Spring wheat breeding in the Republic of Buryatia: history and outcomes

This paper summarizes the historical and contemporary results of spring wheat breeding in the Republic of Buryatia. Breeding efforts for spring wheat in Buryatia have been ongoing since 1931. The primary objectives of this breeding work are to develop early- and mid-season cultivars characterized by drought resistance, high grain technological quality, and resilience to lodging, grain shattering, pests, and diseases. The breeding method employed involves intraspecific hybridization followed by individual selection from hybrid populations over 3–5 generations. Brief outcomes from new breeding lines subjected to competitive variety testing are presented, along with a detailed description of the newly developed cultivar spring wheat "Baikalskaya." This variety, intended for both baking industry and grain fodder uses, achieves an average yield of 37.3 c/ha in the East Siberian region.