Ecological testing of winter and spring barley varieties in arid conditions of the Republic of Kalmykia

Testing of agricultural crop varieties in various soil and climatic conditions allows estimating their response, which is very important when selecting a variety composition for a specific growing area. The purpose of the current study was to identify the adaptive potential of winter and spring barley varieties developed by the FSBSI “ARC “Donskoy” in the arid conditions of the Republic of Kalmykia. The trials were conducted at the Kalmykia Research Agricultural Institute named after M.B. Narmaev, branch of the “PKAFRC RAS” in 2018–2023. There have been studied the spring barley varieties ‘Shchedry’, ‘Ratnik’, ‘Fedos’, ‘Format’ and the winter barley varieties ‘Erema’, ‘Foks 1’ developed by the FSBSI “ARC “Donskoy”. The plot area was 50 m 2 . The seeding rate was 400 pcs. of germ. seeds per 1 m 2 . The varieties were laid black fallow. The winter barley variety ‘Espada’ and spring barley ‘Strannik’ were used as standards. As a result of the study, there have been identified the winter barley variety ‘Erema’ with a high index of ecological adaptability, capable of producing high yields under favorable growing conditions (b i = 1.96, ((Y min +Y max ) / 2) – 3.62) and the spring barley varieties ‘Fedos’ and ‘Format’. The variety ‘Fedos’ was characterized by high stress resistance, homeostasis, breeding value and stability level (Y min +Y max = -1.91, Hom = 2.07, Sc = 1.29, PUSS – 110.2 %). The Format variety stood out for its high indicators of genetic flexibility, selection value and stability level ((Y min +Y max )/2 = 2.88, Sc = 1.27, VSLI – 109.9 %). These varieties can be recommended for cultivation in the extremely arid conditions of the Republic of Kalmykia.