The study of vegetable crops and cucurbits began in 1898 at the Bureau of Applied Botany. By 1930, the Bureau has developed into the All-Union Institute of Plant Industry (VIR), where the corresponding Department eventually took shape in 1945. The history of the Department can be divided into several key periods. The first one (1920-1930) involved the large-scale collecting of the global genetic diversity through expeditions by N. I. Vavilov, P. M. Zhukovsky, and other scientists. These efforts resulted in the formation of a collection containing 15,400 accessions by 1928 and allowed for conducting research and breeding work. The second period (1931–1941) was characterized by in-depth study of the collected material and the expansion of breeding activities. During the third period (1941–1948), the collection was partially evacuated to safety and preserved during the war years, and then its restoration began. The fourth period (1948–1990) was devoted to intensive replenishment of the collection, comprehensive research, and publication of the fundamental volumes of the “Flora of Cultivated Plants”. The modern period (since 1991) witnesses the active use of low-temperature seed storage, application of molecular genetic methods, continuation of ecogeographic studies, and creation of new cultivars. Among the outstanding specialists who contributed to the development of the Department are T. V. Lizgunova (cabbage), L. V. Sazonova (carrot), D. D. Brezhnev (tomato), K. I. Pangalo (melon crops), and many others. Today, the Department's global collection comprises over 53,000 accessions from 98 countries, representing 610 species. Its uniqueness is estimated at 50-80%. The main areas of work include comprehensive study of crop gene pools to identify sources of valuable traits, e.g. productivity, stress resistance, and product quality, as well as the creation of modern cultivars and hybrids. Over the past 25 years, 70 cultivars of 25 crops have been created by the department staff. In 2022, a Youth Laboratory of Breeding and Cell Technologies was organized to integrate advanced technologies into the breeding process. Its activities are aimed at the accelerated creation of new forms of vegetable and medicinal crops using in vitro methods, molecular genetics, and biochemistry. Hereby, the history of the department demonstrates its continuous work on replenishment, maintenance, and study of the genetic diversity of vegetable and cucurbit crops, thus creating a scientific basis for the country’s food security, development of healthy nutrition, and creation of competitive cultivars.

The review presents the results of potato genome research over the past 15 years: from the sequencing of the first S. tuberosum L. genome till nowadays, when linear and graphical pangenomes of cultivars and related species in the Petota Dumort. section of the Solanum L. genus were created. Genomic analysis of cultivars and landraces, hybrid lines, and wild potato species revealed the enormous allelic diversity of the gene pool, as well as the complexity and dynamics of the genetic basis of one of the key crops for global and Russian agricultural production. Analysis of the structural variability of the cultivated and wild potato genomes revealed their complex evolutionary history and the impact of domestication on genomic diversity, loci, and alleles associated with important agronomic traits, resistance to abiotic and biotic stressors, and the genetic basis of inbreeding depression. Progress in the development of potato genomics contributes to a better understanding of the nature of the phenotypic diversity of this important food crop, expanding the capabilities of researchers engaged in solving problems of the evolution of tuber-forming Solanum spp., crop genetics, and breeding of new cultivars that would meet modern requirements.

In 2025, the Fruit Crop Genetic Resources Department of VIR celebrates its centenary. The first head of the newly established department was a fruit grower Vasily Vasilyevich Pashkevich, already renowned at that time. Along with Pashkevich, the history of the department is associated with such names as Kordon R.Ya., Likhonos F.D., Rubtsov G.A., Tarasenko G.G., Nesterov Y.S., Mayorova V.I., Ponomarenko V.V., Kostina K.F., Vitkovsky V.L., Rozanova M.A., Pavlova N.M., Bologovskaya R.P., Plekhanova M.N., Yushev A.A., etc. Between the 1923-1930s, a network of experiment stations (Polar, Central Asian, Pavlovsk, Turkmen, Far Eastern, Maykop, Volgograd, and other stations) was established and allowed for the placement of a variety of fruit crops in the zones optimal for their growth. Over the past 100 years, the network of stations has undergone significant changes. According to the data for 2025, the fruit crop gene pool preserved at 10 experiment stations (branches of VIR) totals 19,056 accessions, including 5,229 of pome crops (apple, pear, quince, rowan, saskatoon), 6,378 of stone fruits (plum, blackthorn, cherry plum, cherry, sweet cherry, apricot, peach, and bird cherry), 3,757 of berry crops (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, black and red currants, gooseberries, honeysuckle, viburnum, actinidia), 227 of nut crops, 2,039 of ornamentals, 1,408 of grape and 18 of subtropical crops. The collected gene pool includes valuable landrace accessions, sources and donors of important breeding and economic traits, wild relatives of and an assortment of regionally adapted cultivated plants.

From its inception to the present day, the Department of Fruit Crop Genetic Resources has been collecting, preserving, and studying the global diversity of fruit, berry, ornamental, nut, subtropical crops, and grapes using both classical methods and modern approaches. Effective use of the fruit crop gene pool in a variety of breeding programs will enhance the supply of a diverse assortment of high quality and healthy fruits and berries to the population of the country.

This is a dedication to the memory of Boris V. Rigin (1934–2025), a renowned Russian scientist, Doctor of Biological Sciences, chief researcher of the Genetics Department of VIR. The mileposts of his biography and scientific activities are highlighted.