SELECTION EVALUATION OF SELF-POLLINATED LINES OF THE KERNZA SPRINKLE-WHEAT HYBRID BY FORAGE PRODUCTIVITY INDICATORS

The aim of the study was to carry out a selection assessment of self-pollinated lines of the spelt-wheat hybrid Kernza, which is considered one of the promising perennial grain-forage crops, according to the main indicators of forage productivity. The task of the study was to select highly productive and adaptive starting material for further breeding work and create new lines capable of ensuring stable yields in variable agro-ecological conditions. In modern conditions of agricultural production, there is an increasing need to create and introduce highly productive forms of spelt-wheat hybrids that would be adapted to the soil and climatic features of the growing region and capable of ensuring effective formation of forage mass and seeds even in the presence of stress factors, such as summer droughts and variability of the temperature regime. Experimental field studies were conducted at the research sites of the Institute of Feed and Agriculture of Podillia NAAS of Ukraine, located in the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe zone. During the research, a set of generally accepted field and laboratory methods for assessing morpho-biological and economically valuable traits was applied. Particular attention was paid to the indicators of spike length, number of spikelets in a spike, number of seeds in a spike and seed weight, dry matter yield, 1000-seed weight and attraction index, which allows assessing the relationship between generative and vegetative productivity of plants. The results of 2025 showed that spike length and number of spikelets are characterized by relatively low variability, which indicates the stability of morpho-biological traits. At the same time, the number of seeds in a spike and seed weight showed significant variability, which indicates the presence of highly productive lines with the potential for further selection. Dry matter yield and 1000-seed weight demonstrate moderate stability, ensuring the predicted feed value. The attraction index indicates different strategies for distributing productive resources between the above-ground vegetative and generative mass, which is an important criterion in the selection of lines for practical application. The results obtained confirm the prospects for using self-pollinated lines of the Kernza wheat-sorghum hybrid for the production of forage crops with a high level of adaptation to the conditions of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe and stable productivity. The identified variability of traits creates a reliable breeding basis for the formation of lines with increased seed productivity, optimal ear structure and high feed value, which is key for the further introduction of the hybrid into modern agro-industrial production.