Ecological testing of Volgograd and Krasnodar variety of watermelon breeding in different zones of the south of Russia

Relevance. In order to form a targeted assortment of watermelon for specific soil and climatic conditions, an assessment was made and the results of the ecological adaptability of varieties bred by FSBSI “FNTs Rice” and Bykovskaya BSOS in different zones of melon growing were obtained. Methodology. The object of the study is watermelon varieties bred by two research institutions. Tests were carried out in three agroecological zones: Astrakhan, Volgograd regions and Krasnodar region. Agrotechnical measures were applied in accordance with the recommendations adopted for the study area. Results. Despite different soil and climatic conditions of cultivation, all varieties showed high potential yield, regularity and stability of fruiting, controlled by the genotype of the varieties. Varieties of watermelon are able to form a high yield in dry areas. Meteorological conditions during the growing period influenced the length of the growing season. From germination to ripening, the varieties of the early ripeness group showed an increase of up to 5...15 days, in the group of varieties of medium and late ripening up to 20...49 days. The spread in the limits of biometric indicators and fruit weight depended on weather conditions, but was within the varietal parameters. The factor of growing conditions did not influence the accumulation of dry soluble substances in the fruit pulp. Marketability of harvested fruits is 80.90% with high taste qualities. The results of the tests have shown that the varieties of the Krasnodar and Volgograd breeding show adaptability to the specific conditions of the region. Using them will make it possible to minimize losses from the weather conditions of the growing season and obtain stable and high yields.