On 22-26 of June the VIII international symposium on «Newly introduced and alternative plant cultures and promising ways of their application» was held at department of vegetable growing in Russian State Agricultural University, Timiriyazev Academy of Agriculture in Moscow

Horticulture is one of the sectors of the national economy that play a key role in supplying people the food of high biological value. It is very important how this sector covers people's requirements in food of therapeutic value because it provides the basis of people health, their working capacity, high life span, and, as consequence, economic and political independence of Russia.

In current-used agricultural techniques, the global financial crisis brings to light defects concerning high ecological risks and low economic effectiveness which is connected with climatic changes, energy sector and engineering specifications. In this work it is suggested a grow light cultivation to be a new approach for overcoming the ineffectiveness of some current agricultural techniques. Grow light cultivation is a way to maximize the potentiality enclosed in plant yield abilities.

It was determined that Selenium concentration in leaves of perennial onion was in the range of 161 to 201 mg/kg of dry matter. The highest concentration of Selenium was in leaves of Common Chives, and Siberian Chives. There was also shown that the plant treatment with Epin and Sodium Humate solutions caused the Selenium content was 1.2-1.7 times as much as it was before in leaves.

The tested tomato cultivars had been bred and adapted to environmental factors with regard to open field cultivation in Nonchernozem zone of Russia. Agriculturally valuable traits were studied in many regions: Astrakhan, Volgograd, Belgorod, Primorie krai, and also in Uzbekistan, Moldavia, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Ukraine, and Byelorussia. Results that had been analyzed provided information concerning the ecological cultivar sustainable adaptation and required biodiversity. Russian tomato cultivars that possessed high adaptation characteristics were tested for 2 years in open field conditions of Bulgaria and Russia.

Allium aflatunense has been studied at All-Russian Research Institute of Vegetable Breeding and Seed Production as a new plant culture that has high adaptability, acceptable qualities so that it can be well introduced to breeding program for middle belt of Russia. Samson cultivar has been selected as a result of breeding and joined efforts of the laboratory of standardization and metrology with the onion research group at All-Russian Research Institute of Vegetable Breeding and Seed Production. There were worked out descriptors for traits and sowing recommendations.

Cucumber growing in Non-Chernozem zone requires first of all cultivars and hybrids with fast maturation and cold tolerance, this gives a guaranteed yield of young fruits. Such the cultivars have already been selected at VNIISSOK and they are recommended for open field growing in NonChernozem Zone of Russia. The article provides recommendation for cucumber cultivation.

Recognized scientists in the plant protection, immune genetics and gamete selection Natalia Nikolaevna Balashova celebrates her 80th anniversary on this date 18th of June 2009. A corresponding fellow of Academy of Agricultural Science of Moldavia, Academician of International Academy of Informatization Veteran of Labor, professor she worked as a leading researcher of a laboratory of gamete selection and molecular methods; a deputy head of the All-Russian Research Institute of Vegetable Breeding and Seed Production, RAAS from 1992 to 1999; a head of laboratory of gamete selection and molecular methods from 1991 to 2002.

On 25th of November, 2009 is a 90th date of birthday of Juriy Ivanovich Chirkov, doctor in geography, and associate professor at meteorology and climate department of Timiriyazev Academy of Agriculture. It is him a distinguished researcher who was an inventor of theory for yield forecasting in agriculture and an author of the methods applying for accurate climate assessment used for plant adaptation to the climatic condition in different regions.

Timiryazevka is a familiar and a widely used name of Timiryazev Academy of Agriculture among students, professors and remains a homely place for all university mates ever graduated the academy. Annual meetings for former students from every corner of Russia including former Soviet Republics and foreign countries are hosted at Timiryazev Academy of Agriculture. On 25-30th of May 2009 the Second Alumni Congress of TAA on «Timiryazev Academy in the XXI Century: Traditions and Priorities of Innovative Developmen» took place.