Spring rapeseed variety Balance

The variety Balance was developed by intraspecific hybridization of the variety Viking-VNIIMK and breeding line No 4801 with subsequent selection by self-pollination in 2012–2022 at V.S. Pustovoit All-Russian Research Institute of Oil Crops. In competitive trials, the variety Balance (No 1015) was characterized by consistently high seed yield – 1.49–3.24 t/ha – and exceeded the standard variety Tavrion on average over five years by 0.20 t/ha. In terms of seed oil content, the variety Balance was 0.7 % lower than the standard variety Tavrion but exceeded the standard in oil yield by 0.07 t/ha. The new variety was characterized by larger seeds, thousand-seed weight during the trials years was 3.09 g, while the standard was 2.77 g. The duration of the growing season and the protein content of the seeds were at the level of the standard. The content of glucosinolates in seeds of the new variety differed from the standard insignificantly. In terms of morphobiological traits, the variety Balance was characterized by a lower plant height, but a higher number of lateral branches com-pared to the previous varieties. The onset of flowering and ripening were almost identical to the variety Viking-VNIIMK, and it did not differ from the standard in lodging resistance. Fusarium blight affection and the percentage of manifestation intensity of this dis-ease is lower by 3.5% compared to the variety Tavrion. The variety Balance is recommended for the cultivation for grain in the North-West, Central, Volga-Vyatka, Central Chernozem, North Caucasus, Middle Volga, Lower Volga, Ural, West Siberia, and East Siberia regions of the Russian Federation.