Adaptability of winter bread wheat varieties in the competitive variety testing in the Udmurt Republic

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the adaptive properties of winter wheat varieties in the competitive variety testing, to identify the best ones for the soil and climatic conditions of the Udmurt Republic based on a set of economically valuable traits. In 2020–2023 seven winter wheat varieties were tested in comparison with the standard ‘Volzhskaya K’ and the variety ‘Moskovskaya 39’. The adaptability of the varieties was determined according to the method of A.V. Kilchevsky and L.V. Khotyleva (1985), S.A. Eberhart, W.A. Russell (1966). Weather conditions during the years of study (drought in 2021 and 2023, excessive moisture in 2022) made it possible to evaluate varieties for drought resistance, determine their resistance to lodging, and the ability to use favorable conditions to form high yields. It was revealed that the most adapted varieties were ‘Cheberina’ and ‘26.12/6’, in 2021–2023 they formed the highest yield (50.0–50.1 hwt/ha) and provided a significant increase of 5.5–5.6 hwt/ha to the standard variety ‘Volzhskaya K’. These varieties significantly exceeded the standard variety in general adaptive capacity (GAC). There was found that the varieties ‘Lyubava’, ‘2.05/3’ and ‘Cheberina’ were the most valuable breeding varieties that combined high productivity with a stable yield. The varieties ‘Cheberina’, ‘26.12/6’, ‘Volzhskaya K’, ‘A-332/2’ were highly responsive to improved environmental conditions (bi > 1). Based on the study results, the adaptable, highly productive variety ‘Cheberina’ was sent to the state variety testing. There has been established that the variety forms a strong elastic stem of medium height, resistant to lodging, and increases ear weight and length, and its grain content in favorable conditions of the spring-summer period. An estimation of disease infection during the spring-summer growing season in 2022 showed that the variety possesses complex resistance to powdery mildew, leaf rust, and blotch of an ear and leaves. The variety formed grain of the third class with such indicators as 66 % of kernel hardness, 779 g/l of grain nature weight, 28 % of gluten of the first quality group, 12.8 % of protein in grain.