Introduction. Lawn grasses are an essential component of urban landscapes [1–3]. In this regard, the selection of grasses to create sustainable lawns in a variety of environmental conditions is of particular importance [4]. The most effective technique to achieve the sustainability of their ornamental grasses, satisfying the aesthetic senses of people is the selection work with perennial grasses [5–7]. Red fescue and tall fescue are widespread perennial grasses that are nowadays not only good pasture forage plants, but are also widely used in green construction to create lawns. They are found in a variety of climatic and soil conditions, in flood, lowland, dry meadows, in thin forests, up to the upper mountain belt of the Caucasus. Their range of cultivation covers practically the whole European part of Russia and considerable areas of Siberia and the Far East. Red fescue and reed fescue are widely recognized as lawn crops. They are the most promising species for the creation of highly decorative lawns of a wide ecological range [8–10].The breeding and seed production of F. rubra. and F. arundinaceae have been studied by many domestic and foreign scientists [11; 12].The Cretaceous south of the Central Russian Upland is considered by leading researchers as a centre of genetic diversity and a secondary anthropogenic microgenetic centre of synanthropic vegetation formation [13; 14].The region is rich in species and forms of wild relatives of cultivated plants, which due to geological and climatic features of the territory have high drought tolerance [15; 16]. Such specific conditions include high soil carbonation, which leads to its physiological dryness; unstable moisture; weak watering of the territory; high degree of indented gullies and ravines with writing chalk outcrops, etc. [17; 18].The aim of the work was to study ornamental and shootability in new breeding specimens of F. rubra and F. arundinaceae, created on the basis of original material obtained in the Cretaceous south of the Central Russian Upland, at different ecological points.Materials and methods. Experiments were carried out in 2018–2025 at three ecological sites using the same methodology [19; 20]. Breeding numbers of F. rubra and F. arundinaceae were sown in breeding nurseries in Belgorod district of Belgorod region in the experimental field of the breeding and seed production enterprise "IP S.A. Mavrodin"; in breeding plots in Gelendzhik and in the urbantype settlement Novomikhailovsky, Tuapse district, Krasnodar Territory. Plot sizes 3.35 m × 0.3 m. Repeatability is fourfold. Plot placement is randomized. Ecological evaluation of 18 specimens of red fescue (four varieties included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements, and 14 breeding specimens), standard - variety Rossinante (Denmark). We studied 10 specimens of red fescue (four varieties included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements and 6 breeding specimens), standard variety Meandre (Germany).The shoot-forming ability was studied in accordance with the requirements of the methods [21; 22]. The total number of shoots per 1 m2 was determined annually by direct counting. The number of formed shoots was counted 3 times during the growing season in conditions of Gelendzhik, Novomikhailovsky settlement and Belgorod district by determining the difference between the average number of shoots in the previous and subsequent years, the average annual increase in the number of shoots was determined. The data were processed mathematically using the error of the mean, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation [23]. Results and discussion. The most important trait that distinguishes lawn cultivars is their ability to form shoots, that is their annual growth rate of new shoots. This indicator is responsible for the ornamental value of grass stands [23]. The best species in terms of annual shoots growth in Gelendzhik were selected samples FR 1-6, FR 1-26 and FR 2-22, which exceeded the standard by 23.2%, 26.0% and 28.3% (Table 1). Table 1. Number of shoots formed on average in one year in breeding samples and varieties of red fescue in different environmental conditions, pcs. (m2)-1 Breeding numberGelendzhikNovomikhailovskyBelgorod districtMCv, %Rossinant (standard)368545013768398511.3FR 1-645404698406444347.4FR 1-10349844543945396512.1FR 1-1539684165389340083.5FR 1-26464251214104462211.0FR 1-3239304479409641686.7FR 2-1364844483947401410.1FR 2-739104465392641007.7FR 2-1039034563398241498.7FR 2-2136194419403440249.9FR 2-22472750674085462610.8FR 2-2840384478419042355.3FR 3-4417548614003434610.4FR 3-936044325400539789.1FR 3-22418947933913429810.5FR 3-27354544583945398311.5FR 3-33350343243971393310.5FR 3-3439424517413741997.0On average39484563400041708.2LSD05495.6 In conditions of Novomikhailovsky settlement the best in terms of annual shoot growth were breeding numbers FR 1-26 and FR 2-22, which exceeded the standard by 13.8% and 12.6%, respectively. In the Belgorod region all breeding numbers exceeded the standard for this indicator by 3.8–11.2%.The study of reed fescue showed that on average for the three years of research in Gelendzhik, the best in annual shoot growth were the selected samples of reed fescue FA 1-15, FA 1-1, and FA 1-36, which exceeded the standard by 18.0%, 6.3%, and 4.4% respectively (Table 2). Table 2. Number of shoots formed on average in one year in breeding samples and cultivars of reed fescue in different ecological conditions, pcs. (m2)-1 Breeding numberGelendzhikNovomikhailovskyBelgorodMCv, %Meandre (standard)2585284226422690110.31274725662728268081.252647263629212734131.8102364262026532545129.313268528662852280182.015304930863050306217.2181939178627312152414.0222595289528072766126.036269927292731272014.5262523281124592598152.9On average258326842757267571.3LSD05222.7 In absolute number of shoots per unit area were also the best numbers FA 1-1, FA 1-15 and FA 1-36, exceeding the standard for this indicator by 6.6–15.7%. Under the conditions of Novomikhailovsky settlement the indicator in breeding samples varied in the range from 1787 pcs. (m2)-1 (number FA 1-18) to 3610 pcs. (m2)-1 (number FA 1-15). The best in terms of annual shoot growth was the breeding sample FA 1-15, which exceeded the standard by 243.0 pc. (m2)-1 (8.6%). In absolute number of shoots per unit area most of the three breeding numbers FA 1-13, FA 1-15, FA 1-22 in the end were at or exceeded the standard by 56.8–468.0 pcs. (m2)-1. Under the conditions of Novomikhailovsky settlement the indicator in breeding samples varied in the range from 1787 pcs. (m2)-1 (number FA 1-18) to 3610 pcs. (m2)-1 (number FA 1-15). The best in terms of annual shoot growth was the breeding sample FA 1-15, which exceeded the standard by 243.0 pc. (m2)-1 (8.6%). In absolute number of shoots per unit area most of the three breeding numbers FA 1-13, FA 1-15, FA 1-22 in the end were at or exceeded the standard by 56.8...468.0 pcs. (m2)-1. In Belgorod district of Belgorod region breeding samples showed an increase in the number of shoots on average in one year in the range from 2459 pcs. (m2)-1 (FA number 1-26) to 3051 pcs. (m2)-1 (number FA 1-15). On average over three years, breeding numbers FA 1-5, FA 1-13 and FA 1-15 significantly exceeded the standard by 8.0–15.4%. FA 1-10 was in line with the standard, while FA 1-26 was inferior by 183.0 pc. (m2)-1 (6.9%).Conclusion. Under the landscape conditions of the Cretaceous South of the Central Russian Upland, red fescue and reed fescue ecotypes with high productive bushiness and shoot-forming ability are formed. These ecotypes can be used as starting material for the creation of lawn varieties. The study of these breeding forms in different ecological locations has shown their stability and high potential.Under the conditions of the Black Sea coast of Western Caucasus, three F. rubra cultivars have exceeded the standard by 12.5–30.4% in shoot number, and by 23.2–28.3% in annual shoot increment. F. rubra: breeding specimen FR 1-6 and two breeding varieties FR 1-26 and FR 2-22. Among the accessions F. arundinaceae the selection numbers FA 1-1, FA 1-15 and FA 1-36 exceeded the standard in number of shoots per unit area by 6.6–15.7%, in annual shoot increment by 4.4–18.0%.