Yield and quality of mid-ripening white cabbage hybrids under extreme conditions of the central zone of Krasnodar region

Relevance. Mid-season hybrids of white cabbage satisfy consumer demand in the most unfavorable summer period for the crop. In the conditions of Kuban, the formation and mass ripening of heads of mid-season assortment falls on an unfavorable period for cabbage cultivation (July-August), which is often accompanied by high temperatures and a long absence of precipitation. Therefore, it is relevant to create an assortment that retains its quality for a relatively long time and when overripe on the root. The limited heat-resistant assortment of this group determines the strategy for creating hybrids with high yield and commercial qualities that meet the production needs of the southern region. Purpose of the study – to identify promising hybrid combinations of mid-season white cabbage that are most adapted to long periods of standing in the field during the summer period. Materials and methods. In 2023-2024, studies were conducted at the breeding site of the vegetable growing department to study the adaptability of 20 mid-ripening white cabbage hybrids to stressful abiotic and biotic factors during harvesting at the mass technical maturity and during overmature standing 2 weeks after ripening. Weather conditions during the period of head formation (July) varied in air humidity, namely, 2024 was dry, 2023 was relatively humid. High temperatures and high temperatures combined with humidity had an ambiguous effect on the growth and formation of the crop, on the one hand, and on the spread of pests and diseases (tobacco thrips, fungal and bacterial diseases), on the other hand. Results. In 2023, thrips damage on hybrids during the first harvest did not exceed 7.7 leaves, during the second – 8.6 leaves, in 2024 – 13.6 and 16.6 leaves, respectively. As a result, in 2023, the total yield during the first harvest was 38.2-83.3 t/ha, with marketability of 81.9-95%, during overmature standing – 49.5-68.7 t/ha with marketability of 72.5-92.5%. In the 2024 conditions, which were more extreme for the head’s formation, the yield was lower and the losses in marketability of the products, both during the first harvest and during overmature standing, were more noticeable, namely, the marketability of the crop was 58.3-81.1% and 50.6-76%, respectively. The reaction of genotypes to environmental conditions was ambiguous. In the first and second years, hybrids stood out, both in terms of yield, marketability, and the ability to maintain a marketable harvest during overmature standing in the field. Thus, in 2023, the hybrid (Vst1x Yas25p2-1) F1 had high indicators of overall yield, marketability of heads and preservation of the yield during overmature standing. In 2024, against the general background and against the background of the standard, two hybrids stood out according to the studied characteristics: (Vst2xTen4272p-1s) F1 and (Tsr213sxLeo13-11) F1. The medium-yielding hybrid (Vst1xBr129-6p) F1 showed stability over the years.