Formation and maintenance of Nigella L. collection at Ustymivka Experimental Station of Plant Production

Goal. To create a collection, i.e. to preserve the unique plant diversity of Ukraine, to promote the local spread of plants with valuable characteristics. Among the diversity of plants, interest in a underutilized but economically valuable crop, nigella, is growing. The primary objective is to expand the nigella collection, enrich it with species diversity, modern varieties, lines, and wild forms. Results and Discussion. The introduction of nigella, which is rare in Ukraine but has a wide range of biologically active compounds, is relevant for agriculture. It is a source of raw materials for food, pharmaceutical, perfumery, and cosmetic industries. It can be cultivated as an ornamental plant. The creation and expansion of the collection will not only preserve authentic material but also help to spread the nigella crop in Ukraine. In total, the nigella collection comprises 60 accessions. The basis of the nigella collection is 27 accessions originating from Ukraine, 4 from Germany, and 1-3 accessions from the Czech Republic, Israel, the Netherlands, France, England, India, Russia, Pakistan, Armenia, Syria, Moldova, Poland, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Iraq, and Egypt. An electronic passport database has been built up for all collection accessions; the database contains information about the origins, names, places of collection, biological statuses, authors of varieties, and collectors of accessions. Each accession is assigned a registration number of Ustymivska Experimental Station of Plant Production, an introductory number, and a number of the National Catalog of Ukraine. Each accession is sown, investigated and stored in a repository. Conclusions. Ustymivska Experimental Station of Plant Production has formed and stores the nigella collection consisting of 60 accessions as seeds. Based on results of studying the collection accessions, morphological and economically valuable traits were identified. These accessions are recommended for inclusion in breeding as initial materials to create new varieties for different uses. Targeted work is being carried out to introduce and study the new material and to preserve the collection.