Breeding value and homeostaticity of Ukrainian and Western European winter bread wheat varieties by spike performance

Abstract

Purpose and Objectives. The purpose was to evaluate the breeding value and homeostaticity of the grain weight and number per spike in modern Ukrainian and Western European winter bread wheat varieties and to identify adapted to the Eastern Forest-Steppe of Ukraine sources of strong expression of these traits.
 Materials and Methods. Twenty-eight short-stemmed winter bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) accessions from three countries - fourteen Ukrainian accessions, seven accessions from Germany, and seven accessions France - were investigated. The accessions were studied by appropriate methods using general-scientific, special and genetic-statistical methods of research.
 Results and Discussion. It was determined that the portion of accessions with the genotypic ability to show high breeding value and homeostaticity in combination with a large weight of grains per spike among domestic varieties was 42.9%; such accessions included Prydniprovska, Blahodarka Odeska, Rodzynka Odeska (UKR) and others. A lot of grains per spike and high breeding value in combination with homeostaticity of this trait were recorded for Prydniprovska, Blahodarka Odeska, Nota Odeska, Rodzynka Odeska, and Manera Odeska (UKR); such accessions accounted for 35.7%. Accessions of the Western European ecotype with large weights of grains per spike and lots of grains per spike did not combine theses features with high homeostaticity of these traits, and therefore were less valuable.
 Conclusions. It was revealed that domestic varieties, Prydniprovska, Blahodarka Odeska, Nota Odeska, and Manera Odeska showed high breeding value and homeostaticity in combination with a large weight of grains per spike and lots of grains per spike, which makes them valuable starting material to breed highly productive and promising winter bread wheat varieties for the Eastern Forest-Steppe of Ukraine.