The current paper has presented the results of the estimation of productivity of the winter wheat varieties ‘Krasa Dona’, ‘Polina’ and ‘Yubiley Dona’ when using liquid complex fertilizers ‘Strada N + Mono Sulfur (S)’, ‘Strada P + Mono Sulfur (S)’ and ‘Diform Silicon-potassium’. The treatment of winter wheat plants was carried out in the form of foliar top-dressings in the stages of tillering and stem extension. The study was carried out on the basis of the FSBSI “Agri- cultural Research Center “Donskoy” in 2019-2020. The trials were laid in the crop rotation of the laboratory for primary seed production and seed study. The purpose was to study the effect of liquid complex fertilizers on the productivity of the studied winter wheat varieties. When using fertilizers for all varieties, there was a tendency to an increase in the density of the productive stand on 18-61 pcs/m2 in comparison with the control. The variety ‘Krasa Dona’ showed the best indicators of the traits ‘number of grains per head’, ‘grain weight per head’ and ‘1000 grain weight’ being fertilized with ‘Strada N + S’ (43 pcs., 2.19 g and 45.7 g) and ‘Diform Silicon-potassium’ (46 pcs., 2.30 g and 46.5 g). The variety ‘Polina’ showed good results after being treated with ‘Strada P + S’ (48 pcs., 2.30 g and 42.1 g) and ‘Diform Silicon-potassium’ (51 pcs., 2.43 g and 42.4 g). The variety ‘Yubiley Dona’ showed the greatest increase of the trait ‘number of grains’ with the fertilizer ‘Diform Silicon-potassium’. The trait ‘1000 grains weight’ had an increase of 2.3 g, and ‘grain weight per head’ was 0.29 g. The treatment with fertilizers did not affect the trait ‘plant height’. The highest productivity of the variety ‘Krasa Dona’ was obtained when being fertilized with ‘Strada N + S’ (9.4 t / ha) and ‘Diforma Silicon-potassium’ (9.5 t/ha); the productivity of the variety ‘Polina’ increased after ‘Strada P + S’ (8.8 t/ha) and ‘Diform Silicon-potassium’ (9.1 t/ha), and the productivity of the variety ‘Yubiley Dona’ increased after ‘Diform Silicon-potassium’ (8.9 t/ha). The maximum economic effect (19080 rubles/ha) with 9.5 t/ha of productivity was obtained from the variety ‘Krasa Dona’ after the treatment with the fertilizer ‘Diform Silicon-potassium’. The experimental results have shown that the use of complex fertilizers has a positive effect on the productivity of winter wheat plants.

The current paper has presented the stages of variety changing and the results of four-year study (2016-2019) of spring barley varieties bred in different years by the farmers of the Center. The area occupied by spring barley in the Rostov region in 2016-2019 ranged from 315.12 to 406.41 thousand hectares, which was from 6.7 to 8.9% of the total arable land. The average productivity in the region for all the years studied was 2.3 t/ha, varying from year to year from 1.7 t/ha in the dry 2018 year to 2.8 t/ha in the most favorable 2017 year. The 2018 year was unfavorable in terms of climatic conditions, where the area under spring barley was almost 354 thousand hectares, and the gross yield was 601.8 thousand tons. The purpose of the work was to consider the periods of spring barley variety changing in primary seed production. The study was carried out on blackearth (chernozem) soils of the southern zone of the Rostov region at the FSBSI "Agricultural Research Center "Donskoy". The varieties were sown in the spring at the time optimal for spring crops. The maximum productivity of many spring barley varieties in breeding plots exceeded 5.0 t/ha. In 2016-2019 in seed plots, there were sown such spring barley varieties as "Gris", "Ratnik", "Leon", "Schedry". The year of 2018 was unfavorable for these varieties, both in scientific departments and among agricultural producers in the Rostov region. The variety "Schedry" showed the lowest productivity (4.8 t/ha and 3.9 t/ha) and 1000 grain weight (45.0 g and 42.2 g) in both PIP-2 and OS-1. In the favorable year of 2017, the variety "Gris" showed the best results, namely 8.0 t/ha of productivity and 50.6 g of 1000 grain weight. The variety "Gris" was characterized with a stable high 1000 grain weight (on average 50 g) through all years. In different years the varieties "Ratnik" and "Leon" produced the best yields.

The production of winter wheat varieties, which are characterized by high productivity and sowing qualities of seeds, is one of the ways to improve productivity and gross grain harvest in the region. The current paper has presented data on the productivity, sowing qualities and biological properties of the original seeds of the winter bread wheat varieties ‘Stanichnaya’, ‘Lydia’ and ‘Asket’, grown in the laboratory for primary seed production of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution “ARC “Donskoy”. The purpose of the research was to study the productivity and sowing qualities of the winter bread wheat varieties. Productivity is the main criterion for the value of a variety. It was found that with an average productivity (5.8 t/ha) of the variety ‘Stanichnaya’, the data by the years of 2018–2020 varied from 5.1 to 7.2 t/ha, and for the variety ‘Asket’, at a similar level of average value, the variation ranged from 5.2 to 6.8 t/ha. There was found that 1000-seed weight depended on the variety and climatic conditions, and not only on the cultivation technology. The leader in this indicator was the variety ‘Stanichnaya’, with an average value (44.5g) of 1000-seed weight. The maximum yield of conditioned seeds during the years of research was identified in the varieties ‘Stanichnaya’ (73.5%) and ‘Lydia’ (72.4%); the minimum was in the variety ‘Asket’ (71.7%). There was noted that the germination energy of the varieties ‘Stanichnaya’, ‘Lidiya’ and ‘Asket’ ranged from 88 to 92%. The difference between germination energy and laboratory germination ranged from 5 to 8%. When determining the intensity of the initial growth, it was found that the maximum values of the sprout length and weight of 100 dry sprouts were identified in the variety ‘Stanichnaya’ (11.0 cm and 0.63 g); the smallest values of these traits were identified in the varieties ‘Lydia’ and ‘Asket’. Field germination varied by the varieties from 73 to 82%, deviations of this trait from laboratory germination ranged from 14 to 23%. Over the years of study, for all studied varieties, the sowing qualities of seeds corresponded to GOST R 52325-2005.

The current paper has presented the features of primary seed production of winter bread wheat in the Rostov region and highlighted the main methods of varietal renewal, which make it possible to obtain high-quality seed material with strict preservation of their purity, biological and productive traits, in the amounts that meet the needs of the farms. The purpose of the research was to organize primary seed production of new and commercial varieties of winter bread wheat, which allows maintaining varietal purity and providing the required number of seeds of higher reproductions. There have been conducted the field trials to identify the best indicators of seed productivity, varietal and sowing qualities in the primary links of seed production. Seed production is based on individual-family selection with a two-year assessment of the progeny. The main percentage of variety rejection in the laboratory conditions was made according to such indicators as 1000 seed weight, family productivity, uniformity and plump condition of kernels within the family. In PIP-1 the rejection among the varieties ‘Volnitsa', ‘Volny Don', ‘Zhavoronok', ‘Polina', ‘Ambar', ‘Donskaya Stepp', ‘Yubiley Dona' was carried out for all indicators from 16 to 32%. The variety ‘Zhavoronok' was found the best according to the indicators and its rejection rate was 7%. In PIP-2 over the years of variety trials, the studied varieties of winter bread wheat were rejected in the field for all indicators from 2 to 7%. In the laboratory conditions, the rejection rate was slightly different and ranged from 1 to 8%. The highest seed productivity was formed by the varieties ‘Zernogradka 11' (11.2 t/ha), ‘Ermak' (10.8 t/ha), ‘Marafon' (11.5 t/ha) and ‘Krasa Dona' (11.5 t/ha). The percentage of seed productivity of the studied varieties varied from 67.4% to 93.3%. The maximum 1000 seed weight was identified in the varieties ‘Krasa Dona' (52.7 g), ‘Volny Don' (49.8 g), ‘Volnitsa' (49.1 g). The indicators of the main varietal and sowing qualities of winter wheat seeds corresponded to GOST R 52325-2005.

The efficiency of the anther culture method in vitro largely depends on the responsiveness of varieties and hybrids to the induction of androgenesis. The purpose of the current study was to estimate the efficiency of haploproduction of regenerated lines (R0) of winter bread wheat developed by anther culture in vitro and grown in a greenhouse. To achieve this goal, there was set a task to conduct a morphometric estimation of the developed heads (R0) to identify their fertility level. The study was carried out in the laboratory of cell breeding of the FSBSI Agricultural Research Center “Donskoy” in 2021–2022. The objects of the study were 7 hybrid combinations of winter wheat, which were responsive to androgenesis in vitro in the culture of isolated anthers. As a result of induced androgenesis on an artificial nutrient medium, there were identified 333 neoplasms, represented by calluses, embryoids and embryogenic complexes. Green regenerated plants were vernalized in test tubes, cloned, diloidized, then planted into soil. There were obtained 13 haploid lines, after diploidization only 34 plants survived. The highest haploproductive capacity was established in the hybrid combination F3 ‘Rostovchanka 7xBezostaya 100’. In this combination, there were formed 8 green regenerants, 21 plants of which were developed together with clones, 18 of which survived. The cytometric estimation has shown, that 25 dihaploid (2n = 42) and 16 haploid (n = 21) wheat plants have been identified by hybrid combinations, including 13 dihaploids from the combination ‘Rostovchanka 7xBezostaya 100’. As a result of the structural analysis and morphometric estimation of the head there has been found a different fertility degree of androgenic regenerated plants. There have been established prospects of using the dihaploid line ‘79.2.1.2’ in further breeding work based on the hybrid combination F3 ‘Rostovchanka 7xBezostaya 100’ with the highest values of such yield elements as ‘number of heads’, ‘number and weight of grains per head’.