ENVIRONMENTAL PLASTICITY AND STABILITY OF CORN HYBRIDS DURING SELECTION FOR GRAIN QUALITY

Abstract

Determination of ecological stability is an integral part of ecological variety testing of agricultural crops varieties and hybrids. Thanks to the obtained data, it is possible to draw conclusions about the endurance, adaptive potential and adaptability to growing conditions of new corn hybrids. Determination of the environmental conditions index, coefficients of ecological plasticity and stability provide a basis for recommending corn hybrids when grown in certain ecological-geographical and soil-climatic conditions. Testing of experimental corn hybrids in 2021 was carried out in three locations: a separate subdivision of the National University of Life and Environmental Science of Ukraine "Agronomic Research Station" (Bilotserkivskyi district, Kyiv region); limited liability company "Agrofirma "Kolos" (Skyrsky district of the Kyiv region); National Center of Plant Genetic Resources of Ukraine (Kharkiv district, Kharkiv region). The research material was 8 experimental corn hybrids, the parent forms of which are inbred lines VK13, VK69 and AE801. The index of environmental conditions, coefficients of ecological plasticity and stability were calculated according to the Eberhart-Russell method. The average yield of the studied hybrids in the conditions of the Agronomic Research Station of the NULES of Ukraine was 5.24 t/ha, in the conditions of the Agrofirma Kolos LLC – 6.04 t/ha, and in the conditions of the National Agricultural Research Service of Ukraine – 8.24 t/ha. It was established that the optimal conditions for the growth and development of corn plants in 2021 were in the experimental fields of the National Agricultural Research Service of Ukraine with an index of environmental conditions of 0.38. The coefficient of ecological plasticity (linear regression), which determines the reaction of hybrids to the improvement of growing conditions, varied from 2.2 to 5.9. The best indicators of this coefficient were noted in hybrids AE801xVK13 and VK13xAK159. The coefficient of ecological stability (root mean square deviation) was close to zero, which indicates the ability of experimental corn hybrids to form productivity regardless of environmental conditions. An exception is the VK69xUKHK667 hybrid with a coefficient (σd2) of 1.85 – it needs optimal growing conditions to realize its yield potential.