Laboratory of soybean breeding and seed production

Sergey Viktorovich ZELENTSOV

Sergey Viktorovich ZELENTSOV

Head of the laboratory

Corresponding member of RAS

Doctor of agriculture

Tel: (861) 275-78-45
Fax: (861) 254-27-80
E-mail: soya@vniimk.ru

Soybean breeding at V. S. Pustovoit All-Russian Research Institute of Oil Crops has been carried out since 1957 — first by the soybean breeding group, and since 1972 — by the newly established laboratory of soybean breeding and seed production. Until 1987 the laboratory was headed by an outstanding breeder, Doctor of agriculture, Professor Yu. P. Myakushko, in the period from 1987 to 2015 the head of the laboratory was Doctor of agriculture, Professor A. V. Kochegura. Currently, the laboratory is headed by Doctor of agriculture S V. Zelentsov. 14 specialists are working at the laboratory, including 1 Doctor of agriculture, 3 PhD in biology, and 1 PhD in agriculture.

The scope of laboratory activities includes theoretical and methodological research to improve the efficiency of soybean breeding, as well as practical work on the development of new competitive soybean varieties.

Over the time of its work, the laboratory employees bred and included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation 40 soybean varieties of their breeding, and 5 soybean varieties developed together with other scientific institutions of very early, early, mid-early, and medium groups of maturity. These include cold-resistant and photoneutral varieties suitable for sowing in very early calendar dates (late March — early April) in the south of Russia; specialized varieties for growing in mixtures with corn for green fodder and silage; high-protein varieties; edible varieties.

The main direction in soybean breeding at the present stage is the development of highly productive varieties grown for seed production. The main task in developing such varieties is selecting plants for a set of traits that ensure their adaptability to the conditions of insufficient moisture, which provides the formation of high and stable yields and profitable cultivation of the crop. The related objective of breeding is to improve varieties in disease resistance and technological effectiveness.

At present, soybean varieties developed by V. S. Pustovoit All-Russian Research Institute of Oil Crops are cultivated on a large area in the Southern, North Caucasian, and Central Black Earth Federal Districts of the Russian Federation. In the Krasnodar region, the share of the institute’s varieties is not less than half of all crop acreage. All varieties, depending on the maturity group, are characterized by a high yield potential of 3.5 to 5.7 t/ha, resistance to diseases, easy cultivation and harvesting, and their growing season ensures the successful use of soybean as a forecrop of winter cereal crops in the conditions of the North Caucasus.

Along with breeding work, the laboratory carries out primary seed production of developed soybean varieties in the amounts necessary for variety changing and variety renewal.