ADAPTIVE, UNIVERSAL SOFT WINTER WHEAT VARIETY STEPNIACHKA 3
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48612/FARC/2687-1254/001.1.17.2024Keywords:
wheat, variety, selective breeding, hybridization, selection, yield, quality, frost tolerance, drought tolerance.Abstract
Soft winter wheat plays a leading role in grain production in Russia. It provides the population with food (food security of the country), industry – with raw materials,
livestock and poultry farming – with feed. The development of winter wheat varieties with a
high level of genotype resistance to biotic and abiotic stressors is the most important task of
breeding. Selective breeding and synthesis of new varieties is the most effective method that
ensures environmental safety and reduces resource and energy consumption per unit of production. A new adaptive, universal variety of soft winter wheat Stepniachka 3 has been developed in the North Caucasus Federal Agricultural Research Center (FSBSI North Caucasus
FARC). The method of variety development is complex, intravariety, stepwise hybridization
and continuous targeted individual selection. The parent wheat varieties (Spartak x Kalym)
took part in the last crossing. Stepniachka 3 belongs to the lutescens variety. The variety is
high-yielding. On average for three years (2021-2023), it was 10,57 t/ha, which exceeded the
standard Grom by 2,07 t/ha. The maximum yield of the new variety in particular years
reached 14,25 t/ha. Stepniachka 3 belongs to the group of mid-season varieties. It is genetically resistant to a complex of diseases, with a maximum damage from 5% to 10% (stripe rust).
The variety is highly tolerant to low temperatures. It has been inherited from the winter-hardy
wheat variety Spartak, which belongs to the steppe ecotype. Stepniachka 3 has a high degree
of drought and heat tolerance (5 points). All of it is evidence of its high tolerance to stressful
conditions, which are often observed in the regions of cultivation of our varieties, which differ
significantly in soil-climatic and agroecological conditions. The new variety is characterized
by high protein and gluten content in the grain. It consistently produces high-quality grain in
all respects and is classified as a strong wheat. Stepniachka 3 is resistant to shedding and
germination of grain at the root.
