Study of the initial material for spring barley breeding on the elements of a harvest structure

The article presents the results of the study of the source material of spring barley on the elements of the crop structure, the results of the study of the collection of spring barley varieties from the Volga region research institute of selection and seed farming, represented by samples from research institutes of Russia and foreign countries. The studies were conducted in 2016-2018, about 350 samples were studied annually. There were selected variety samples with a value of productive bushiness above 2.0 pieces of productive stems per plant and a grain mass from 1.3 to 2.9 grams - Povolghskiy 16, Povolghskiy 22, Orenburgskiy 15, Orenburgskiy 16, Pervotselinnik, Omskiy 95, Omskiy holozerniy 1, Medikum 4686, Spomin, Hetman, Charivniy, Margret, KWS Tessa.. According to the indicators “fine grains” and “fineness”, the Submedicum 2149/17 grade was selected. The size of the damage to the variety of stone smut (Ustilago hordei) was determined and the varieties that had no stone smut under field conditions were identified: Vityaz, Orenburgskiy 16, Persey, Hago. Dedicated samples from the barley collection for economically valuable attributes: productive tillering, grain size, resistance to hard smut - are proposed for use as a starting material, which will allow creating a new highly productive breeding material for the conditions of the Middle Volga region.