Triticale is a relatively new, artificial allopolyploid hybrid of wheat and rye species. Its positive traits, such as high productivity, flexibility, endurance, has attracted the researchers attention. This culture could be a possible solution for the grain and forage production in Central area of Non-black earth Zone.

However, the modern varieties of triticale usually have significant drawbacks. The most important ones is a low gluten content and quality; the possibility of pre-harvest seeds germination in the ears. These problems make it difficult to work with triticale and limit its practical application.

In 2003, the work with a collection of varieties of different origin was started, for their study and propagation. First of all, the direction of future works had been determined and a theoretical model for a variety of non-chernozem zone had been developed. It was decided to conduct the selection of grain varieties for the feed industry, the production of fermentation and baking.

The approximate parameters for a winter triticale cultivar model in Nonchernozem Zone may be such as : the shoots height no more than 120 cm (47,24’), the yield no lower, and the vegetation period no longer than that of the standart (the “Victor” cultivar), significant winter hardiness and resistance to the Fusarium nivale, a large number of productive shoots, large grain, and the protein content of not less than in standart.

The first breeding nursery was founded in 2005 (with the elite seeds from the NIISX of North-West), and in 2007 the breeding material for selection (hybrid nursery F2) were obtained. Individual selection of elite ears was conducted by their phenotype. Then the selection process has begun, by using the techniques, adopted for self-pollinated crops.

Currently the breeding station has no technical possibility of creating the artificial infectious provocative background. Therefore, the one significant aspect of the selection process is the usage of tandem selection on the natural provocative background. The disease resistance were evaluated first, and then (during the phase of yellow ripeness) the morphological characteristics were evaluated between the resistant samples. The final selection were carried out by the grain morphological characteristics, after the threshing . However, the natural provocative background was actually presented only in 2008, 2009 and 2013. To solve this problem, the attempts to use molecular markers to assess the parameters of triticale forms were made. The joint work with the sub-department of Molecular Biology has been conducted.

The samplings in early generations of the triticale, were considered as ineffective. So we practice the repeated sampling in late parts of the process widely. This is due to the complex composition of triticale genome, which is formed itself as a distant hybrid. In total, 14,000 samples were studied for eight years of the nursery existence. Of those, 145 samples were transferred to the control nursery, and 30 best samples were transferred to the state cultivars testing. The evaluation of selection samples has been conducted by the conventional methods during the growing season.

In 2013, the new and promising cultivar (Timirazyevskaya 150) has been transferred to the state test. The cultivar has been obtained by the individual selection from the hybrid combination 24h (♀Fidelio x ♂Doktrina 110). The varieties plants are green and have a height about 77-123 cm. The spike is long, thick, red, drooping heavily, have a long aristas with long spines on top. The glumes pubescent, long, narrow, strongly sloping shoulder or missing, pitching a long tooth, tooth missing from the midrib. The straw under the spike is very pubescent.

The grains of Timirazyevskaya 150 are relatively short, wheat-like, half-glassed, large (1000-grain weight 43.0 - 43.2 g) and have red colour. For three years of testing the cultivar showed the high grain yield (57.8 - 96.0 kg / ha, and the standard Viktor has 51.8 - 82.0 c / ha), high resistance to lodging (4.5-5 points at standard - 4-5 points), high hardiness (5 points, 4 points in standard), relative resistance to snow mold on the standard level (4-9 points), grain protein content at the level of the standard (average 14.5% ), immune to powdery mildew and high resistance to brown leaf rust. The length of the growing season is at the level of the standard (318 - 321 days).

Parallel to the selection and evaluation of new varieties, the new and improved technologies of their cultivation are developed. The main directions were related to the optimization of plants with nitrogen nutrition at the different stages of ontogenesis, the choice of effective crop protection chemicals and their applications, the application of growth regulators for the yield increasing. Together with other departments, we are working on the triticale baking qualities evaluation.

The supporting breeding of the previously created winter hexaploid triticale varieties are conducted. Several contracts for the seeds production of our triticale varieties were concluded.

Also, scientific research related to winter hexaploid triticale biological features were conducted by the department. Undergraduate and graduate students are greatly involved in researchs.

The graduate student, E.A. Komarova, held the anatomical study of stems from a number of triticale varieties. This study was related to the actual problem of triticale – the low resistance to lodging. The anatomical features, that distinguish the resistant forms of triticale were determined. Relationships between some elements of plant anatomy and productivity components of ears were found.

The great unsolved problem in triticale breeding is the strong rre-harvest sprouting grains per ear, which reduces the attractiveness of this crop for farmers. The graduate student, Nguen Thi Thu King. conducted an assessment of pre-harvest grains sprouting in the triticale’s spikes. The grading system, fully suitable for the mass application in breeding process was proposed.

The great work on the allocation of contrasting (by the grains sprouting resistance) triticale lines was conducted by the graduate student, M.S. Bajenov. Together with the Department of Plant Physiology, the study about the influence of environmental factors on seed dormancy were conducted. And together with the Center of Molecular Biotechnology, the study about the influence of R / D substitution on pre-harvest sprouting resistance were conducted.

The studies about of the depth of seed dormancy, the structure of triticale embryo starch during germination, the influence of the intravariety sampling on the pre-harvest sprouting resistance, and many others, were also conducted by the department.

 Also, the cycle of studies, dedicated to the biology of triticale flowering, are conducted now. The studies about triticale’s propensity to xenogamy (by the reaction of different varieties on self-pollination), selective fertilization, hazogamii extent and the range of pollen transfer, propensity of spontaneous hybridization with wheat and rye and the influence of biological and mechanical blockage of the unit vectors on the purity of crops were conducted in this frames. We pay special attention to this line of research, because many issues related to the peculiarities of flowering, pollination and fertilization of triticale still not been fully clarified. And they are directly associated with both the selection and the practical issues of this seed culture.

Together with the Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, the primal triticale forms being created now by the hybridization of different varieties of durum wheat, turgidum wheat, soft wheat with diploid rye. The isolated nuclei culture had been applied. The F1 hybrid sterility had been overcome by the pollen of constant forms. The same work can determine the wheat and rye ability to distant hybridization.

The study of inheritance by a number of triticale agronomic traits, are conducted.

The optimization of the fusarium-resistant elite plants selection methods, are conducted.

Key words: triticale, variety, plant breeding, seed production, hybridization, blossoming biology, seed dormancy, sprouting in spike.