Assessment of vegetable soybean (Glycine max L.) cultivars according to genotype-environment indicators: Ecological plasticity, stability, and adaptive response

This study aimed to determine the quantitative and qualitative relationships between the effects of abiotic environmental factors, typical of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine, and the productivity of soybean cultivars. The main methodological approaches included field experiments, which enabled the analysis of cultivation technology elements, and statistical analysis was used to verify the data obtained. It was established that the dry seed yield per plant among the soybean cultivars intended for sprout production ranged from 14.3 to 30.4 g. The highest yield was recorded in the cultivar Kytaiska tsukrova No. 1 (Chinese Sugar No. 1), followed by Staroukrainska mistseva (Old Ukrainian Local) (the control variant), and Soybean for Sprouts No. 3 in third place. The coefficient of variation in plant productivity over the years of study ranged from 7.54% to 2.42%. The cultivars Soybean for Sprouts No. 3, Soybean for Sprouts No. 4, and IDO-21142 exhibited high regression coefficient values (bi = 1.03-1.16), indicating their increased sensitivity to changes in agroecological conditions. In contrast, the cultivar Kytaiska tsukrova No. 1 was characterised by the lowest regression coefficient (bi = 0.73), indicating a reduced response to changes in growing conditions. According to the selection value index, the most promising cultivars were Kytaiska tsukrova No. 1 (BVGi = 26.56) and Staroukrainska mistseva (control) (BVGi = 19.64). The studied soybean cultivars for green pea use demonstrated a wide range of dry seed productivity – ranging from 29.8 to 52.4 g per plant – with a coefficient of variation between 7.74% and 9.13%. Among the cultivars intended for green pea production, IDO-200905 (bi = 0.78) and IR-398 (bi = 0.93) were the least sensitive to improved growing conditions, whereas IR-1030 (bi = 1.02) and Smolianka (control) (bi = 1.27) exhibited the highest sensitivity. At the same time, IDO-200905 and IR-398 showed high homeostasis (Hom = 3.48 and 5.07, respectively) and significant breeding value (BVGi = 20.15 and 23.59, respectively), indicating an effective combination of high productivity and stability