**Key words and abbreviations**

and gives them the possibility for concurrent generation of cultivars with required pea plant architecture, other agriculturally important traits and high effectiveness of interactions with all

In order to cultivate plants with improved symbiotic potential a special breeding nursery was created in the experimental trials ground of ARILGC on land where for the 5 years before nursery establishment mineral fertilizers had not been applied. To reduce the incidence and severity of root pathogens a 6-field crop rotation was used where cultivation of winter wheat was followed by peas. The multi-component preparation BisolbiMix was used for the inocu‐

Using the breeding nursery as well as a breeding protocol developed from long-term collab‐ oration of ARRIAM with ARILGC the first (in the whole history of legume breeding) pea cultivar "Triumph" having increased potential of interactions with beneficial soil microbes was intentionally created [237]. It arose as a result of crossing a commercial cultivar 'Classic' (donor of agriculturally important traits) and the genotype K-8274 (donor of symbiotic effectiveness trait) and subsequent individual selection of genotypes with high productivity

The cultivar "Triumph" is of middle stem height, semi-leafless and has stable productivity un‐ der different climate conditions, it is comparatively resistant to root rots and pests. Its produc‐ tivity is not lower than those of the productivity standards for Orel district using the conventional production technologies and 10% greater in comparison with the standard culti‐ vars when inoculated with BisolbiMix. As a result of two-year state trials (2007-2008) the pro‐ ductivity of "Triumph" was shown to be comparable with those of standard regional cultivars enabling recommendation for commercial cultivation in the Central region of Russian Federa‐ tion (unpublished results). Thus, the innovative concept of the authors' research team for plant breeding (applicable not only for legumes, but also for non-legumes) is bearing its first fruits.

Intimate associations of beneficial soil microbes with the host plants described above in detail are applicable in sustainable crop production if taken either separately or in combination. Many authors are now recognizing the need for using the multi-microbial plant inoculants and the advantages of using the indigenous plants (or varieties of local breeding) and microbes.

The authors' team proposes its own concept which offers fundamentally new approaches to plant production. Firstly, it is necessary to consider plant genetic systems controlling interac‐ tions with different beneficial soil microbes in unison. Secondly, plants used as a component of this complex plant-microbe system controlling its effectiveness should be bred to improve the effectiveness of interactions with all types of beneficial soil microbes. Increases of plant biomass production due to plant-microbe symbiosis should be used as the main parameter for

types of beneficial soil microbes in a single breeding programme.

**4.4. Breeding to improve pea symbiotic effectiveness**

and capacity for supporting various beneficial microbes.

lation of test plants.

186 Plant Breeding from Laboratories to Fields

**5. Conclusions**

arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM), beneficial soil microorganisms (BSM), defense of plants from pathogens, developmental genetics, endophytic bacteria, evolution of symbiosis, Glomeromycota, leguminous plants, *Lotus japonicus*, *Medicago truncatula*, molecular genetics, mutational analysis, Nod factor (NF), phosphate transporter (PT), *Pisum sativum*,

plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), plant-microbe symbioses (PMS), root nodule (RN) root nodule symbiosis (RNS), root nodule bacteria (rhizobia), signal interactions, symbiosomes, symbiotrophic plant nutrition, sustainable agriculture, systemic regulation
