Prospects for the introduction of a collection of maize varieties in the conditions of the Lower Volga region

A comprehensive analysis of the collection of maize varieties from the point of view of their breeding value. An assessment of their productivity potential in the conditions of the Lower Volga region was carried out. Field research was carried out in the arid conditions of the Saratov Left Bank. The objects of research were the genotypes of maize of various origins. In the course of the work, an analysis was carried out on 19 economically valuable traits in 18 gene types of corn. Significant variability was revealed in a number of important features, such as the height of the attachment of the cob, the mass of 1000 grains, the number of grains in the cob and the grain yield. The variation of the studied features exceeded 20 %, which indicates a high degree of variability. The calculation of paired correlation coefficients made it possible to identify the relationships between the studied features, considering the collection as a model population. A statistically significant correlation at the level of 5 % was found in 58 pairs of signs. Based on the determination coefficients, the influence of each studied feature on the formation of grain yield was established. Factor analysis of the main components revealed that the first six factors explain 88.51 % of the total data variance, while the remaining 11.49 % are accounted for by factors from Z-7 to Z-19. Based on the determination coefficients, the degree of influence of each sign on the formation of grain yield is determined. The analysis of the main components showed that the first six factors explain 88.51 % of the total variance, while the remaining 11.49 % are accounted for by factors from Z-7 to Z-19. The results obtained make it possible to identify promising genotypes in the collection of maize cultivars with valuable vegetative and generative characteristics. In particular, it is advisable to use samples k-906, k-909, k-1144, k-1769 for breeding for forage purposes (with a high vegetative mass).