Environmental testing of winter bread wheat varieties and lines in the conditions of the southern part of the Rostov region

The current study was carried out in 2019–2021 using the material and technical base of the FSBSI Agricultural Research Center “Donskoy”, in order to research winter bread wheat samples of various ecological and geographical origin according to productivity and some economically valuable traits, to identify the most adapted of them for the conditions of the southern part of the Rostov region. The objects of the study were 17 winter bread wheat samples of ecological variety testing. The variety ‘Ermak’ was used as a standard. As a result of the study, there was found that the productivity of the samples (2019–2021) ranged from 7.75 (‘Etana’) to 9.52 t/ha (‘MV 15-04’). The standard variety ‘Ermak’ (8.20 t/ha) was exceeded by 9 samples ‘Akhmat’, ‘MONE’, ‘KIV – 6’, ‘Astarta’, ‘Slavna’, ‘Chornyava’, ‘XE 9710’, ‘MV 15-04’, ‘No. 71 CIMMYT’, the increase was from 0.45 to 1 .32 t/ha (0.42 t/ha with НСР05). According to ‘heading date’, the samples ‘KIV-6’, ‘Slavna’, ‘Chornyava’, ‘No. 71 CIMMYT’ (May 19–20) belonged to the middle-early maturing group; the samples ‘Akhmat’, ‘MONE’ (May 21–22) belonged to the middle-late maturing group; the samples Astarta, XE 9710, MV 15-04 (May 23–24) belonged to the late maturing group. According to ‘plant height’, the variation ranged from 81.5 cm (‘Akhmat’) to 100.3 cm (‘XE 9710’), the standard ‘Ermak’ had 99.5 cm. All studied samples belonged to a medium-large-grain-sized group (34.05–40.72 g) according to ‘1000-grain weight’. Through the years of study, the sample ‘No. 71 CIMMYT’ showed 0 points of powdery mildew resistance (defeat in the field). There have been identified the best septoria blight resistant samples ‘KIV-6’ (Russia) and ‘Astarta’ (Ukraine), with a damage degree of 5–10 %. The standard variety ‘Ermak’ had 30–40 %. As for yellow rust, the standard variety ‘Ermak’ was damaged on 50–60 %, the sample ‘No. 71 CIMMYT’ was damaged on 20–30 %; the sample ‘MONE’ on 5–10 %; the sample ‘KIV-6’ was damaged on  0–5 %; the remaining samples ‘Astarta’, ‘Slavna’, ‘Chornyava’, ‘XE 9710’ and ‘MV 15-04’ were resistant to this pathogen. According to the complex of economically valuable traits for practical breeding in the conditions of the south of the Rostov region, three winter bread wheat varieties ‘KIV-6’ (Russia), ‘Astarta’, ‘Slavna’ (Ukraine) have been of the greatest interest.