Man in his desire to improve nature is moving further and further. Thanks to modern achievements in genetics, farmers are getting more and more unusual and interesting hybrids that can satisfy the most daring desires of consumers.
In addition, globalization leads to the spread of plant species that are not typical for a given climatic zone. We have long gone from the exotic pineapples and bananas, hybrid nectarines and miniols, etc. have become familiar.

yellow watermelon (38 kcal, vitamins A, C)

Outside, it is the usual striped watermelon, but at the same time bright yellow inside. Another feature is the very small number of bones. This watermelon is the result of crossing a wild (yellow inside, but completely tasteless) watermelon with a cultivated watermelon. The result is juicy and tender, but less sweet than red.
They are grown in Spain (round varieties) and Thailand (oval). There is a variety "Lunar" bred by the breeder Sokolov from Astrakhan. This variety has very sweet tastes with some exotic notes like mango or lemon or pumpkin.
There is also a Ukrainian hybrid based on watermelon (“kavun”) and pumpkin (“garbuza”) - “kavbuz”. It is more like a pumpkin with a watermelon flavor and is ideal for making porridges.

purple potatoes (72 kcal, vitamin C, B vitamins, potassium, iron, magnesium and zinc)

A potato with a pink, yellow or purple skin no longer surprises anyone. But scientists from Colorado State University managed to get a potato with a purple color inside. The basis of the variety was the Andean highland potatoes, and the color is due to the high content of anthocyanins. These substances are the strongest antioxidants, the properties of which are preserved even after cooking.
They called the variety "Purple Majesty", it is already actively sold in England and begins in Scotland, the climate of which is most suitable for the variety. The popularization of the variety was facilitated by the English culinary specialist Jamie Oliver. These purple potatoes with the usual taste look great in the form of mashed potatoes, an indescribable rich color, baked, and of course french fries.

romanesco cabbage (25 kcal, carotene, vitamin C, mineral salts, zinc)

The ethereal appearance of this close relative of broccoli and cauliflower perfectly illustrates the concept of "fractal". Its pale green inflorescences are cone-shaped and arranged in a spiral on a head of cabbage. This cabbage comes from Italy, it has been on the market for about 10 years, and Dutch breeders contributed to its popularization, slightly improving the vegetable known to Italian housewives since the 16th century.

Romanesco has little fiber and a lot of useful substances, due to which it is easily digested. Interestingly, when cooking this cabbage, there is no characteristic cabbage smell that children do not like so much. In addition, the exotic appearance of the space vegetable makes you want to try it. Romanesco is prepared like regular broccoli - boiled, stewed, added to pasta and salads.

Pluot (57 kcal, fiber, vitamin C)

From the crossing of such plant species as plums (plum) and apricots (apricot), two hybrids were obtained pluot, which looks more like a plum, and aprium, more like an apricot. Both hybrids named after the first syllables English titles parent species.
Outwardly, the fruits of the pluot are painted in pink, green, burgundy or purple, the inside is from white to rich plum. These hybrids were bred in the Dave Wilson Nursery in 1989. Now in the world there are already two varieties of aprium, eleven varieties of pluot, one nectaplama (a hybrid of nectarine and plum), one pichplama (a hybrid of peach and plum).
Plows are used for making juice, desserts, homemade preparations and wine. The taste of this fruit is much sweeter than both plums and apricots.

watermelon radish (20 kcal, folic acid, vitamin C)

Watermelon radishes live up to their name - they are bright raspberry inside and covered with a white-green skin on the outside, just like a watermelon. In shape and size, too (diameter 7-8 cm), it resembles a medium-sized radish or turnip. It tastes quite ordinary - bitter at the skin and sweetish in the middle. The truth is more solid, not as juicy and crispy as usual.
It looks wonderful in a salad, simply sliced ​​with sesame seeds or salt. It is also recommended to make mashed potatoes from it, bake, add to vegetables for frying.

Yoshta (40 kcal, anthocyanins with antioxidant properties, vitamins C, P)

Crossing such plant species as currant (johannisbeere) and gooseberry (stachelbeere) gave the joshtu berry with fruits close to black, the size of a cherry, sweet and sour, slightly astringent taste, pleasantly reminiscent of currants.
Michurin also dreamed of creating a currant the size of a gooseberry, but not prickly. He managed to bring out the gooseberry "Black Moor" dark purple. By 1939 in Berlin, Paul Lorenz was also breeding similar hybrids. In connection with the war, these works were stopped. And only in 1970 Rudolf Bauer managed to get the perfect plant. Now there are two varieties of yoshta: "Black" (brown-burgundy) and "Red" (faded red).
During the season, 7-10 kg of berries are obtained from the yoshta bush. They are used in homemade preparations, desserts, for flavoring soda. Yoshta is good for gastrointestinal diseases, for removing heavy metals and radioactive substances from the body, and improving blood circulation.

Broccolini (43 kcal, calcium, vitamins A, C, iron, fiber, folic acid)

In the cabbage family, as a result of crossing ordinary broccoli and Chinese broccoli (gailana), a new cabbage similar to asparagus on top with a head of broccoli was obtained.
Broccolini is slightly sweet, does not have a sharp cabbage spirit, with a peppery note, delicate in taste, reminiscent of asparagus and broccoli at the same time. It contains many nutrients and is low in calories.
In the USA, Brazil, Asian countries, Spain, broccolini is commonly used as a side dish. It is served fresh, drizzled with butter or lightly fried in butter.

Nashy (46 kcal, antioxidants, phosphorus, calcium, fiber)

Another result of crossing plants is neshes. They got it from an apple and a pear in Asia several centuries ago. There it is called Asian, water, sand or Japanese pear. The fruit looks like a round apple, but tastes like a juicy, crunchy pear. The color of nashi is from pale green to orange. Unlike ordinary pear, nashi is harder, so it is better stored and transported.
Neshi is quite juicy, so it is better to use it in salads or solo. It is also good as an appetizer for wine along with cheese and grapes. Now about 10 popular commercial varieties are grown in Australia, the USA, New Zealand, France, Chile and Cyprus.

Yuzu (30 kcal, vitamin C)

Yuzu (Japanese lemon) is a hybrid of mandarin and ornamental citrus (Ichang papeda). The green or yellow tangerine-sized fruit with a bumpy skin has a sour taste and a bright aroma. It has been used by the Japanese since the 7th century, when Buddhist monks brought this fruit from the mainland to the islands. Yuzu is popular in Chinese and Korean cuisine.
It has a completely unusual aroma - citrus, with floral hints and notes of pine needles. Most often used for flavoring, the zest is used as a seasoning. This seasoning is added to meat and fish dishes, miso soup, noodles. Jams, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, desserts, syrups are also prepared with zest. The juice is similar to lemon juice (sour and fragrant, but milder) and is the base of ponzu sauce, also used as vinegar.
It also has a cult significance in Japan. On December 22, on the winter solstice, it is customary to take baths with these fruits, which symbolize the sun. Its aroma drives away evil forces, protects against colds. Animals are dipped in the same bath, and plants are then watered with water.

yellow beets (50 kcal, folic acid, potassium, vitamin A, fiber)

This beet differs only from the usual one only in color and in that it does not get your hands dirty when cooked. It tastes just as sweet, fragrant, good baked and even in chips. Yellow beet leaves can be used fresh in salads.

But a person is only learning to transform plant species, and nature has long been creating

Purpose: To study the possibilities of carrying out hybridological analysis on the object of peas (Pisum sativum L.).

Varieties (lines) can be used for hybridological analysis in summer field practice. different types plants, but better - those of economic importance, taking into account the climatic conditions of the area. Genetic collections are commonly used for crossbreeding. cultivated plants: genetic collection of mutant intraspecific forms, pure lines, varieties. Pure (homozygous) lines are found in seed peas, corn, tomatoes, wheat, rye, barley, lupine, etc.

The best object for crossbreeding is pea (Pisum sativum L., 2n=14). The plant is self-pollinating, cross-pollination is rare. Flowers with bracts, bisexual, five-petalled. The flower consists of a sail, two wings and two fused petals - a boat (Fig. 1,2). The pistil is simple, composed of one carpel. The style of the pistil is flattened and bent almost at a right angle upwards, the ovary is superior. There are 10 stamens in the flower, 9 of them (rarely all 10) grow together with threads into a tube, and one stamen is free.

The flowering period for peas is up to two weeks, depending on the variety and weather conditions, this period can last from 3 to 40 days. Self-pollination occurs in the bud before the flower opens. Mature anthers usually crack in the bud, and pollen collects in the upper part of the boat, falling on the stigma as the pistil grows.

The flowers open sequentially from the bottom up, the lower flowers bloom first. Before planting, the peas are carefully prepared. The seeding depth is 5-7 cm, the distance between plants is about 10-12 cm, between rows is about 20 cm.

Crossing technique. It consists of the following operations: preparation of the inflorescence for crossing, castration of flowers and pollination.

Progress. The main point of crossing on peas is the castration of the flower - the removal of anthers from the flower of the mother plant before they ripen. Castration is usually carried out in the budding phase (light green buds).

Pollination of the castrated flower of the mother plant is preferably carried out with freshly collected pollen or using the pollen of the plucked paternal flower. For pollination, pollen is taken from the newly blossomed flower of the paternal plant.

A few days after pollination, when the pods begin to form, the insulators are removed. Seeds ripened in beans in the year of crossing are already hybrids of the first generation (), they can observe the dominance of one of the traits (in the shape or color of the seeds).

1. Hustle the beans from the mother plant, count the number of seeds; make sure all seeds are yellow.

2. Hustle the beans from the plant of the paternal variety, count the number of seeds; make sure all seeds are green.

3. Hustle the beans of three plants with seeds of the first generation (); check that all seeds are yellow and count the number of seeds obtained. Determine which color (yellow or green) is dominant and which is recessive.

4. Husk the beans of 10 pea plants with seeds of the second generation (), count the number of yellow and green seeds, calculate the ratio between them. Then calculate the theoretically expected ratio of yellow and green seeds. It is better to record the data in a table (Table 1).

Table 1

Hybridological analysis in monohybrid crossing of peas

The table contains all the data on the analysis of splitting in hybrids and obtained by all students. It should be borne in mind that the more seeds obtained, the better the actual segregation data is in agreement with the theoretically expected segregation.

Hybridological analysis in peas during dihybrid crossing

Crossing is called dihybrid, in which parental forms differ from one another in two pairs of studied alternative traits. In hybrids and the inheritance of only two pairs of traits or two pairs of genes that determine their development is analyzed.

For hybridological analysis during dihybrid crossing, pea varieties already recommended for monohybrid crossing were taken: "Moskovsky 558", which has smooth green seeds and "Inexhaustible 195" with wrinkled yellow seeds. . The seeds of the first generation hybrids were smooth and yellow.

When analyzing the nature of splitting by color and shape of seeds in peas, the following tasks were performed:

Seed beans from 5 or more Inexhaustible 195 mother plants, count the number of seeds and check that they are all yellow and wrinkled;

Husk the seeds of 5 or more paternal plants of the "Moskovsky 559" variety, they should be all smooth and green;

Hustle the seeds of the hybrids, they should all be yellow and smooth. Determine which traits are dominant and which are recessive;

Husk the seeds and distribute them into four phenotypic classes according to the combination of color and shape traits of the seeds: yellow smooth, yellow wrinkled, green smooth and green wrinkled;

To determine the nature of the inheritance of each pair of traits (alleles) in a dihybrid, it is necessary to calculate the splitting for each of them separately: into yellow-green and smooth-wrinkled, it should be 3:1. As follows from Table 4, the ratio of yellow and green seeds is 1075:365, or 2.94:1, close to 3:1. This means that the traits of color and shape of seeds in peas are inherited independently.

Table 4

Hybrid seeds in color and shape form 4 phenotypic classes in the following quantitative ratios: approximately all seeds obtained will be yellow smooth (A-B-), - yellow wrinkled (A-bb), - green smooth (aa B-) and - green wrinkled (aa cc), or close to the ratio 9:3:3:1.

The method of crossing in cereals (wheat and rye)

Wheat (Triticum L.) is a genus of herbaceous proterogynous plants. In the culture cultivated mainly varieties of soft (6n=42) and durum (4n=28) wheat.

The inflorescence of wheat is a complex spike, consisting of identical 3-7 flowering spikelets, sitting in the grooves of the spike rod. The wheat flower has 3 stamens and a two-lobed stigma. Crossing begins with the castration of the flower of female plants.

During pollination, either cracked anthers are laid in castrated mother flowers, or pollen is applied directly to the stigma with tweezers, a brush, or a flat, thin stick. Pollen application is more reliable

The method of crossing the apple tree

Apple (Malus Mill) is a genus of plants in the Rosaceae family. The genus includes 36 species. The most widespread apple tree is domestic, or cultivated. Most of the varieties are diploid (2n=34), about a quarter of the varieties are triploid (3n=51), and a few varieties are tetraploid (4n=68).

Flower structure. The flowers of the apple tree are collected in umbellate inflorescences (Fig. 6). The flower is large, white, pink outside. There are many stamens. Pistil with five fused columns at the base. Anthers are yellow. The calyx is five-parted. Ovary inferior, five-celled; 4-6 ovules in each nest. The apple tree blooms from April to June, depending on the zone. The stigma matures earlier than the anthers, which guarantees cross-pollination by bees and bumblebees. Flowering time is 8-12 days.

Pollination technique. 2-3 buds are left on the flower, the rest are removed. Leave the buds that have reached the final size, the petals of which have not yet begun to move apart. Carefully spread the petals with tweezers, grab the upper part of the filament with an anther and remove. It is better to remove one anther at a time so as not to damage the stigma of the pestle. Put on a common insulator on castrated buds.

Pollen for pollination can be prepared on the day of castration. Collect the buds of the paternal variety plant that have just begun to bloom in a paper bag. In an apple tree, pollen from one bud is enough to pollinate 5-10 flowers.

Evaluation of plant fertility by pollen grains

In higher flowering plants, the gametophyte is reduced and reduced to the formation of an embryo sac (macrosporogenesis) and pollen germination (microsporogenesis). Microspore formation occurs in microsporangia. Mature microspores in seed plants are called pollen, this is a collection of pollen grains - dust particles that serve for sexual reproduction. Analysis of microsporogenesis, as well as the morphology of mature pollen grains, makes it possible to assess the level of plant fertility. This is especially important when studying the genetic control of fertility, when identifying CMS in plants, hybridization and polyploidy.

Disturbances in pollen morphology, a sharp decrease in its amount in anthers, and impaired germination can be the result of various genetic causes.

There are special methods for analyzing the fertility of plants by the germination of pollen grains. In nature, pollen, falling on the stigma of the pistil, germinates, forming a pollen tube. Pollen germinates under the influence of special substances containing sugars, which are secreted by the cells of the mature stigma.

Germination of pollen in some plants at C is observed after 15-20 minutes. Pollen tubes do not develop simultaneously; in some dust particles, the tube is shorter, in others it is longer.

sprouted pollen grains on the coverslip, one can stain with acetoorcein and see one or two (depending on the length of the tube) nuclei (sperm) in the tubes.

In addition to pollen germination, abnormal cells can be detected by their morphological analysis using stains. For example, pollen containing starch is stained with iodine: the anther of any plant with fully ripened pollen grains is taken and placed on a glass slide. Using a dissecting needle, the anther is torn and pollen grains are distributed over the surface of the glass. A drop of 0.5% alcohol solution of iodine is applied to the glass, which reveals the presence of starch by the specific blue color of pollen grains. They can be stained with acetorcein and grains with an abnormal shape, slightly stained, “unfulfilled,” i.e., the proportion of abortive cells, can be studied.

Task 1. Using pollen from the most various kinds plants, the students analyzed the variability of its morphology in a drop of water without staining (in vivo), using staining with iodine, acetocarmine.

Task 2. During the period of flowering of rye and other cultivated plants and the final maturation of pollen in forms with different genotypes (diploids, polyploids, aneuploids), in forms growing in various conditions environmental conditions (pay attention to the weather conditions under which meiosis or the completion of pollen morphogenesis occurred), determine the frequency of occurrence of abnormal mature pollen grains. Classify abnormal cells: sharp deviations in size, violation of the shape, violation of the cytoplasm (its compression and detachment from the membrane, etc.). Abortive pollen grains often have a single nucleus. To analyze the frequency of abortive pollen, stain with acetorcein or acetocarmine.

Every year, shops surprise customers with more and more unusual vegetables and fruits. Although there is nothing to be surprised about - not so long ago the most ordinary banana was a curiosity for most of our compatriots.

Today, hybrids reign on the shelves of stores, which appeared as a result of interspecific crossing of plants, and not due to genetic manipulation of them. No one is surprised by nectarines and miniols, it seems to many that they were always on sale.

But the assortment of stores is far from being limited to these two fruits. We were able to select the 10 most curious vegetables and fruits that today, thanks to the miracle of selection, it has become possible to buy and try.

Yellow watermelon. Energy value 38 kcal. This extraordinary product has useful vitamins A and C. Outwardly, it is no different from an ordinary watermelon, the same striped. But inside the hybrid is bright yellow. But the differences lie not only in the unusual color of the pulp, there are much fewer seeds than usual. In order to create such a watermelon, its wild variety (which is just yellow in color, though unpleasant in taste) was crossed with the usual one. The new hybrid is just as tender and juicy, only not as sweet as red. Now round yellow watermelons are grown in summer in Spain, and oval-shaped in winter in Thailand. In this country, by the way, yellow watermelon is especially revered, because local beliefs say that this color attracts money. In Russia, yellow watermelons are also grown, in Astrakhan. The development of a new variety was carried out at the All-Russian Research Institute of Irrigated Vegetable Growing and Melon Growing about ten years ago. As a result, there appeared new variety- "Lunar". Its advantage is high sweetness, unlike foreign ones. The exotic taste resembles either a pumpkin or a mango. Experiments to breed yellow watermelon have been underway in several countries and for a long time. Ukrainian scientists failed to achieve the success of their Russian neighbors. As a result of crossing, a hybrid "kavbuz" was obtained, which has only aroma from the original watermelon, and adopted all other properties from the pumpkin. Such a hybrid is well suited for making porridge.

Purple potatoes. The energy value of a potato is 72 kcal, and it is rich in B vitamins, vitamin C, as well as iron, zinc, potassium and magnesium. Don't know where to find? Head to Sainsbury's English online store. Today, potatoes with yellow, pink, and even purple skins are common, but have you seen purple inside tubers? We owe their appearance to scientists from the University of Colorado, who, in order to obtain the original purple color, “conjured” for a long time over potatoes from the highlands of the Andes. Such a rich shade of potatoes acquired due to the high content of anthocyanins in it. They have antioxidant properties that do not disappear even after cooking. The most popular variety is "Purple Majesty", it has been on sale in England for about a year now. To grow such a hybrid the best way suits the climate of Scotland. The unusual variety was popularized in the country by the famous English culinary specialist Jamie Oliver, who is not afraid of experiments with food. He managed to teach how to cook the original purple mashed potatoes, the potatoes also look harmoniously baked in the company with other vegetables, and the “fries” option looks very attractive. But the taste of purple fruits from ordinary ones is no different.

Romanesco cabbage. The energy value is only 25 kcal. The composition contains carotene, mineral salts, vitamin C and zinc. The vegetable can be mistaken for some kind of extraterrestrial plant. Nevertheless, it is a close relative of the familiar broccoli and cauliflower. Only pale green inflorescences are not rounded, but cone-shaped, located on the head in a spiral. This form of cabbage has given rise to many jokes. They say that Romanesco head was not bred by scientists in Italy, but only fell out of a flying saucer there. The real history of the hybrid is rather banal. Romanesco cabbage has been on the market for 10 years. It was popularized by Dutch breeders who were able to improve this vegetable, familiar to Italian housewives since the 16th century. Romanesco differs in that it contains many useful substances, but there is little fiber. This gives good digestibility. Yes, and parents like such cabbage, it is much easier for a child to make it eat - there is no characteristic smell that children do not like. And the kids will certainly be seduced by the unusual, cosmic appearance of the vegetable. Cooking Romanesco is not so difficult, it can be stewed, boiled and added to salads or pasta like regular broccoli. It is curious, but an unusual vegetable is associated not only with cooking, but also with mathematics. Scientists believe that the Romanesco example can easily explain what a fractal looks like.

Pluot. The energy value is 57 kcal. Pluot is rich in fiber and vitamin C. You can buy this fruit at the end of summer. The name of this hybrid of apricot and plum was born due to the addition of two parts English words"plum" (plum) and "apricot" (apricot). Outwardly, the pluot still looks more like a plum, by the way, it has a sibling - an aprium, which is more like an apricot. While the outside of a ploot can be green, pink, or purple, the inside shades range from white to deep plum. They created a hybrid back in 1989 at the California nursery "Dave Wilson Nursery". At first, seedlings of ordinary fruit trees for sale, and then managed to establish the production of their own varieties. As a result, eleven varieties of pluot, two varieties of aprium and one variety of nectaplam, a hybrid of nectarine and plum, have already been created in the world today. There is also a Pichplama variety, a hybrid of peach and plum. It is believed that pluot gives very good and delicious juice, excellent desserts, homemade preparations and wine are obtained from that fruit. And fresh pluot is a real delicacy. After all, it is much sweeter than both plums and apricots.

Watermelon radish. The energy value of such a product is 20 kcal, and it is valuable in the content of vitamin C and folic acid. You can buy seeds at farmers' markets in England and America, as well as on Amazon.com. The watermelon radish looks like it's turned inside out. It's crimson on the inside, not on the outside. On top of the hybrid is a white-green skin, which makes it look like a watermelon. In its shape and size, such a radish resembles a small turnip or radish, usually 7-8 centimeters in diameter. The radish is sweetish only closer to the middle, and on the outside it is, like the usual one, bitter. It is also worth noting that it is not as juicy and crispy as the traditional variety, and much firmer. Watermelon radish is good for roasting and mashing, it is added to vegetables when frying or in a salad. If slices of watermelon radish are sprinkled with black sesame or black salt, they will look very effective. This was understood in California, having created such a hit in their restaurants. Buyers look for bunches of the best watermelon radishes at farmers' markets. And growing such a vegetable in the country is easy even in our climate.

Yoshta. The energy value of such a product is 40 kcal, and it contains vitamins C and P, anthocyanins, which have antioxidant properties. You can buy yoshta at farmers' markets in Europe, America and Russia and in some specialized online stores. For the name of this unique fruit of the union of currant and gooseberry, two German words were combined - johannisbeere (currant) and stachelbeere (gooseberry). As a result, yoshta berries are black in color, and their size is comparable to cherries. The taste of the hybrid is viscous and sweet and sour, while there is a taste of currant. The idea to combine gooseberries with currants, and even without thorns, has been in the air for a long time, Michurin dreamed about it. He even managed to develop his own type of gooseberry in a dark purple hue called "Black Moor". In parallel with our scientist, Paul Lorenz worked on the creation of a hybrid in Germany. By the beginning of World War II, he managed to grow 1000 seedlings, but the fighting prevented further selection. Only in 1970, the German scientist Rudolf Bauer was able to create a full-fledged and ideal hybrid. Today, two varieties of yoshta have been created. "Black" has brown-burgundy berries, and "Red" has pale red berries. During the season, one yoshta bush produces from 7 to 10 kilograms of berries, which are used in desserts and homemade preparations. There is even a soda flavored with these berries. Yoshtu is recommended for use in gastrointestinal diseases, as well as to improve blood circulation and remove heavy metals and radioactive substances from the body. It is rather difficult to find yoshta on the shelves of our stores; you can buy it only at farmers' markets. But the cheapest option would be to grow an unusual bush in your own country house.

Broccolini. The energy value of such a hybrid is 43 kcal. It contains vitamins A, C, iron, calcium, fiber and folic acid. There are many relatives in the row of cabbage - Brussels sprouts and Savoy cabbages, broccoli and kohlrabi. Recently, broccolini has also been added to them. It was obtained by crossing ordinary broccoli and gailan vegetable, also called Chinese broccoli. The result is a new plant that looks like asparagus with a head of broccoli on top of its head. Broccolini does not have the usual sharp cabbage smell, it is slightly sweet, but there are notes of pepper. The taste of such cabbage is delicate, it resembles both asparagus and broccoli at the same time. Although the new vegetable contains many useful substances, it is low in calories. Broccolini has become a familiar side dish in the United States, Spain, Brazil and Asian countries. This cabbage is usually lightly fried in oil or served fresh, drizzled with oil. Broccolini harmoniously fits into oriental and Italian dishes. For the most real fans of broccolini, there are often interesting vacancies. So, there was an offer to work on a farm in Stanthorpe, Australia. The employer offered $17 for an hour of weeding, harvesting, and tying broccolini into bouquets.

Nash. Its energy value is 46 kcal, and in addition to fiber and antioxidants, it contains phosphorus and calcium. Nash is a hybrid of pears and apples. It has been cultivated in Asia for many centuries. That is why neshes are called Asian, water, sand or Japanese pear. The round-looking apple has a juicy and crunchy pear flavor. The fruit may have different colour- from pale green to orange. At the same time, the hybrid has advantages over the usual pear - it is harder, so transportation and storage are facilitated. Nash is usually used in salads, as the fruit contains quite a lot of water. But for the thermal reason, for the same reason, they are not very good. Nashi is also an excellent appetizer for wine, along with cheese and grapes. Today, many varieties of this hybrid have been created in the world, 10 of them are popular and commercially successful. These varieties are grown in the USA and Australia, New Zealand and Chile, France and Cyprus.

Yuzu. Its energy value is 30 kcal, the high content of vitamin C stands out in particular. Yuzu is often called Japanese lemon. This hybrid combines mandarin and decorative citrus ichang papeda. The fruit is yellow or in green, about the size of a tangerine and with bumpy skin. At the same time, yuzu has a sour taste, but a very bright aroma. The Japanese have been using this hybrid since the 7th century. It was then that Buddhist monks brought him from the mainland to the island. Yuzu is successfully used in cooking in Korea and China. The main use of the fruit is fragrance. Yuzu has a wonderful citrus aroma, with hints of pine needles and hints of flowers. And the zest of this fruit is generally considered one of the most popular spices in Japan. It is used in both meat and fish dishes, added to noodles and miso soup. This peel is the basis for the manufacture of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, syrups, jams and desserts. Yuzu juice is fragrant and sour, but not as straightforward as that of a lemon. It is used as a vinegar and also as an important part of the popular ponzu sauce. But the use of fruit is not limited to cooking alone. He is a participant in the Japanese winter solstice festival held on December 22. During it, it is customary to make baths with yuzu fruits, in which both children and adults bathe. The fruit itself symbolizes just the sun. Being in hot water, the fruit begins to smell even stronger, according to legend, this allows you to drive away evil forces. The sign says that after taking a bath with yuzu, a person will not get a cold for a whole year, especially if after the end of the water procedures he also eats a pumpkin, which also symbolizes the sun. Belief in the magical power of yuzu is so great that even pets are dipped into the bath, and the remaining water is used to water the plants.

Yellow beets. The value of such a product is 50 kcal, it contains folic acid, potassium, fiber and vitamin A. Yellow, it is also called golden, beets are unlikely to receive recognition in the domestic market. Is it possible to imagine yellow borscht, beetroot, vinaigrette or herring under a yellow fur coat? It's only Americans who don't understand us, they love yellow beets. After all, it has an important advantage - it does not get dirty during cooking. The taste of the vegetable is no different from what we are used to. It is still the same sweet and fragrant, going well with almost any product - from cheese and smoked meat to citrus fruits. This beet is good in baked form, even chips are made with it. The leaves of this yellow hybrid can also be used for food - fresh in salads.

Growing plants at home is a very common hobby. But most fans do not attach importance to the rules for caring for plants. Although this care takes very little time. And the result a hundredfold pays for all the efforts spent. After all, if everything is done correctly, then the plants are healthy, grow well and delight their appearance. Therefore, every nature lover involved in growing plants needs to know the answers to at least the main questions related to this activity.

How to cross plants? Crossbreeding of plants is carried out in order to obtain a new variety with the traits necessary for the breeder. Therefore, the first step is to decide what qualities are desired in the new plant. Then a selection of parent plants is made, each of which has one or more of these dominant qualities. It makes sense to use plants that have grown in different regions - this makes their heredity richer. But still, before embarking on breeding, you should still familiarize yourself with specialized literature, for example, with a description of the methods of work of I. V. Michurin.

How to save a plant? There are times when the plant begins to die for some reason. The first sign is usually the disease state of the leaves. Then you need to check the state of the stem. If it has become too soft, brittle or rotten, then there is hope that the roots are healthy. But if they have deteriorated, then this means that the plant has died. In other cases, you can try to save him. To do this, you will have to cut off the damaged part. But the stems are not completely cut off, leaving at least a few centimeters above the ground. Then you need to place the plant so as to halve the amount of solar time it receives and water it sparingly when the soil is completely dry. Such measures will help the plant fight the disease and new shoots will appear in a few months.

How to care for indoor plants? In order for the plants to be healthy and look beautiful, you need to follow a few mandatory rules. First, they need to be properly watered. You can not flood the plant, it is better to underfill. This should be done when the ground is dry. Water should be at room temperature. It must be remembered that tropical plants also require daily spraying. Another important condition for plant life is lighting. Be sure to find out what intensity and duration of lighting is required for the plant and provide the necessary conditions for it. Temperature is the third important factor for the life and health of plants. Most of them are suitable for room temperature. But some types of colder regions need a lower temperature in winter. This can be ensured by placing a flower on a glazed balcony.

We will tell you how to cross between two varieties of the same plant species - this method is called hybridization. Let it be plants of different colors or differing in the shape of petals, leaves. Or perhaps they will differ in terms of flowering or requirements for external conditions?

Choose plants that bloom quickly to speed up the experiment. It is also better to start with unpretentious flowers - for example, foxgloves, marigolds or delphiniums.

The course of the experiment and the diary of observations

First, formulate your goals - what do you want to get from the experiment. What are the desired traits for new varieties?

Keep a notebook-diary where you write down the goals and record the progress of the experiment from beginning to end.

Do not forget to describe in detail the original plants, and then the resulting hybrids. Here are the most important point: plant health, growth intensity, size, color, aroma, flowering time.

flower structure

In our article, a flower will be considered as an example, you can see it in the diagram and in the photographs.

Appearance of flowers different plants may vary considerably, but are essentially the same.

flower pollination

1. Start by choosing two plants. One will pollinator, and the other seed plant. Choose healthy and strong plants.

2. Keep a close eye on the seed plant. Choose an unblown bud with which you will carry out all manipulations, mark it. In addition, it will have to isolate before opening- tying it in a linen light bag. As soon as the flower begins to open, cut off all the stamens from it to avoid accidental pollination.

3. Once the flower of the seed plant is fully opened, put pollen on it from a pollinator plant. Pollen can be transferred with a cotton swab, a brush, or by tearing out the stamens of the pollinating flower and bringing them directly to the seed. Apply the pollen to the stigma of the flower of the seed plant.

4.Put on the flower of the seed plant linen bag. Do not forget to make the necessary notes in the diary of observations - about the time of pollination.

5. To be safe, repeat the operation with pollination after a while - for example, after a couple of days (depending on the timing of flowering).

Obtaining hybrids

1. If pollination went well, then soon the flower will begin to fade, and the ovary will increase. Do not remove the bag from the plant until the seeds are ripe.

2. Plant the resulting seeds as seedlings. When will you receive young hybrid plants, then give them a separate place in the garden or transplant them into boxes.

3. Now wait for the hybrids to bloom. Don't forget to write down all your observations in your diary. Among the first, and even the second generation, there may be flowers that exactly repeat the parental properties without changes. Such copies are rejected immediately. Check in with your goals and select among the received new plants those that best fit the desired characteristics. You can also pollinate them by hand, or isolate them.

If you decide to seriously engage in breeding new varieties, then you will need the advice of a specialist breeder. The fact is that you will need to find out whether you really have bred a new variety or are you following the path already beaten by someone. Competition in the field of creating new varieties is very high.

For those who decide to experiment with hybridization as a home hobby, we wish to get a lot of pleasure from this activity, make many joyful discoveries and finally give all our gardening friends a new variety of some wonderful flower named after itself.