Evaluation of productivity and grain quality of spring barley varieties under monsoon climate conditions

The current paper has presented a comparative evaluation of productivity and grain quality of spring barley varieties in the Primorsky Territory. The study was conducted at the FSBSI "FRC of Agricultural Biotechnology of the Far East named after A. K. Chaika” in the laboratory for breeding grain and groat crops in 2019–2022. The objects were 18 spring barley varieties of various origins, such as ‘Vostochny’, ‘Primorsky 89’, ‘Primorsky 98’, ‘Tikhookeansky’, ‘Primorets’, ‘Primorsky 100’ developed in the Primorsky Krai; ‘Melius’, ‘Kreshendo’, ‘Despina’, ‘Margaret’, ‘Laurite’, ‘Kal’kul’, ‘Greis’, ‘Charls’, ‘Salome’ developed in Germany; ‘Orlan’, ‘Medikum 157’ develop in the Samara region and ‘Bulat’ developed in the Stavropol region. Over the years of study, the studied varieties were characterized by a wide range of yield variability from 2.0 to 6.7 t/ha, with an average of 3.3–4.6 t/ha. According to the study results the variety ‘Greis’ was the best with maximum productivity (4.6 t/ha), high adaptability (b i = 1.0 and S 2 d i = 0.0) and biochemical indicators of protein and starch percentage (7.3 % and 57.6 % respectively). In the monsoon climate of the Primorsky Krai, the varieties ‘Primorets’, ‘Laurite’, ‘Orlan’ are of great interest for breeding for environmental adaptability, characterized by stability and responsiveness to improving growing conditions. The spring barley varieties ‘Tikhookeansky’ and ‘Margaret’ are better to be grown on an extensive background (b i < 1.0), where the greatest feedback can be obtained from them with a minimum of costs. One of the important indicators of varieties’ adaptability is environmental sustainability (U min –U max ). The smaller the gap between the maximum and minimum yields, the higher the stress resistance of the variety and the wider the range of its adaptive capabilities. A high level of stress resistance (-0.7) was identified in the variety ‘Primorsky 100’ (from the Primorsky Krai). The mean productivity of varieties under contrasting (stressful and non-stressful) conditions (U 1 +U 2 /2) means their genetic flexibility. The variety ‘Melius’ (from Germany) was found to have maximum ratio between the genotype and environmental factors (4.8), and the highest homeostatic index (Hom – 101).