A promising task of breeding is the creation of soft winter wheat varieties with group resistance to diseases. Success in solving these issues mainly depends on the effectiveness of genetic improvement of wheat varieties. The level of contamination of agrophytocenoses by pathogens of the genus Fusarium Link is global in nature. The main components of the methodology for source material creation are regular monitoring of the pathogenic complex, morphophysiological properties of plants and populations of particularly dangerous types of pathogens. The objectivity of the assessment of the immunological properties of varieties, the establishment of relationships in the plant-host-pathogen system, the identification and selection of highly effective, adapted to zonal conditions, sources and donors of soft winter wheat. The results of the study of the prevalence of fusarium pathogens of grain and the species composition of fungi of the genus Fusarium Link on 23 varieties of soft winter wheat from different breeding centers of Ukraine are presented («Doskonala», «Pryvablyva», «Stolychna», «Fermerka», «Mriya», «Poverna», «Turunchuk», «Zvytiaha», «Kosovytsia», «Viktoriеa», «Bezmezhna», «Vodohrai», «Myroliubyva», «Polisianka», «Voloshkova», «Chorniava», «Tsyhanka», «Blaho», «Ovidii») and breeding lines (sources of resistance) «Myronivska rannostyhla»/CATALON, MV 20-88/»Smuhlianka», BILINMEVEN 49/»Natalka», «Donskoi proctor»/»Slavna», (Mikon/ALMA)/»Lehenda Myronivska». Phytopathological analysis of soft winter wheat grain was carried out in the laboratory conditions to identify Fusarium Link species. A high percentage of healthy grain was determined on wheat varieties «Kosovytsia», «Kupava», «Stolychna», «Mriya». The smallest Fusarium Link ear damage (3-4%) was found in the following varieties: «Bezmezhna», «Poverna», «Polisianka». A high level of Fusarium Link ear damage intensity (15-18%) was observed in the following varieties: «Doskonala», «Turunchuk», «Ovidyi», «Vodohrai», «Myroliubyva». During the research years soft winter wheat grains were colonized by Fusarium Link species: F. sporotrichiella, F. monilifopme, F. graminearum, F. culmorum, F. avenaceum, F. gibbosum, F. sambucinum, and F. oxysporium. The species F. monilifopme and F. oxysporium dominated, their prevalence on wheat grains was 16.2% and 11.7% respectively.
Key words: soft winter wheat, variety, grain, fusarium, severity of damage, Fusarium Link fungi, dominant species.