The use of selection indices and adaptability indicators in the evaluation of promising spring barley breeding material

In modern barley breeding, there is a clear shift in priorities, when the focus is now not only on traditional indicators such as productivity and quality, but also on the ability of varieties to adapt to various environmental conditions. The purpose of the current study was to estimate the adaptability parameters of spring barley based on productivity and yield structure elements, using selection indices. The competitive variety testing involved 19 varieties and lines, sown after peas in six sequences. The standard variety was Format, the plot area was10 m². The factor «variety» had the dominant effect (95.2%) on productivity formation in 2023-2025. Based on the linear regression coefficient, the lines Zernogradsky 1875 (bi = 1.14) and Zernogradsky 1921 (bi = 1.11) were found flexible, while the line Zernogradsky 1908 was found stable and resistant to external factors. Based on the coefficient of variation, the sample Zernogradsky 1908 proved to be the least variable (V = 32.5%). High homeostatic values were identified in the lines Zernogradsky 1825 (Hom = 5.59), Zernogradsky 1904 (Hom = 5.72), and Zernogradsky 1908 (Hom = 7.42). High breeding value was recorded for the samples Zernogradsky 1908 and Zernogradsky 1932 (Sc = 3.4). According to the indicator of cultivar level and stability (PUSS), the lines Zernogradsky 1925, Zernogradsky 1908 and Zernogradsky 1932 exceeded the standard by +10.1...13.7%. According to the sum of the ranks of the used selection indices (Mexican (Mx), Finno-Scandinavian (FSI), prospects (J.P.), correlation between 1000-grain weight and a number of grains per ear (j)) there have been identified such varieties and lines with high resistance to changing environmental conditions and high adaptability as Zernogradsky 1896 (Ʃ ranks = 21), Azimut (Ʃ ranks = 23), Zernogradsky 1910 (Ʃ ranks = 28), Zernogradsky 1911 (Ʃ ranks = 28) and Zernogradsky 1921 (Ʃ ranks = 31). The varieties Zernogradsky 1896, Zernogradsky 1908 and Zernogradsky 1921 have shown good results in the combination of productivity adaptability, selection indices and yield structure elements.

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