The history of the formation of the laboratory of primary seed production and seed study in the Agricultural Research Center “Donskoy”

There has been given brief historical information on the formation of primary seed production of grain crops at the Zernograd State Breeding Experimental Station (now FSBSI Agricultural Research Center “Donskoy”). The current paper has presented the results of seed production work and further prospects for the laboratory work from the moment the laboratory was set up in 1955 to the present days. There has been shown the role of seed-growers in improving the methods of individual-family, mass, and negative selection; in a comprehensive study to improve the sowing qualities of seeds and determine the causes of seed damage of winter common wheat varieties during harvesting and post-harvesting processing. There has been established that in different years the laboratory of primary seed production was headed by the following researchers who contributed their invaluable experience. They are A. M. Nadeeva (1955–1967), L. G. Sinetskaya (1967–1972), L. I. Tareva (1972–1980; 1992–1997), N. D. Shchedrin (1980–1991), S. S. Kovalev (1997–2004), T. I. Firsova (2004 and at present days). There has been found out that the laboratory is conducting research work, according to the “Methodological recommendations for the production of seeds of the basic grain, leguminous and cereal crops” for the primary seed production of grain crop varieties of the FSBSI “ARC “Donskoy” on an area of 34 hectares, in volumes up to 6000 families in primary links. The main method of work is individual-family selection with a two-year estimation of families according to progeny. Every year, more than 120 tons of conditioned original seeds are produced in breeding nurseries for winter common wheat, winter and spring barley, which meet the regulatory requirements for varietal and sowing qualities and their classification by reproductions.