Evaluation of productivity of cultivars of winter barley in the conditions of the Carpathian

Abstract

Winter barley is a leading forage, food and fodder crop. As well as wheat, it plays a leading role in solving the grain problem of Ukraine. In terms of sown area and yield, it ranks fourth among cereals in world agriculture after wheat, corn and rice. The sown area of barley on the globe is almost 75 million hectares, of which winter barley accounts for about 10%. In Ukraine, winter barley is recommended for cultivation in 14 regions. Due to the early entry into the tube, it makes good use of winter moisture reserves, so even in dry years on light soils provides relatively high yields. Barley needs 48–50% of water to germinate, while wheat needs 55% and oats 65%. The transpiration coefficient of this crop is slightly lower than that of other cereals. Precipitation during the period of earing – pouring of grain contributes to the formation of high yields. Barley is less demanding on moisture than early cereals. Due to the filmy nature of the grain, winter barley retains its germination for a long time, which is quite relevant in conditions of long-term autumn drought. The cool weather in April – May, which has been observed in our region in recent years, contributes to a good continuation of barley tillering with weak damage to the leaves by diseases and prevents early entry of plants into the phase of tube entering. In such conditions, a normally developed crop is formed, which is not affected by diseases and does not lay down after earing. One of the main factors in obtaining high and stable harvests of winter barley is the selection of varieties capable of ensuring stable grain harvests under any weather conditions. It is especially important to grow 2–3 varieties of different ecological characteristics in each farm, which guarantees the maximum yield. That is why we are trying to evaluate several varieties that would be the most productive in these climatic conditions.

The results of three-year studies on the winter barley varieties in ecological nursery are presented. Selection work was carried out in the department of selection of agricultural crops. An ecological nursery of winter barley varieties was established in 2018. The subject of research was 9 varieties of winter barley. Standard – variety Zbruch.

The beginning of winter barley sprouting was observed on November 11–14, 2018–2020. Complete sprouting was noted after 4-5 days. The evaluation of winter barley plants yield was 7–9 points. The height of winter barley plants was from 10 to 15 cm.

The goal of our work is to identify varieties of winter barley with consistently high performance characteristics in our conditions. Statistical analysis of yield data was carried out using the dispersion method in the Microsoft Excel program. Indicators of crop structure and technological quality of winter barley grain varieties was also determined by such indicators as the length of the ear, the length of the stem, the number of grains in the ear, the weight of the grain in the ear, the weight of 1000 grains, the nature of the grain. Nature is the mass of 1 liter of grain, expressed in grams. Instead of the term "nature" in the past and often in the present tense, the terms "natural weight", "nature of grain", "volumetric mass" are used. Nature was determined on a liter purka with a falling load. The higher the nature of the grain, the more useful substances it contains, the better it is. The nature of the grain gives an idea of the fullness of the grain, which is of great technological importance. The mature grain is well developed, it has a large percentage of endosperm. Under unfavorable conditions of grain formation the weight of its shells increases compared to the weight of the endosperm, and the weight of the endosperm decreases, which, in turn, leads to a decrease in the yield of final products (flour, groats, etc.). The nature is related to grain clogging and depends on the amount and nature of impurities. Light impurities (organic) significantly reduce the nature, and mineral – increase it. However, in the vast majority of grain batches, the presence of impurities in general reduces the nature. When moistening, the nature of the grain decreases, as the volume of the grain increases due to its swelling, and the density decreases, approaching to one. In addition, humidity reduces grain flow. The nature depends on the condition of the surface of the grain: a rough surface reduces the density of its stacking and, therefore, reduces the nature. Usually, this indicator gives a complete assessment of the grain quality in combination with others, such as, for example, the weight of 1000 grains, moisture, clogging.

The weight of 1,000 seeds is calculated by multiplying by 10 the average arithmetic weight (x) of 100 seeds. From the seeds of the main crop, two repetitions of 500 seeds are counted without selection and each one is weighed with the required accuracy. An insufficient amount of seeds is taken from the analysis of purity, or from the average sample. Calculate the arithmetic mean of the mass of both repetitions, their sum, as well as the actual difference between them. The latter should not exceed 3% of the arithmetic mean.

The analysis of indicators of the crop structure allows to determine to a certain extent which characteristics have a greater impact on plant productivity and to select varieties with valuable characteristics for their active involvement in the breeding process. The varieties Gladiator (8.6 cm) and Zbruch (8.3 cm) were distinguished by the length of the ear. By the number of grains in the ear – Zbruch (49.0 pcs.) and Snihova koroleva (50.0 pcs.). According to the grain weight in ears of the same varieties, respectively 2.18 and 2.37 g. According to the weight of 1000 grains – Snihova koroleva (50.3 g) and Dostoinyi (49.7 g). According to the natural weight of the grain – Deviatyi val (591 g /l) and Darii (600 g/l), Snihova koroleva (632 g/l). The highest productivity in the studied conditions (4.4–3.8 t/ha) was achieved by winter barley varieties Snihova koroleva, Deviatyi val and Zbruch.