E. S. Doroshenko1 , A. A. Dontsova1, 2, D. P. Dontsov1 , R. N. Bragin1 , I. M. Zasypkina1
1 Agricultural Research Center “Donskoy”, Zernograd, Rostov region, Russia
2 Don State Technical University, Rostov-on-Don, Russia
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Volume 26 No. 2
Date of paper submission: 21.11.2025, date of review: 01.12.2025, date of acceptance: 26.12.2025
Published: 02/28/2026
Abstract. Despite the successes achieved in spring barley breeding, breeders face new challenges in increasing yields and improving plant adaptation to changing climatic conditions. To address these challenges, sources of economically valuable traits, such as collection accessions possessing characteristics important for agricultural practice, play a crucial role. The purpose is to identify the influence of structural elements and other traits on grain yield in years with varying weather and climate conditions and to select the best-adapted collection accessions of spring barley for use in breeding. Methods. The research was conducted at the Barley Breeding and Seed Production Department of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution “Agricultural Research Center “Donskoy” (Zernograd) from 2022 to 2024. Collection accessions of spring barley of various ecological and geographical origins were sown. The experiment, records and observations were carried out according to the methods of the field experiment (2014) and the State variety testing (2019). Results. Based on the results of the study of the collection material, new sources were identified for use in breeding programs to increase the values of individual traits and their complex: by the number of productive stems per unit area (Azov, Donetskiy 14 (Russia), Charivnyy (Ukraine), Medikum 176 (Kazakhstan), Charlz, Viking, Perun and KWS Orfeliya (France)); the weight of 1000 grains (Priazovskiy 9 (Russia), Odesskiy 22 (Ukraine)); the weight of grains per ear (Taler, Lipen (Belarus), Amber (France), Omskiy Golozernyy 4 (Russia)); early maturity (Zernogradskiy 1670, Vadim, Stimul, K-26598 (Russia)); high productivity (Eyfel, KWS Orfeliya, Fokus, KWS-11-228 (France)). Based on the analysis of a combination of traits characterizing adaptive properties, the varieties Annabel, Grace , KWS-11-228 (France), CDC Dawn (Canada), and Tonus (Russia) were identified as the most resistant to adverse environmental factors, allowing them to be used as source material in the breeding process to obtain breeding material with highly adaptive properties. The scientific novelty lies in the study of the spring barley collection and the identification of sources based on the main economically valuable characteristics.
Keywords: spring barley, trait, resistance, source, variety accession, collection
Acknowledgements. The study was carried out as part of the state assignment No. 0505-2025-0006 “Create new high-yielding varieties of cereal crops that are resistant to stress factors based on a comprehensive study of the genepool.” For citation: Doroshenko E. S., Dontsova A. A., Bragin R. N., Dontsov D. P., Zasypkina I. M. Evaluation of spring barley collection material for practical breeding in southern Russia. Agrarian Bulletin of the Urals. 2026; 26 (2): 221‒236.https://doi.org/10.32417/1997-4868-2026-26-02-221-236 (In Russ.)
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