Peculiarities of mustard genofond formation in Ukraine

Abstract

The purpose of the research is to assess the features of the formation of the mustard genofond and its distribution in production in Ukraine. As of 2023 in the Register of plant varieties approved for the use in Ukraine, there are 40 varieties of mustard, of which 14 varieties are white mustard or 35 % of the total. The largest number of varieties of sarepda spring mustard is 42.5 % of the total number, which is due to a greater demand, since all other types of mustard are sown before winter. There is a great threat of their death during the overwintering period, but there is no such threat when sowing spring mustard. Most varieties are recommended for cultivation in all soil and climatic zones of Ukraine. Varietal change is most intense in varieties of white and black mustard, in the register of new varieties white mustard contains 57.2 %, black mustard – 66.7 %. Mustard was grown in Ukraine by all categories of farms, and the main indicators – sowing area before harvesting, grain yield and gross harvest – were mandatory for statistical reporting until 2015. After that it was not separately identified in statistical reporting, which complicates the accounting and analysis of crop cultivation volumes. The analysis of mustard areas before harvesting showed that the main amount of mustard was grown in agricultural farms in 2009, 167.53 thousand hectares or 96.5 % of the total area. By 2015, the mustard sown areas had been significantly decreased and amounted to 58.8 thousand ha in all categories of farms, or 2.85 times, compared to 2009, and the grain yield increased by an average of 0.24 t/ha. Yield enhancement provided gross harvest increment of mustard grain intensively, although due to the reduction in areas before harvesting, the gross grain harvest decreased. Key words: variety, white mustard, varieties register, mustard type, crop productivity, grain, growing areas.