THE FORMATION OF GERMINATION AND SEED VIGOR INDICES OF SPRING SOFT WHEAT VARIETIES UNDER DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
At present, the agricultural production development in Siberia is based on the import substitution process and on the use of only domestic varieties and hybrids for products obtaining. This area of work and scientific research is a priority and poses many issues to breeders, seed growers and producers that are required a solution. Scientists note that domestic developments of technologies for agricultural production based on plant genetic resources are distinguished by such indicators as economy and resource use efficiency, and they are ecologically safe. Such technologies make it possible to develop and conduct seed production in various ecological zones of the country, regardless of climate change. Based on the foregoing, the research goal was set - to reveal the spring soft wheat varieties’ response to the environmental conditions of cultivation and to determine the intensity of the influence of factors on the variability of germination and seed vigor indices. The studies were carried out in laboratory and field conditions from 2014 through 2017. The seeds were obtained in the field in three ecologically different zones: Priobskaya (Barnaul), Prialtaiskaya (Krasnoshchekovo), and Prisalairskaya (Kytmanovo). Twenty two varieties of spring bread wheat of different maturity groups were taken as the research targets. The field experiments, laboratory studies and observations were carried out based on the instructions of the methodological recommendations. The research results showed that the “variety” factor had an effect on seed germination in middle-early and mid-season varieties, 49.13% and 30.05%, respectively. The interaction of the factors “Environment × Year” (31.26%), “Environment” (22.99%) and “Year” (22.76%) had a major impact on the variability of the trait in middle-late varieties. In general, the studies have shown that the germination and seed vigor indices in middle-early and middle-season variety groups to a greater extent depend on the variety and the interaction of the environmental conditions. The values of these indices in the medium-late variety group depend on the weather conditions of the growing season.