Ecological plasticity and stability of winter wheat varieties in the conditions of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine (Part 2 – drought years)

Abstract

The purpose of our research was to study and analyzethe environmental stability and adaptability to differentenvironments of winter wheat varieties selected by theInstitute of Climate-oriented Agriculture of the NationalAcademy of Sciences and the Selection and GeneticInstitute of the National Center for Seed Science andVarietal Research of the National Academy of Sciences inthe conditions of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine. Researchmaterials and methods. The reaction of 18 varieties ofwinter wheat to different growing conditions was studied atthe Askania State Agricultural Research Station in the villageof Tavrychanka, Kherson region (46°33’12”N; 33°49’13”E; 39 m above sea level) during 2015/16–2019/20. Researchwas conducted under different conditions of irrigation: withirrigation and without irrigation. Analysis of environmentalstability and adaptability to different environments ofwinter wheat varieties was carried out using variousparameters. Research results and their discussion. Theobtained experimental data allow distinguishing varietiesof winter wheat by maximum productivity (Ymax) Mariia –8.61 t/ha, Harantiia odes’ka ‒ 8.23 and Nyva odes’ka –8.04 t/ha, Konka varieties by minimum productivity (Ymin) –4.75 t/ha, Kokhana – 4.61, Koshova and Zysk – 4.67, Liraodes’ka – 4.99 and Schedrist’ odes’ka – 4.65 t/ha. The lowestproductivity in terms of minimum productivity was formedby the varieties Harantiia odes’ka ‒ 3.01 t/ha and Rosynka‒ 3.87 t/ha, and the Rosynka variety was characterized bythe lowest productivity in terms of maximum productivityof 5.69 t/ha. According to the parameters of adaptability,the Kokhana, Koshova, Rosynka, Zysk and Lira odes’kavarieties were selected as the most stable, while Harantiiaodes’ka was selected as an intensive type variety. Thevarieties Askaniis’ka, Pylypivka and Schedrist’ odes’ka canbe classified as plastic. Three clusters were formed: thefirst cluster included eleven varieties that are more orientedtowards the plastic type, the second cluster included sixvarieties that are more oriented towards the stable type. TheHarantiia odes’ka variety formed cluster 2 ‒ to the intensivetype. According to the correlation analysis, the parametersof adaptability were selected: the level of resistance tostressful conditions (RS), the regression coefficient (bi),the variance of the deviation from the regression line (s2di),the sign of the stability of the genotype reaction (σ2SACi), thecompensation coefficient (Kgi), the relative stability of thegenotype (sgi), the selection value of the genotype (SVGi),the selection value of the variety (Sc) by which the typeof variety can be most clearly characterized. Conclusions.Selected parameters of adaptability, according to themand biplot analysis, the varieties Kokhana, Koshova, Zyskand Lira odes’ka were selected as the most stable, on theother hand, Harantiia odes’ka and Mariia were selected asintensive type varieties. The varieties Schedrist’ odes’kaand Askaniis’ka are selected as plastic.