THE INFLUENCE OF MORPHOLOGICAL AND BIOLOGICAL TRAITS ON THE PRODUCTIVITY OF SOYBEAN VARIETIES IN NORTHERN KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

Background and Objective. The study aimed to assess the influence of morphological and biological traits on the productivity of soybean varieties of different maturity groups in northern Kazakhstan, given the need to expand the crop. Heat and moisture deficits and limited varietal material are known to be limiting factors for its adoption. The objective of the study was to determine the influence of morphological and biological traits on the productivity of soybean varieties and to identify varieties with high adaptive performance for practical breeding.

Materials and Methods. Field studies were conducted in the dry steppe zone at the A.I. Barayev Scientific and Production Center for Grain Farming (hereinafter referred to as the A.I. Barayev Scientific and Production Center for Grain Farming). New varieties and promising breeding material from domestic and foreign selection were used as source material. Data collection and analysis were conducted using standard methods, including analysis of variance in Statistica 10. Significance of differences was assessed at P≤0.05.

Results. The study showed that the expression of morpho-biological traits is determined by the interaction of genotype and environmental conditions (an average of 72% for each indicator). Biometric indicators, in particular biomass content, are the main factors influencing an extension of the growing season and high yields (r=0.68–0.99). The key elements of crop structure that influence high grain yields were also identified. Yield analysis of varieties in different maturity groups revealed high variability depending on maturity group.