Spring barley initial forms for breeding on productivity in the Middle Volga region’s conditions

Relevance . Evaluation of initial forms for breeding is one of the stages of the selection process. The global gene pool of spring barley ( Hordeum vulgare L. ) is replenished annually with hundreds of new varieties containing a different combination of genes. In this regard, it is relevant to constantly study accessions of different geographical origins according to various criteria, including productivity indicators. The research was conducted to identify genotypes for creating a new highly productive breeding material for spring barley. Methods . The objects of study were 59 accessions of spring barley ( Hordeum vulgare L. ), represented by forms from Russia, CIS countries, Europe and the USA. The study of the initial forms was carried out according to The guidelines for the study of the collection of barley and oats (VIR, 1981). Results . As a result of the study of the spring barley initial material in condition of the Samara region (Kinel) in 2017-2019, 22 varieties were identified that are characterized by consistently high values of productivity indicator: Signal (K-30846, Altai region), Anna (K-30829, Orenburg region), T-12 (K-30990, Orenburg region), Lun’ (K-31101, Penza region), Vityaz (Samara region) — by the value of the indicator “weight thousand grain” above 40 g, recommended as sources for creating breeding material with high values of this criterions. The following varieties are recommended as sources for breeding work to increase the weight of 1000 grains, productive bushiness and plant productivity in the Middle Volga region: Veles (K-30982, Belgorod region), Volgar (K-29831, Samara region), Orlan (Samara region), Omsky 90 (K-30721, Omsk region) and Sasha (K-31110, Omsk region), Charivny (K-31063, Ukraine), KWS Tessa (Germany), AC 06/659/48/2 (Denmark), local (K-9267, Turkey).