Abstract. The mission of this works is to screen the soybean germplasm by vegetation period and the basic morphometric traits in the agroecological conditions of Azov region, to identify perspective samples for inclusion in the breeding process. Methods. The objects of research were 42 soybean genotypes from the VIR N. I. Vavilov collection. In the progress of the work were followed the methods of state variety testing of agricultural crops. Field research was carried out in the Aksai district of the Rostov region in 2019–2021, differing by meteorological conditions. Scientific novelty. In the agroecological conditions of the Azov region were identified highly productive and short vegetation period soybean genotypes with wide amplitude of variation in the basic morphometric traits. Results. The vegetation period of the researched genotypes was within 85.0–127.3 days. The most early maturing varieties are Chera 1, Soer 5, Altom, Lantsetnaya, Avanta, Mageva, Sibiryachka and VNIIOZ 86. The range of variation by terms of plant height in the collection samples was 26.8–88.3 cm. The shortest-stem varieties were Chera 1, Soer 5, Zaryanitsa, Lantsetnaya, Altom, Samer 1, Soer 3 and Soer 7, the longest-stem were Selekta 201, Mechta, Yuzhanka, Svapa, Selekta 101, Del’ta, Nega 1, Kievskaya 98 and Viktoriya. First pod height was 10.7 cm. The highest value of this trait is characteristic for the varieties Mechta, Svapa, Selekta 201, Yuzhanka and Lira. The weight of straw from 1 plant was 12.7 g on average over three years of research, decreasing in the dry year of 2020 to 8.7 g. The minimum value of this trait in the Chera 1 variety (6.0 g), the maximum (22.6 g) in the Yuzhanka variety. The average harvesting index for the researched varieties was 46.3 %. The highest values of the harvesting index were noted in the varieties Belgorodskaya 7, Merlin, Pripyat', Soer 5, Soer 3, Samer 3. As a result of the study were selected samples with a complex of valuable traits: Soyka, Tundra, Belgorodskaya 7, Umka, Belgorodskaya 8, Merlin, Selekta 201, Kitrossa, Svapa and Del’ta.