Levels and variability of valuable economic characteristics of spring barley, depending on genotype and hydrothermal conditions

Abstract

Purpose and Objectives. The purpose was to evaluate the yield, the growing period length, resistance to diseases and lodging of spring barley, depending on genotype and hydrothermal conditions, and to select starting material for combining breeding.

Materials and Methods. One six-row cultivar and two-row chaffy and naked cultivars and lines of spring barley were studied. The experiments were conducted in accordance with methods qualifying examination of plant varieties at the Plant Production Institute named after V.Ya. Yuriev of NAAS in 2018–2020. The plot area was 10 m², in four replications. Data were statistically processed by analysis of variance in the STATISTICA 10 software; posteriori comparison was performed by homogenous groups (Fisher LSD).

Results and Discussion. It was found that naked accessions gave lower yields compared to the check cultivar Vzirets under any growing conditions. The sample of chaffy accessions was homogeneous in terms of yield, hence, no significant excess was noted, and cultivar Grace was the only one which consistently exceeded the the check cultivar. As to the growing period length, all the accessions under investigation were mid-ripening.

Resistance to lodging was strongly dependent on genotype and weather. In 2020, severe waterlogging combined with low temperatures favored the vegetative mass development and severe lodging. Therefore, in 2020, none of the accessions of the studied sample was completely resistant to lodging. Cultivars Merlin and Krasen can be distinguished by very high or high group resistance to head smut, net blotch and powdery mildew.

Conclusions. The study singled out six cultivars as breeding-valuable ones with a set of economic characteristics (high low-variable yield [11.06–18.59%], resistance to lodging [8.3–8.8 points], high resistance to the pathogens of head smut [7–9 points] and brown spot [6–9 points]): Grace, Khors, Vzirets, Gladys, Krasen, and Herkules. Awnless accessions were identified as sources of resistance to head smut. Line 14-561 called Herkules was submitted to the qualifying examination of plant varieties.