Assessment of spring bread wheat breeding material in competitive

Abstract

Background and Aim. North-Eastern Kazakhstan is characterized by insufficient and uneven moisture availability, high summer temperatures, and considerable interannual variability in weather conditions. For spring bread wheat, these conditions are particularly important during the heading–grain filling period, when water deficit combined with elevated temperatures can substantially reduce the number and weight of developing grains. Under climate change, there is an increasing need to develop cultivars that can not only provide high yields under favorable conditions but also maintain productivity under adverse hydrothermal conditions. Therefore, conventional selection based solely on maximum yield is insufficient, and genotype adaptability and stability under changing environmental conditions should also be considered. The aim of the study was to identify promising spring bread
wheat genotypes with high productivity and valuable grain quality characteristics under the conditions of North-Eastern Kazakhstan.
Materials and Methods. The study was conducted in 2024–2025 at the experimental field of “Pavlodar Agricultural Experimental Station” LLP. The study material consisted of 30 spring bread wheat breeding lines from a competitive variety trial. The cultivars Ertis 97 and Pavlodarskaya 93 were used as standards. The breeding material was evaluated for yield, duration of the growing season,
thousand-grain weight, protein and gluten content, and grain test weight in accordance with the methodology for state variety testing of agricultural crops.
Results. Contrasting moisture and temperature conditions in 2024–2025 allowed us to identify differences in the productivity of the studied genotypes. The mean yield of the best-performing lines was 21.1–23.6 c/ha in the medium-maturing group and 22.2–23.3 c/ha in the medium-late-maturing group, exceeding the respective standards by 2.8–6.6 c/ha. The highest average yield was obtained by the Lutescens 2/03-09-3 line and amounted to 23.6 c/ha. The Lutescens 43/94к-07-7, Lutescens 42/93-09-1, and Erythrospermum 11/90-10-3 lines also demonstrated high performance, combining high productivity with valuable agronomic and biological traits under contrasting weather conditions.
Conclusion. Comprehensive evaluation of the breeding material enabled the identification of genotypes characterized by high productivity and valuable grain quality characteristics under contrasting weather conditions. The most promising line, Lutescens 2/03-09-3 (Pavlodarskaya 25), was recommended for further use in breeding programs and submitted for State Variety Testing in the Republic of Kazakhstan.