Ecological selection of winter wheat as a measure of adaptation to climate change

Federal Agricultural Kursk Research Center, 70b, Karl Marx str., Kursk, 305021, Russian Federation

^* Corresponding author: e.logv1nova@yandex.ru

Abstract

The study presents the results of a five-year investigation (2018-2023) into the performance of winter wheat varieties Kuryanochka 19 and Rat’ compared to the standard variety Lgovskaya 4. The research aimed to assess the environmental plasticity and adaptability of these new varieties under varying weather conditions. The best growing conditions were observed in the 2021-2022 season, with an environmental index of 1.2 and maximum yields of 8.28 t/ha for Kuryanochka 19 and 8.46 t/ha for Rat’. The study found that both varieties exhibited high resistance to environmental stress factors, with Kuryanochka 19 and Rat’ showing minimum and maximum yields of -2.42 and -2.3, respectively. Additionally, they demonstrated genetic flexibility, with Kuryanochka 19 and Rat’ exhibiting flexibility values of 7.07 and 7.31, respectively, compared to the standard Lgovskaya 4 with a value of 6.44. The varieties also displayed low coefficients of variation (11.9-13.4%) and high homeostaticity (51.5-51.6%). The Kuryanochka 19 variety was highly responsive to improved cultivation conditions, with a regression coefficient for the environment (b) of 2.17, whereas the Rat’ variety was less responsive, with a b value of 0.65.