP genotyping (Illumina 15 K Wheat) and 2-year phenotyping confirmed the key role played by puroindoline genes (5D) in determining the grain texture of Russian wheat varieties. The analysis also detected significant SNPs on the 1B, 3A, 5B, 6A, 6D, 7B, 7D chromosomes. The best candidate loci for the grain texture were located on chromosomes 5B and 7B (FDR ≤ 0.05). We dissected a number of candidate genes and proposed a possible mechanism for their contribution to endosperm texture determination. These genes are involved in the metabolism of galactolipids (DGDG) and carbohydrates (1,3-β-glucan).

Detection of Genomic Regions Associated with Resistance to Stem Rust in Russian Spring Wheat Varieties and Breeding Germplasm.

Stem rust caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici Eriks. is a dangerous disease of common wheat worldwide. Development and cultivation of the varieties with genetic resistance is one of the most effective and environmentally important ways for protection of wheat against fungal pathogens. Field phytopathological screening and genome-wide association study (GWAS) were used for assessment of the genetic diversity of a collection of spring wheat genotypes on stem rust resistance loci. The collection consisting of Russian varieties of spring wheat and introgression lines with alien genetic materials was evaluated over three seasons (2016, 2017 and 2018) for resistance to the native population of stem rust specific to the West Siberian region of Russia. The results indicate that most varieties displayed from moderate to high levels of susceptibility to P. graminis; 16% of genotypes had resistance or immune response. In total, 13,006 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers obtained from the Infinium 15K array were used to perform genome-wide association analysis. GWAS detected 35 significant marker-trait associations (MTAs) with SNPs located on chromosomes 1A, 2A, 2B, 3B, 5A, 5B, 6A, 7A and 7B. The most significant associations were found on chromosomes 7A and 6A where known resistance genes Sr25 and Sr6Ai = 2 originated from Thinopyrum ssp. are located. Common wheat lines containing introgressed fragments from Triticum timopheevii and Triticum kiharae were found to carry Sr36 gene on 2B chromosome. It has been suggested that the quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapped to the chromosome 5BL may be new loci inherited from the T. timopheevii. It can be inferred that a number of Russian wheat varieties may contain the Sr17 gene, which does not currently provide effective protection against pathogen. This is the first report describing the results of analysis of the genetic factors conferring resistance of Russian spring wheat varieties to stem rust.

«РОСІЙСЬКА ВЕСНА» В МАРІУПОЛІ НА СТОРІНКАХ ГАЗЕТИ «ПРИАЗОВСКИЙ РАБОЧИЙ» (лютий-червень 2014 року)

After the escape of ex-president V. Yanukovych and armed aggression of Russian Federation in the South-Eastern regions of Ukraine there was a socio-political confrontation, which because of the interference of Russian Special Services escalated into the armed conflict on the East of Ukraine. These events have been named “the Russian Spring”. The article, based on one of the largest editions in Mariupol – the newspaper’s “The Worker of Pryazov” materials, reflects the course of socio-political confrontation in Mariupol between Ukrainian and pro-Russian activists, which has led to difficult military-political situation. The peculiarities of co-existence of local authorities with representatives of quasi-state formation and also the conducting of a force operation, in order to liberate the city from Russian-occupying forces by Ukrainian troops have been represented. The article analyses specifics of coverage of these events on the pages of the newspaper.On this regard, as it has been shown by the analysis of newspaper’s “The Worker of Pryazov” materials, there were materials that discredited Maidan and its activists. It has been caused, obviously, by its owner, which was close to the authorities. That is why the revolutionary changes in Kyiv have led to their ambiguous perception in Mariupol and socio-political confrontation in the city. However, despite the pro-Russian and Ukrainian, the newspaper covered the activities and demands of the pro-Russian forces using verbal tools distributed by the Russian media.An analysis of the demands of pro-Russian activists demonstrates the complexity and ambiguity of the “Russian Spring the source of which was a series of currents that put their own meaning into their actions. The local authorities, in their turn, tried to maintain their influence, therefore supported a number of demands of the pro-Russian camp – regarding the status of the Russian language, decentralization, while advocating for a united Ukraine. But the intervention of Russian sabotage groups led by I. Strelkov Girkin led to an armed conflict in the Donbas, including in Mariupol itself.The “DNR” representatives began to take control of the city, seizing administrative institutions and displaying their symbols. Despite the terrorist actions of the “republic” on the pages of the newspaper, the terms “activists”, “demonstrators”, “protesters” were used to refer to its supporters. Only after the change of position of Akhmetov, who initiated the indefinite campaign “For Peace” and against “DNR”, criticism of the latter began to appear in the materials of the publication.

Russian stereotypes and myths of Ukraine and Ukrainians and why Novorossiya failed

This article discusses two inter-related issues. Firstly, the factors lying behind Russia's fervent belief that its Novorossiya (New Russia) project, aimed to bring back to Russia eight oblasts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhhya, Odesa, Mykolayiv, and Kherson in eastern and southern Ukraine and launched during the 2014 “Russian Spring,” would be successful. Russian identity misunderstood, and continues to misunderstand, Ukraine and Ukrainians through stereotypes and myths of Ukraine as an “artificial state” and Ukraine's Russian speakers as “fraternal brothers” and Russians and Ukrainians as “one people” (odin narod). Secondly, why Ukrainian national identity was different than these Russian stereotypes and myths and how this led to the failure of the Novorossiya project. Russian stereotypes and myths of Ukraine and Ukrainians came face to face with the reality of Russian-speaking Ukrainian patriotism and their low support for the Russkij Mir (Russian World). The article compares Russian stereotypes and myths of Ukraine and Ukrainians with how Ukrainians see themselves to explain the roots of the 2014 crisis, “Russian Spring,” and failure of Russian President Vladimir Putin's Novorossiya project.