The improvement of grain production is the most important global task. The introduction of new highly productive varieties of the leading grain crop, winter wheat, plays a huge role in its solution. The paper presents the study results of 80 winter soft wheat varieties of various ecological and geographical origin. Frost and winter resistance rise of the developed winter soft wheat genotypes today and in the nearest future is one of the main directions of breeding work. The preservation of highly productive winter soft wheat varieties varied from 0.0% to 78.3% at a freezing temperature of –19 °C. The varieties “Kaprizulya”, “Lilit”, “Zhavoronok”, “Lydia”, “Krasa Dona”, “Polina”, “Volnitsa” and “Volny Don”, developed in the Agricultural Research Center “Donskoy” have the highest frost resistance among the studied samples, they preserved 57.0 ... 78.3% of living plants. Grain productivity of the samples ranged from 6.36 to 8.90 t/ha in 2015–2017. The 16 out of 80 studied varieties reliably (НСР05 = 0.64 t/ha) exceeded the standard variety “Don 107” for this trait. Productivity of the best samples ranged from 8.14 t/ha (“СО 911”) to 8.90 t / ha (“Laureat”). The biological productivity of winter soft wheat varieties varied from 8.37 to 9.07 t/ha, exceeding the standard variety from 0.67 t/ha (“СО 911”) to 1.37 t/ha (“Laureat”). It should be noted that the correlation coefficient of actual and biological productivity was 0.84±0.06. As a result of the current study, there were identified the genotypes “Lydia”, “Volnitsa” and “Zhavoronok” combining high productivity, grain quality and resistance to low negative temperatures.

During the years of study (2015–2017) there were considered and studied parameters of adaptability of winter soft wheat varieties sown after maize. As a result, the productivity of winter wheat ranged from 77.6 hwt/ha (the variety ‘Polina’) to 83.9 hwt/ha (the variety ‘Kaprizulya’). At a most the productivity varied through the years from 52.5 hwt/ha (the variety ‘Kapitan’) in 2016 to 108.2 hwt/ha (the variety ‘Kaprizulya’) in 2017. The main feature of breeding on adaptability is to control ecological plasticity and stability of the varieties in the breeding process. The varieties ‘Krasa Dona’ and ‘Kaprizulya’ having 1.0 regressive coefficient are considered to be ecologically adaptable. The varieties ‘Lidiya’, ‘Kapitan’, ‘Lilit’ and ‘Volnitsa’ having > 1.0 regressive coefficient are considered to be highly responsive. The varieties ‘Lilit’ and ‘Volny Don’ are characterized with stable genotype (σd2 tends to zero). The varieties ‘Polina’ and ‘Volny Don’ belong to the group of varieties with high indexes of homeostatism, breeding value and low coefficients of variations. The varieties ‘Polina’ and ‘Volny Don’ demonstrate high indexes of stress resistance with the lowest negative values of differences among minimum and maximum indexes of the trait. The varieties ‘Kaprizulya’, ‘Lilit’, ‘Krasa Dona’ and ‘Volny Don’ are found genetically flexible genotypes, as they possess high correspondence degree between the genotype and the environment. According to the parameters of adaptability there have been identified the varieties ‘Polina’ and ‘Volny Don’ with stability, breeding value, stress resistance and high productivity.

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The high yield potential of winter wheats cannot be realized due to disease pressure under field conditions. One of the most harmful of such diseases is stem rust, hence the constant search for sources of resistance and the development of new varieties resistant to stem rust is of great relevance. This study deals with the identification of stem rust resistance genes in a collection of winter wheats grown in Southern Russia. This genepool has not been studied yet. A total of 620 samples of winter soft wheat from various ecological and geographical zones were tested under field conditions. To identify the specific genes or alleles responsible for resistance, all samples were genotyped using PCR. As a result, the groups of resistant samples, carrying the Sr2, Sr31, Sr38 and Sr44 genes in various combinations, were identified. Most of the stem rust resistance was provided by the presence of the effective Sr44 gene. This information can be used in the future breeding work for stem rust resistance.

The purpose of the study was to estimate the effect of sunflower and pea on the amount of productivity, protein and gluten percentage in grain. The objects of the study were 13 winter bread wheat varieties (Triticum aestivum L.) developed by the Agricultural Research Center “Donskoy”. The study was carried out in 2018-2020 on the fields of the department of winter wheat breeding and seed production. The forecrops were peas and sunflower. The study results showed that the varieties ‘Volny Don’ (6.1 t / ha), ‘Krasa Dona’ (6.1 t / ha) and ‘Lidiya’ (6.0 t / ha), when sown after peas, gave the largest yields. The varieties ‘Volny Don’ (4.9 t / ha) and ‘Polina’ (4.8 t / ha) which were sown after sunflower, showed the best productivity. The analysis of qualitative indicators established that the maximum percentage of protein and gluten in grain was identified in the varieties ‘Podarok Krymu’ (16.3%; 28.3%) and ‘Volnitsa’ (16.1%; 28.5%), which were sown after peas; and the same varieties showed good results (‘Podarok Krymu’ (16.2%; 27.4%) and ‘Volnitsa’ (15.7%; 27.8%)), when sown after sunflower.

The success of any agricultural crop breeding, including winter durum wheat primarily depends on the initial material at the breeder’s disposal, its value, and the degree of study. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate collection samples of winter durum wheat according to quality indicators and to select the best ones for use in breeding programs. In the Rostov region there were studied 159 winter durum wheat samples of different ecological and geographical origin according to grain quality (protein percentage, gluten content, amount of carotenoid pigments, kernel hardness, nature weight). The winter durum wheat samples had a high protein percentage and belonged to the 1-st quality class. According to gluten content in grain there were identified 17 (10.7%) samples. The following samples had the maximum values of trait ‘SDS-sedimentation’: ‘588/15’ (Russia) with 50 ml; ‘SAHINBEY’ (Turkey), ‘SARI BUGDAY 2’ (Turkey), ‘543/15’ (Russia) with 49 ml; ‘ANKARA 98’ (Turkey) with 48 ml. The following 43 winter durum wheat samples (more than 85%) had large kernel hardness in the trial: ‘663/17’, ‘1121/12’, ‘Novinka 4’, ‘Alena’ (Russia), ‘C1252’ (Turkey), ‘SN TURK MI 82-83 90 / GUTROS-2’, ‘DF 28.82.84 / DAB-18’, ‘P 1290493 // HUI // AV79’ (Mexico), ‘K-61869’ (Moldova). Over the years of study, a large amount of carotenoid pigments was identified in the following samples: ‘Novinka 4’ with 705 μg /%, ‘535/17’ with 689 μg /%, ‘543/15’ with 664 μg /% (Russia), ‘OSU-3880001 / 4AOS / SNIP / 3 / MEDIUM / KIF // SAPI’ with 704 μg /% (Mexico), ‘Winter Gold’ with 697 μg /% (Germany). According to the complex of qualitative indicators, there were identified 5 winter durum wheat samples, which are recommended to be included in the breeding programs of the Rostov region.

The article considers the effect of moisture shortage in soil on formation of winter wheat root system. According to root system development (number, volume and dry weight of roots) there have been identified the varieties ‘Krasa Dona’, ‘Zhavoronok’, ‘Bonus’, ‘Kazachka’, ‘Luchezar’, ‘Shef’, ‘Polina’ and the lines ‘1120/13’, ‘1377/06’ that possess high indexes in all trials. The estimation of drought tolerance on growth power of germinal roots was carried out on winter wheat seeds, germinated in rolls on a completely nutrient mixture ‘Knopa’. The largest increase of germinal roots was found on the samples ‘Polina’ (on 14.6 cm), ‘134/11’ (on 13.9 cm), ‘Asket’ (on 13.8 cm), ‘1430/12’ (on 13.6 cm), ‘110/11’ and ‘1120/13’ (on 13.2 cm), ‘Krasa Dona’ (on 13.0 cm). Drought tolerance has been determined according to the degree of seed germination on osmotic sucrose solution (16 atm). The analyzed samples have been divided into the following groups: the 1-st group – highly tolerant samples (10), the 2-d group – average tolerant samples (4), the 3-d group – not tolerant samples (6). The assessment of heat resistance showed that 13 samples from 20 analyzed ones belong to the 1-st group of highly heat resistant; 7 samples belong to average resistant. To characterize various indexes of plant resistance and their correlation there have been used a method of determining the complex resistance index of germinating seeds. The samples ‘Asket’ (253.4 r. u.), ‘1377/06’ (255.4 r. u.), ‘Kazachka’ (252.1 r. u.), ‘Shef’ (245.0 r. u.), ‘Krasa Dona’ (244.3 r. u.) and ‘Polina’ (240.0 r. u.) are characterized with high complex resistance index of germinating seeds. The samples ‘Asket’, ‘1237/13’, ‘Krasa Dona’, ‘260/09’, ‘Kazachka’, ‘1377/06’ showed high degree of complex drought tolerance (from 31 to 43%).

ВведениеОзимая пшеница -одна из основных культур, обеспечивающих продовольственную безопасность страны, которая также оказывает влияние и на ее экспортный потенциал [1]. Выведение новых сортов, которые способны формировать высокие и стабильные урожаи с требуемыми технологическими качествами, является одной из главных задач селекции этой культуры [2].Для успешного решения проблемы повышения качественных показателей пшеницы с помощью селекционного процесса необходимо вовлечение в гибридизацию родительских форм с генетически детерминированным высоким качеством зерна [3]. Поэтому выявление образцов озимой мягкой пшеницы как