The use the VIR world collection in the selection of new varieties and hybrids of sugar sorghum for arid regions of the Russian Federation

Abstract

Relevance . Currently, a highly productive agricultural crop, unique in drought resistance, sugar sorghum is traditionally used in the crop industry of the agro-industrial complex mainly for fodder purposes for the production of hay, silage, haylage, monofeed, briquettes from biomass, and in recent years the direction related to technical and food processing has been developing. Breeders are widely attracted to the source material from the world collection of VIR, on the basis of which new highly productive varieties and hybrids are created, characterized by a high sugar content in the juice of stems, as well as maturing in the conditions of the cultivation region. The multidirectional selection of new varieties of sugar sorghum with specified economic characteristics is relevant for providing raw materials for various branches of the agro-industrial complex. Methods . The field assessment of morphometric indicators, the yield of biomass and seeds of the studied samples was carried out according to the Methodology of the state variety testing of agricultural crops, as well as according to the Broad unified classifier of cultivated species of the genus Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. Results . The study of the gene pool of sugar sorghum made it possible to identify 18 samples that are donors of economically valuable traits, which are included in the working collection for the creation of new forms. Some samples are donors of several economically valuable signs: 6 signs — Volonter, 5 signs — Scheherezada, k-302, L-39/12; 4 signs — Izolda, Sahara, Seviliay, k-256, k-257, k-10092, L-66/13, L-67/13; 3 signs — Moment, Chaika, k-327, L-44/13. According to the developed model of the variety and the results of the tests, a new variety of sugar sorghum Izolda was isolated, surpassing the zoned variety Volzhskoe 51 in biomass yield by 21,0% and in seeds yield — by 11,1% in the conditions of 2020–2021.