Preharvest sprouting resistance and falling number of winter bread wheat in the Volga region

It is shown that, in all 15 studied winter soft wheat varieties, preharvest sprouting resistance is low and the differences between them, although significant, are small. The varieties are characterized by small significant differences also in falling number. Preharvest sprouting resistance and falling number value are significantly affected by environmental conditions developing during seed filling and ripening. On average during 3 years, the best varieties relative to the others with respect to the germination index were Mironovskaya 808 (0.38), Hostianum 237 (0.43), and Zhemchuzhina Povolzhya (0.48), and with respect to falling number the old varieties Hostianum 237 (331 s), Lutescens 230 (346 s), and Saratovskaya 8 (336 s).