Changes in yield structure elements of spring durum wheat (triticum durum desf.) When breeding for productivity in altai

The purpose of the current study was to identify the directions and magnitudes of yield changes and their structure elements at the current stage of breeding spring durum wheat for productivity at the FSBSI FASCA. From 2020 to 2023, in the competitive testing block there was studied the yield and its structure elements of durum wheat varieties ‘Solnechnaya 573’, ‘Oazis’, ‘Shukshinka’, ‘ATP Prima’, and ‘ATP Partner’ developed at the Federal Altai Scientific Center for Agrobiotechnology in the last decade, relative to the standard variety ‘Pamyati Yanchenko’. Productivity of the varieties ‘Solnechnaya 573’ and ‘ATP Prima’ remained at the standard level. Productivity of ‘Oazis’, ‘Shukshinka’, and ‘ATP Partner’ increased by 5.1–6.2 %. Under conditions of minimal and maximal yield realization the later three cultivars yielded better than the check and another two were equal to it. Grain weight per plant increased by 1.6–15.2 %, main ear weight increased by 3.7–33.6 %, and grain number per main ear increased by 9.8–29.9 %. Sowing density parameters did not undergo significant changes. The trait ‘1000-kernel weight’ decreased by 5.8% on average, while the variety ‘Oazis’ increased this trait by 4.2 %. Plant height varied in different directions, namely the varieties ‘Shukshinka’, ‘ATP Prima’, and ‘ATP Partner’ decreased their plant height by 5–11 %, while the varieties ‘Solnechnaya 573’ and ‘Oazis’ improved it by 8 % and 5 %. The above-ground weight of plants was 2–18 % higher than that of the standard. Productivity closely correlated with plant weight (0.82***), grain weight per plant (0.80***), main ear weight (0.79***), and a tillering shoot (0.77**), and grain content (0.63*), but poorly correlated with 1000-kernel weight (0.40). Grain weight per plant was related to its weight (0.93***), grain weight per main ear (0.93***), and a tillering shoot (0.77**). Grain weight per main ear was determined by grain content by 74 % and 1000-kernel weight by 15 %. In ecological testing, the new varieties exceeded the standard by 3.9–46.8 %. The large productivity of the new varieties ‘Shukshinka’ and ‘ATP Prima’ has been realized at farms in the Altai Territory at a level of 5.0 t/ha.