Screening of root system parameters of the international collection of winter wheat in Western Siberia

The development of varieties with improved root system architecture is a promising direction in winter wheat breeding, aimed at enhancing yield and stress adaptability. This study presents a comparative analysis of 96 winter wheat accessions from Russia, Germany, Finland, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Turkey, the USA, and the IWWIP international program. Field experiments were conducted at the experimental field of Omsk State Agrarian University in 2023–2024 using standard agronomic and laboratory methods. Under conditions of both moisture deficit and excess, a weak positive correlation was found between yield and root system parameters (r = 0.01–0.16), suggesting that excessive root development is not a critical factor for plant productivity. Varieties with moderately developed root systems demonstrated more efficient resource allocation toward yield formation (334–612 g/m²), including varieties Zhiva, Line 2293 (Russia), Darunok Podilla (Bulgaria), Gelibolu, MV-Dandar (Türkiye), CO13D1299, SY Wolf, Judee (USA), and lines IWWIP program. Russian breeding program emphasized longer main root (13.7–15.1 cm), total root length (135–146 cm), surface area (42.7–54.9 cm²), diameter (1.19–1.38 mm), volume (1.03–1.75 cm³), and root tips (196–299), outperforming foreign accessions. For hybridization programs, Russian varieties with elongated and branched root systems are recommended to improve drought tolerance and yield: Line K 18918, Etnos, Duplet, Tanais, Barynya, Anka.