VARIABILITY OF MACRO- AND MICROELEMENT COMPOSITION OF ACCESSIONS OF VIGNA UNGUICULATA (L.) WALP. IN THE SOUTH OF WESTERN SIBERIA AND IN THE CRIMEA

Different environmental factors can cause changes in the elemental composition of plants. The research attempts to shift the focus from studying the effect of soil on the elemental composition of plants to assessing the impact of multifactorial ecological blocks on this index. Using the method of atomic absorption spectroscopy, the content K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Co, Li was determined in the seeds of 5 accessions of a new for Russia crop − vigna (Vigna unguiculata) when growing plants in the south of Western Siberia (54° N 83° E) and in the Crimea (44° N, 34° E)]. The Coefficient of Variation (CV) of the element contents in cowpea accessions in two regions was significant − from 14 to 53%. The highest homeostasis in the accumulation of macro- and microelements was noted in the cultivar Sibirskiy razmer (CV = 15–23%), macroelements − Vigna catjang (CV = 14%). Both accessions were characterized by a reduced accumulation of K, Na, Mg, Mn and, especially, Fe compared to other cultivars. The rest of the accessions showed a high rate of variation in the elemental composition under different conditions (CV = 29–53%). K, Mg, Ca, Zn, and Mn differed by a relatively lower variability of accumulation in cowpea seeds – both by the accessions and the regions of cultivation, while Na, Co, Li, and Cu was the highest. Cultivar Yunnanskaya had the highest rates of Ca (882–1357 mg/kg) and Fe (96–196 mg/kg) accumulation in both regions whereas accessions Krasnaya pozdniaya and Krasno-pestraya had the highest rate of Mg content − 1632–2131 and 1737–1986 mg/kg, respectively.