Wheat Microevolution under Intensive Breeding Process in the Northern Caucasian Region

Abstract

In 2005 it was the 50th Anniversary of the outstanding variety Bezostaya1, which was developed at our Institute by Academician Pavel P.Lukyanenko. This variety had been grown in many countries of the world,covering in some years more than 13 million hectares and more than 160million hectares during the whole period of its utilization. Due to highyielding, good grain quality and ability to adapt to a wide range ofenvironmental and technological conditions this variety won the firstplace in the International Variety Trial in 1971 and 1972. After thisDr. Johnson considered this variety to be the best genotype for manywheat areas of the world. It is remarkable that among Bezostaya 1'sprogenitors there was an Argentine variety Klein 33, donor of Rht geneand leaf rust field resistance. 124 winter bread wheat varieties havebeen developed after Bezostaya 1. The major trends of Krasnodar breedingare balanced improvement of potential yielding and grain quality anddevelopment of great number of genetically and biologically differentvarieties, which helps to extend the crop's adaptation potential.Potential yielding of our new varieties Tanya, Doka, Ktasnodarskaya 99averages 12 tons per hectare. The varieties like Delta, Deya, Moskvitchpossess FHB and other fungal disease resistance; Zimorodok, Polovchanka,Knyazhna, Starshina, Soratnitsa, Selyanka, Russa are tolerant to latesowing, deficient, over-compacted and saline soils. New varieties havevery good baking quality, middle to high protein content; differ ingrowing period within 7-12 days. Their frost-resistance is increased by1-2 degrees C. Winter wheat microevolution in the Northern Caucasia canbe characterized by the following properties: a) increase of coenosiscapacity due to higher ear productivity and plant density; b)prolongation of grain filling period; c) attraction rate acceleration;d) plant nitrogen metabolism intensification; e) plant ``economics{''}improvement All these changes have been achieved during 50 years due tointraspecific and distant crossing within the system of complexstep-wise hybridization and use of genetic ``bridges{''} - syntheticamphidiploids.