UDK 633.63:631.52:575 CURRENT STATE OF FOREIGN INVESTIGATION ON GENETICS AND BREEDING OF SUGAR BEET A.V. Kornienko, I.V. Apasov, A.K. Butorina, T.P. Zhuzhzhalova A.L.Mazlumov All-Russia Research and Development Institute of Sugar Beet and Sugar, Voronezh province, Ramon’ settlement 396030, Russia e-mail: kornienko@mikbsl.vsi.ru Received October 30, 2008 S u m m a r y The authors discussed the results of investigations of foreign scientists during last decade on widening of genetic basis of sugar beet, introgression genes from wild related species for an increase of resistance of varieties and hybrids to plant pests and diseases and also the data on study of genetic variability of varieties of the Beta genus with the use of molecular methods. <...> Keywords: modern foreign investigations, sugar beet, genetics, molecular markers, breeding, wild beet potential, resistance. <...> Sugar beet is one of 15 most consumed crops, as it has been reported by FAO PNAS USA (1). <...> Main direction of foreign investigation on sugar beet genetics and breeding is increasing its genetic pool by introgression of resistance genes from relative wild species (2). <...> Sugar beet is a “younger” crop with narrower genetic basis than wheat, rice and barley. <...> Successful breeding work on sugar beet necessitates screening of available genetic resources (wild and cultivated) and studying their genetic variability by different methods: conventional (morphological, anatomical, physiological, cytological) and biochemical (protein markers and DNA molecular markers as the most numerous and informative ones) aimed at identification and mapping of genes responsible for economically important traits, as well as detection of carriers of these genes used as a valuable source material for hybridization. <...> Today, all identified Mendelian genes for economically valuable traits are commercialized (2). <...> Some of them (such as genes for rhizomania resistance) are expected to be involved in further genetic engineering work for obtaining a commercial product (3). <...> Today, foreign investigations on breeding sugar beet is focused on molecular level of its genetic basis. <...> Its prerequisite were the earlier findings about the genome of this crop. <...> Back in the early 1990ies, the species Beta vulgaris (sugar beet) was found <...>