CHOOSING PARENT MATERIAL OF GRASS PEAVINE (LATHIRUS SATIVUS L.) FOR CREATING DROUGHT RESISTANT VARIETIES

Abstract

One of the ways for stabilization of plant origin protein production under the conditions of global warming
is expanding sown areas of leguminous crops, which are characterized by a high adaptive ability to the
effect of unfavorable abiotic environmental factors. Grass peavine (Lathirus sativus L.) occupies one of the
leading places among these crops and it is characterized by such biological peculiarities as symbiotic relationships
with Rhizobium bacteria, the ability to fix molecular nitrogen of the atmosphere, extremely high
tolerance to periodic flooding and lack of soil moisture, its salinity, and also resistance to pests and diseases.
Among grain leguminous crops grass peavine occupies the second position after chickpeas in terms of
drought tolerance. In the initial stages of plant growth and development and during the formation of the vegetative
mass, grass peavine had a weak response to moisture deficiency in the soil. The effect of drought was
more pronounced during periods of flowering, bean formation and grain filling. The influence of unfavorable
abiotic factors was reflected in all periods of the plant productivity formation. In this regard, an important
task of the selection process was a comprehensive evaluation of samples, in order to select the most
stable ones for the effects of arid conditions at all stages of growth and development. The aim of the research
was the evaluation of collection grass peavine samples as to their drought resistance and identification of
valuable sources in order to involve them in the selection process. To study the genetic diversity of grass
peavine collection, the samples were studied according to the following indicators: drought susceptibility
index, tolerance index, average yield, yield stability index, yield index, stress tolerance index and geometric
average yield; seed germination method in sucrose solution was also studied. According to results of the
conducted evaluation, four grass peavine samples were identified, which confirmed their drought resistance
in field and laboratory studies. These samples can be involved in breeding programs to create highly adaptive
varieties (UD0400060 from Afghanistan; UD0400078, UD0400080 from Ethiopia, and UD0400719
from Tunisia).