The purpose of the research is to evaluate a new variety of winter soft wheat Galatea according to the economically valuable traits and properties. The Galatea variety is characterized by high winter hardiness (97 %), lodging resistance (4.5 points) and yield (7.3-9.8 t/ha). The main criterion of the advantage is the improvement of the quality characteristics of the grain ‒ the variation of the gluten content is 32-36 % (compared to the standard - 28-36 %), the protein content in the grain is 12-13 %, the overall assessment of flour quality is 0.7 points higher than the standard variety Angelina. Baking qualities are good, it belongs to valuable wheat varieties. When studied in the competitive variety testing (2015-2021), the minimum yield level was on average 9.9-55.5 % higher for the Galatea variety and the maximum yield level exceeded the indicators of the compared winter wheat varieties by 20.0-23.6 %. The genetic flexibility of the varieties under study has shown that the new Galatea variety with the coefficient of 6.78 is the most productive. The calculation of economic efficiency based on the market value of the product, production costs and yield has shown that when growing the new Galatea variety, the largest conditional net income of 58780 rubles/ha had been obtained, the level of profitability was 18.0 % higher compared to the Angeline standard variety and 34.0 % higher than the most popular variety in the region, Moskovskaya 39. As part of the import substitution program aimed at improving food security, the introduction of a new Galatea variety into production should significantly increase and stabilize the gross grain harvest in the Central Region of Russia. The new variety has been included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation since 2021. Recommended for use in the Central (3) Region.

The current study was carried out at the Institute of Seed production and Agrotechnologies, Branch of the Federal Budgetary Scientific Institution “Federal Research Agro-Engineering Center VIM” (Ryazan region) on dark gray forest soil of medium fertility (organic matter content 5.60 %) in 2018–2022. The objects of the study were 9 winter common wheat varieties (developed by the FSBSI FRC “Nemchinovka” and FSBSI FRAC VIM), which were included in the State List of Breeding Achievements from 2005–2023 in the Central region of the Non-Blackearth part of the Russian Federation and divided according to the variety change periods, i.e. period V with ‘Galina’, ‘Angelina’, ‘Moskovskaya 56’, ‘Viola’; period VI with ‘Danaya’, ‘Felitsiya’, ‘Galateya’, ‘Anfisa’, ‘Boyarka’. The purpose of the study was to analyze the grain yield and biometric elements of its structural indicators in the winter common wheat varieties, depending on the variety change periods in the conditions of the southern part of the Central region of the Russian Federation. During the study, there has been established an excess of the average (by 15.9 %), minimum (by 27.9 %) and maximum (by 8.3 %) productivity of varieties of the last variety change period with 5.2 % advantage in realizing the yield potential (average 74.5 %) and adaptability coefficient by 17.4 % (average value over 1.0). The variety ‘Galateya’ has high values of productivity potential with adaptability coefficient of 1.12. There has been established that in modern varieties there was a decrease in the stem length by 5.9 cm on average. The shortest varieties were ‘Viola’, ‘Felitsiya’, ‘Anfisa’ and ‘Boyarka’ with 96–97 cm. There has been established that the varieties of the period VI experienced a stem augmentation on 12.7 %, number of grains per head on 2.5 %, grain weight per head on 11.7 % and 1000-grain weight on 4.2 % in comparison with the varieties of the previous selection. A significant contribution to the productivity of new varieties (r ≥ +0.700) was made by the traits ‘number of grains per head’ and ‘grain weight per head’. The variety ‘Anfisa’ had the longest head of 11.3 cm. The varieties ‘Galateya’, ‘Felitsiya’, and ‘Boyarka’ had number of grains per head more than 42.0 pcs., and grain weight per head of more than 2.0 g. All varieties of the last variety change had large grain, m1000 > 46.0 g, the variety ‘Galateya’ had especially coarse grain of 49.1 g.

The article considers long-term studies (2013-2022), the purpose of which is to carry out an evolutionary assessment of the parameters of adaptability and productivity of winter soft wheat varieties created over the last twenty years that have undergone a variety change in the conditions of the Ryazan region and determine the vector of their selection change according to these parameters. As an object of research, 11 varieties related to the last stages of breeding work were used. It was revealed that modern varieties are superior in yield to varieties of earlier selection, regardless of external environmental conditions, and have the highest adaptability in the conditions of the region. Varieties released in the period 2013-2023 and being varieties of the modern generation (VI period), have an excess yield of 14.3% (0.8 t/ha), in comparison with the varieties of the previous selection of 2000-2011. (V period). Intervarietal yield variation reaches 15.7-16.5%, making a difference of 0.85-0.96 t/ha in favor of modern varieties. The limit of the minimum (by 21.3%) and maximum (by 10.7%) yields is higher for new varieties. According to the obtained maximum yield (more than 9.50 t/ha), varieties Galateya and Boyarka stood out. Varieties of the modern generation have a significant advantage: in realizing the yield potential (by 16.8%) and its smaller variation (by 1.7%) over the years of research; in terms of adaptability to the region of cultivation and manifested environmental stress factors, manifested in an increase in the index of variety stability (IS = 2.3), an indicator of the level of variety stability (VSS = 147.9%), adaptability coefficient (C.A.> 1.0) and evenness coefficient (B=71.2%). Winter wheat varieties of the new generation Viola, Danae, Felicia, Galateya, Anfisa, Boyarka and Ivita are presented as more productive and adaptive to the conditions of the region.