New winter rye cultivar ‘Lika’ for northern agriculture

The work was carried out in soil and climatic conditions of the Kirov region. In competitive cultivar testing (2021–2024), the economic and biological indicators of new winter rye cultivar ‘Lika’ were studied in comparison with the ‘Falenskaya 4’ standard and the cultivar ‘Batist’, included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements in 2023. To assess the adaptive indicators of ‘Lika’ cultivar the method of A. V. Kilchevsky and L. V. Khotyleva was used, according to which the parameters of general and specific adaptive ability (GAAi and σ 2SAA_i) and the selection value of the genotype (SVGi) were calculated. The parameters of ecological plasticity and stability of traits (regression coefficient bi and standard deviation from the theoretical regression line 𝜎_d²) were calculated according to the method of S. A. Eberhart and W. A. Russell as presented by V. Z. Pakudin. The weather conditions of the spring-summer vegetation period were contrasting (hydrothermal coefficient – 0.75...2.14), which made it possible to evaluate the adaptive potential of the new cultivar comprehensively in a changing environment. The cultivar ‘Lika’ belongs to the group of mid-late cultivars, has a strong stem of medium thickness and lodging resistance at the standard level (3.2...5.0 points). Winter hardiness of the new cultivar is at the level of the highly winter-hardy standard ‘Falenskaya 4’ (4.5...5.0 points), which indicates high resistance to unfavorable wintering conditions. Grain of ‘Lika’ cultivar is intended for food use, is characterized by good baking properties: falling number 154...250 sec; grain unit 694...713 g/l; protein content 11.1...11.6 %. The new cultivar is distinguished by stable yield over the years – 4.30...5.44 t/ha, which is at the level (2021, 2024) or significantly higher (2022, 2023) than the ‘Falenskaya 4’ standard. In comparison with the standard and the cultivar ‘Batist’, the cultivar ‘Lika’ was characterized by a better combination of plasticity (bi = 1.11) and stability (𝜎_d² = 0.009), higher general adaptive ability (GAAi = 0.15) and selection value of the genotype (SVGi = 2.44). According to the results of state cultivar testing, since 2025, the cultivar is included in the Register of Breeding Achievements in the Northern and Volga-Vyatka regions of the Russian Federation. The cultivar ‘Lika’, due to its high productive and adaptive potential, is promising for use in agricultural production in the conditions of northern farming.

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