The Evaluation of Winter Wheat Adaptation to Climate Change in the Central Non-Black Region of Russia: Study of the Gene Pool Resistance of Wheat from the N.I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry (VIR) World Collection to Abiotic Stress Factors

Abstract

The paper presents the results of a 50-year research of the genepool of the winter wheat from the world’s largest wheat collection of N.I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry (VIR) to investigate its resistance to the abiotic stress factors of the Moscow region and see how closely it matches the attributes of a wheat ideotype as postulated by N.I. Vavilov in 1935. The critical years in studying the wheat’s winter resistance were 10 years out of 50: excessive water saturation during the year 2013; soil drought in 1988; and atmospheric drought in 1972 and 2010. During the investigation, the following gene pool features were analyzed: frost characterized by the cultivar Sojuz 50 (Russia), rapid temperature change, thawing, ice, and rotting resistance characterized by the cultivars Zarya 2 (Russia), Sv 75268, (Sweden), Caristerm and Tukan (Germany), PP 114-74 and Liwilla (Poland), Maris Ploughman and Granta (Great Britain), Titan (USA), Zdar (Czech), and Zenta (Switzerland); regeneration capacity in spring after poor wintering expressed by the cultivars Pamyati Fedina (Russia), TAW 3668.71 (Germany) and Rmo (Poland); resistance to excessive soil and air saturation exhibited by the cultivars Moskovskaya 39 (Russia), Tukan, Compal, Obelisk, Orestis, and Bussard (Germany); solid standing culm that is resistant to lodging characterized by the cultivars Tukan, Kronjuwel, Compal (Germany), Zenta (Switzerland), Moskovskaya 56 (Russia), and Hvede Sarah (Denmark); resistance to enzyme-mycotic depletion of seeds characterized by the cultivars Tukan, Compal, Obelisk, Orestis, Bussard (Germany), Sv 75268, Helge, VG 73394, Salut, Sv 75355 (Sweden), Zenta (Switzerland), Moskovskaya 39, and Ferrugineum 737.76 (Russia); and resistance to soil and atmospheric drought demonstrated by the cultivars Liessau, Heine Stamm, Severin, Neuzucht 14/4, Haynes, Rus 991, Halle 1020 (Germany), Gama (Poland), Sv 71536 (Sweden), and Moskovskaya 39 (Russia). Moreover, the cultivar Mironovskaya 808 (Ukraine) showed resistance to almost all abiotic stress factors studied. The performed study contributes towards the provision of potential sources of resistance to abiotic stress factors prevalent in the Moscow region that can be incorporated in advanced breeding programs.