Varietal Differences in Soft Spring Wheat Susceptibility to Seeds Fungal Infection

The objective of the study is to determine the varietal specificity of susceptibility of eight soft spring wheat varieties zoned in the Krasnoyarsk Region to pathogens causing fungal seed infections. The objects of the study were the following soft spring wheat varieties: Kanskaya, Svirel, Krasnoyarskaya 12, Altayskaya 70, Kuraginskaya 2, Novosibirskaya 31, Lider 80, and Beyskaya. The grain was characterized by a high prevalence of internal infection, which averaged 66.6 % across varieties. The infection was represented by the phytopathogenic fungi Fusarium sporotrichioides Sherb. (the causative agent of fusarium head blight) and Bipolaris sorokiniana (Sacc.) Shoemaker (the causative agent of root rot, leaf spot, and black bud). The average prevalence of F. sporotrichioides across varieties was 13.4 %, varying from 3 % for the Krasnoyarskaya 12 variety to 20 % for the Novosibirskaya 31 variety. At the same time, the Krasnoyarskaya 12 variety was statistically significantly (p < 0.05) inferior to other varieties in the prevalence of F. sporotrichioides, while no statistically significant differences were found between the Kanskaya, Svirel, Altayskaya 70, Kuraginskaya 2, Novosibirskaya 31, Lider 80 and Beyskaya varieties in this indicator. The average prevalence of B. sorokiniana was 53.3 %, ranging from 0 % for the Krasnoyarskaya 12 cultivar to 87 % for the Altayskaya 70 cultivar. Based on the prevalence of B. sorokiniana, the cultivars form two clearly distinct groups. The first group consists of the Kanskaya, Svirel, and Krasnoyarskaya 12 cultivars, with an average prevalence of 4.3 %. The second group consists of the Altayskaya 70, Kuraginskaya 2, Novosibirskaya 31, Lider 80, and Beyskaya cultivars, with an average prevalence of 82.7 %. The Krasnoyarskaya 12 cultivar can be considered a source of increased tolerance to F. sporotrichioides and B. sorokiniana, while the Kanskaya and Svirel cultivars can be considered a source of increased tolerance to B. sorokiniana.