Characteristics of sunflower varieties according to their combining ability

10 sunflower varieties of Russian breeding have been studied. Sterile simple hybrids CMS Kubanskii 48 and CMS Kubanskii 93, possessing high combining ability and wide genetic basis were used as testers. Trials of test-hybrids were carried out in contrasting soil-climatic conditions - in central zone of Krasnodar region in All-Russia Research Institute of Oil Crops (VNIIMK) by V.S. Pustovoit (Krasnodar) and in the Lower Volga region (Novoanninskii, Volgograd region). It was proved that varieties Master and Lakomka possessed high combining ability. Rodnik, Jubileiny 60, SPK SUR and Photon - average combining ability. varieties Voronezhskii 638, Krepysh and Slepnvak - possessed low combining ability.