Achievements and research directions of department of biology of woody plants for protective afforestation and gardening of settlements (to 85th anniversary of Federal State Budget Scientific Institution All-Russian Scientific-Research Institute of Agroforest Reclamation)
The article describes the history of the development of of biological research in the field of agroforestry and protective afforestation of Federal State Budget Establishment of Sciense All-Russian Scientific-Research Institute of Agroforest Reclamation. The auhors examine the results of scientific and of practical work of employees of the department of biology of woody plants for the introduction, breeding, seed, planting stock, plant protection from pests and diseases, and the introduction of scientific developments in protective afforestation and gardening of settlements in recent years. The existing scientific schools of All-Russian Scientific-Research Institute of Agroforest Reclamation integrate the candidates and doctors of sciences. Direction of activity of scientific schools links with the priority directions of research. Much attention is paid to the gene pool of economically valuable woody plants of All-Russian Scientific-Research Institute of Agroforest Reclamation (West Siberian AGLOS, Povolzhskaya AGLOS, Nizhnevolzhskaya station on selection of tree species, Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Volgograd"). On their basis it was created the original varieties of arboreal species for protective afforestation and gardening of settlements. They are included in the State Register of Selection Achievements of Russia. At present, most attention is paid to the study of scientific basics and methods of the conservation of biodiversity of woody species in order to select the adapted gene pool of economically valuable plant for forming of protective forest plantations for different purposes in the steppe and semi-desert. As a result of many years of experimental studies on the introduction of economically valuable tree species it was detected the patterns and mechanisms of adaptation to arid conditions. On the basis of comprehensive studies (ecology, morphology, physiology, biochemistry) it was developed the criteria for evaluating of biological potential of the gene pool, its suitability for the economic enrichment of degraded landscapes of sparsely wooded regions.