The productive potential of the collection samples of the crested wheatgrass in the conditions of the Stavropol kray

The practice of using collection material in the breeding of forage crops has long been relevant and one of the most effective methods for identifying genetic sources of economically valuable traits for breeding new highly productive varieties adapted to local environmental conditions. The purpose of the current study was to create and identify a new promising initial material for breeding crested wheatgrass for productivity in the North Caucasus region. Productivity improvement is the main concern of plant breeding, which all other specific directions are subordinate to. The study was carried out in 2017–2020. The objects of the study were 31 varieties of various ecological and geographical origin taken from the world collection of the All-Russian Research Institute of Plant Production named after N.I. Vavilov and 13 varieties developed by the Stavropol Research Institute of Agriculture, including the variety ‘Vikrav’, approved for use in the North Caucasus region as a hay and pasture grain crop in 1994. The trial was laid in fallow, in a single repetition, the accounting plot area was 1.75 m2 . According to the green and hay mass productivity, there have been identified 7 samples, they are ‘K-50974’ (from the Ukrainian village of Petrovsky), three wild-growing samples ‘K-52357’ (from Ukraine), ‘K-51330’ (from the Chelyabinsk region) and ‘K-52441’ (from Kazakhstan) and three samples ‘2/2–18’, ‘4/2–18’, ‘6/2–18’ (developed by the SNIISKh). According to seed productivity there have been distinguished 9 samples ‘K-50974’ (from the Ukrainian village of Petrovsky), four wild-growing samples ‘K-52357’, ‘K-51330’, ‘K-52441’, ‘K-51104’ and three samples ‘2/2–18’, ‘4/2–18’, ‘6/2–18’ (developed by the SNIISKh). According to the complex of the above described traits there have been identified 5 samples