Analysis of the varietal composition of soft winter wheat in the context of variety renewal and replacement

Weather conditions that have been changing towards extreme values determined the need to carry out variety replacement and renewal of soft winter wheat on a systematic level capable of improving the efficiency of agricultural technologies and ensuring a consistently high level of crop yields. Thus, the aim of the work was to analyse the peculiarities of the formation of the assortment and distribution of soft winter wheat, as well as to select the best varieties in terms of productivity and ecological stability. Field studies were conducted at the State Enterprise Research Farm “Salivinkivske” of the Institute of Bioenergy Crops and Sugar Beet of the NAAS of Ukraine (Kyiv region) during 2020-2024. Indicators of stability and plasticity of grain yield for 36 varieties of soft winter wheat were calculated according to the Eberhart-Russell method. It was established that for full variety replacement or renewal and to achieve a high level of soft winter wheat yield, it is necessary to sow at least 15% of areas annually with new varieties or seeds of higher generations. In 2021, this figure in Ukraine stood at 16%; however, in 2022 and 2023, it decreased to 5.2% and 5.5% respectively, which potentially had a negative impact on the overall productivity level of the crop. The varieties ‘Lehenda Bilotserkivska’, ‘MIP Valensiia’, ‘Optyma Odeska’, ‘Okhtyrchanka Yuvileina’, and ‘Analoh’, similarly to ‘RGT Reform’, exhibited high plasticity and were suitable for cultivation using intensive technologies, providing a yield increase of over 3.0 t/ha compared to the long-term average for the Kyiv region (2020-2024) of 4.81 t/ha. When cultivating soft winter wheat using resource-saving technologies, it is advisable to consider varieties such as ‘Berehynia Myronivska’, ‘Vozdvyzhenka’, and ‘MIP Dniprianka’. These were capable of providing a grain yield increase of over 2.0 t/ha while maintaining productivity under the influence of limiting factors. The practical value of this work lies in the fact that its results can be used by agronomists and seed companies to select effective soft winter wheat varieties and increase yields