Ecological plasticity and productive potential of tobacco in Central Forest Steppe of Ukraine

Abstract

Twenty tobacco varieties of different geographical origin were evaluated according to the main biometric features (plant height, number and size of leaves), biological properties, productivity and marketability of tobacco raw materials. The adaptive potential of tobacco collecting samples has been analyzed and valuable sources for variety breeding in the Central Forest Steppe of Ukraine have been identified. To identify the most similar and distant parental forms, clustering was performed using the “nearest-neighbor” method. The evaluation of the collection samples shows that the highest yield (2.99–4.30 t/ha) and merchantability (85.6–91.3%) of tobacco raw materials were found in Large-leaved type variety samples. According to the analysis results of adaptive potential and ecological stability of tobacco variety samples, the most adapted genotypes to the conditions of the Central Forest Steppe of Ukraine were determined. High yielding varieties of Yellow Sharp-leaved 3 and Burley 7433 were distinguished, which had the highest levels of homeostatic (Hom=0.67, Hom=0.43) and agronomic stability (As=94.00, As=92.43). Tobacco samples also have a high level of agronomic stability: Ternopilskyi 7, Large-leaved 52, Sharp-leaved ruby, Yellow Sharp-leaved 3, Sharp-leaved jubilee new, Burley 7433, Virginia 27, Virginia 202, Virginia seed leaf, and Temp 321, within 72.84–94.00%. Therefore, they can be involved in the breeding process to create adaptive genotypes. On the basis of tobacco variety classification, seven clusters were conditionally distinguished, which had differences in the complex of morphological parameters and the economically valuable features activity.