Role of breeding in the development of organic vegetable production in Kazakhstan

In the Republic of Kazakhstan, organic vegetable growing is at the initial stage of formation and requires comprehensive scientific support, including the development of specialised varieties and adapted agro-technologies. The aim of this study was to create new varieties of vegetable crops intended for organic farming, possessing a complex of economically valuable traits and adapted to different agro-ecological zones of the country. In the process of breeding research both classical and modern methods were used: obtaining inzucht lines, individual and mass selection, hybridisation, polycross, backcross, induction of polyploidy, formation of parental forms and analysis of parthenocarpy. Experimental work was carried out in a competition nursery where evaluation of 15 varietal samples was organised: 5 samples of onion, 7 of table beet and 3 of sweet pepper. As a result of multifactorial evaluation on a set of traits including yield, resistance to diseases and stresses, marketable qualities and suitability for organic production, the most promising samples were identified: 2 onion varieties, 3 beetroot varieties and 2 pepper varieties. According to the results of three-year field trials, these varieties showed stable performance and were recommended for transfer to the State Variety Trial as organic varieties. Practical significance of the study is to provide organic vegetable production of the Republic of Kazakhstan with highly productive and sustainable varieties that can be used in farming and economic structures of different regions of the country, contributing to food security and sustainable development of the industry