STUDY OF VARIETAL SAMPLES OF MILLET (PANICUM MILIACEUM L.) FROM THE VIR COLLECTION IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE LOWER VOLGA REGION

The main direction of breeding is the creation of plant varieties that are highly technological, productive and resistant to various adverse environmental factors. To solve important breeding tasks, a source material with a set of valuable properties and traits is needed. The scientific work of breeders requires care and meticulous work in selecting the material that is involved in the breeding process when breeding new varieties. When selecting the starting material for the breeding of annual grasses, the global gene pool of the VIR collection plays an important role, the potential of which must be used to create new varieties adapted to arid climatic conditions and possessing a complex of economically valuable properties. According to the results of the conducted research, promising cultivars of millet have been identified for further use in the breeding process. The selected samples from the VIR collection should be included in the work of breeders to breed new varieties.