This historical and scientific analysis covers the activities of Zeya Experiment Breeding Station of VIR in Amur Province from 1977 through 1995. The objective was to assess the Station’s contribution to the studying, conservation, and mobilization of plant genetic resources in the context of the development of the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) zone. The analysis is based on archival data, reports, and evaluation of the main areas of the Station’s work. It was Amur Province, with its unique botanical and geographical features at the junction of the East Asian, Boreal, and Mongolian-Daurian floras, that justified the strategic need of setting up a breeding center in this area. The mission of the Station, which had evolved from a field outpost, included comprehensive studying of the VIR global collection (vegetable, fodder, cereal, fruit and berry crops, spring and winter rapeseed, and potatoes), large-scale expeditionary surveys to collect landraces and wild plants, and breeding practice. Over the years of its functioning, thousands of accessions were studied, valuable sources of useful agronomic traits (earliness, winter hardiness, productivity, disease resistance, etc.) were identified, seed production was organized, and collections were established, especially those of berry crops. In the mid-1990s the Station ceased to exist for economic reasons, but its scientific legacy – the collections secured, the best accessions selected, and the experience accumulated –retained its practical and fundamental value. The obtained results underpinned the development of adaptive agriculture in the Far East, and would remain a relevant resource for the regional food security and agrobiodiversity utilization programs.

Background. Cotton is a valuable crop with multiple uses. Flexibility of the Mexican species Gossypium hirsutum L., the most widely cultivated, is largely due to the morphological diversity of its representatives. Shoot structure is of particular practical importance—height, number of branches of different types, and number of bolls per plant. It demonstrates the potential of cotton accessions, so it is crucial to study the morphology of accessions and the variability of individual plant structure components under the effect of external conditions.

Materials and methods. A set of 29 cotton accessions from the VIR collection and a number of new Russian cultivars were studied at the Caspian Agrarian Federal Research Center (CAFRC) in 2023–2024 under adverse weather conditions. VIR’s methods were used for comparative evaluation of morphological characters. A two-way ANOVA was performed.

Results. The mean values varied significantly across the years. In 2023, plant height and the number of vegetative were lower due to the delayed plant development in June, but the number of bolls per plant was 1.5 times higher. In 2024, the variability within the set decreased. The highest boll number in both years was recorded for the reference cv. ‘AS 5’ (k-8012), and cv. ‘Yu-190’ from Dagestan (k-3185). Cv. ‘Feniks’ (Budennovsk) was the most stable in all its traits. ANOVA showed that all factors expressly affected the variability of the studied characters, so the differences within the set of accessions were statistically significant.

Conclusion. Studying the variability of yield components under the effect of weather conditions can help to identify the most valuable accessions for specific environmental conditions at the early stages of plant development.

As part of the Development Program for the National Center for Plant Genetic Resources, founded on VIR’s base by Decree No. 44 of the President of the Russian Federation of February 8, 2022, an additional professional education (APE) program was implemented in 2024 for competitively selected participants from the Far Eastern and Siberian Federal Districts. The program is important in the context of the Strategy for Scientific and Technological Development of the Russian Federation, and the Strategy for Developing the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and Ensuring National Security until 2035. In the framework of the APE program “Methodological approaches to ex situ conservation and study of plant genetic resources” (Vladivostok, September 16–23, 2024; organizer: N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources), special attention was paid to the theoretical aspects and practical skills in plant genetic resources management using modern methods of biotechnology, biochemistry, and molecular genetics. The program’s events were housed by the Far East Experiment Station of VIR. Fifteen students, representing organizations from Siberia and the Far East, participated in the program.

Dedicated to the 75th birthday of Russian scientist and Doctor of Biological Sciences N. M. Zoteyeva, this article highlights the key stages of her biography and scientific work.