Characteristics of winter common wheat varieties according to a set of adaptability indicators in the Kursk region

The current paper has presented the results of environmental testing of various winter common wheat varieties in 2018–2020 and given an estimation of their productivity. The purpose of the study was to evaluate winter common wheat varieties of different geographical origin according to a set of adaptability indicators in the soil and climatic conditions of the Kursk region to use them as initial material for the development of new adapted and highly productive varieties. The material for the research was 16 winter common wheat varieties among which the varieties ‘Gubernator Dona’, ‘Bogema’, ‘Donmira’ and ‘Oktava 15’ developed by the FSBSI “Federal Rostov Agrarian Research Center”; the varieties ‘Yuka’, ‘Grom’, ‘Vekha’, ‘Svarog’, ‘Akhmat’ and ‘Dolya’ developed by the FSBSI “National Grain Center named after P. P. Lukyanenko”; the varieties ‘Volny Don’, ‘Krasa Dona’, ‘Donskaya Step’, ‘Volnitsa’ and ‘Etyud’ developed by the FSBSI “Agricultural Research Center “Donskoy”. The standard was the variety ‘Lgovskaya 4’ developed by the Lgov experimental breeding station of the branch of the FSBSI “ARRISS named after A. L. Mazlumov”. The index of environmental conditions developed differently. There were unfavorable conditions for yield formation in 2019 (I j = -1.01), and favorable ones in 2018 (I j = 0.28) and 2020 (I j = 0.74). According to the conducted study, the winter wheat varieties ‘Vekha’ and ‘Akhmat’ were of maximum experimental productivity with 7.49 and 7.67 t/ha, had high genetic flexibility (Ymin + Ymax)/2 = 7.54 and 7.97, and the indices of environmental adaptability IEA were 1.16 and 1.17. The variety ‘Donskaya Step’ is characterized by high yield stability (S 2 d = 0.003; Сv = 1.47 %; Hom = 418.89; PUSS = 613.0) and stress resistance (Ymin – Ymax = -0.22). It can be recommended to use the isolated genotypes in breeding for high productivity and adaptability of varieties.