PECULIARITIES OF BREEDING TO CREATE LINES OF AN ODORIFEROUS HERB-PARSLEY

Purpose. To elucidate peculiarities of breeding to create parsley lines, to identify lines with increased values of valuable economic traits, to create and to reproduce new combining-able genotypes. Methods. Field, measuring and weighing, laboratory, computing, and analytical. Results. The results of the evaluation of garden parsley Petroselinum crispum Mill (Nym) lines are presented. The lines that combine high yields of leaves and roots, marketability, compact leaf rosettes, high content of vitamin C in leaves, shortened roots, and good combining ability have been selected. Line 'Korotkoplidna' has a compact rosette of leaves (20.3 cm long, 24.8 cm wide); its root is 26% shorter (18.2 cm long) than in the check accession, Kharkivianka; it yields 32.5% of roots more (22.8 t/ha); its marketability is 21.5% better (94.8%); the vitamin C content is 36.95 mg/100 g higher (210.15 mg/100 g); and its leaves accumulate low levels of nitrates (1,164 mg/kg). Line 'Perspektyvna' has a shortened root (by 29% or 17.4 cm long), yields 21% of leaves more (6.9 t/ha) and 22.1% of roots more (21.0 t/ha) the check accession; its marketability is 14.7% better (88.0%); the vitamin C content is 43.92 mg/100 g higher (217.12 mg/100 g); and its leaves accumulate low levels of nitrates (1,020 mg/kg). Line 'Vitaminka' was distinguished due to a compact rosette of leaves (18.3 cm long, 27.0 cm wide) and a shortened root (by 29% or 17.4 cm long); it yields 40.3% of leaves more (8.0 t/ ha) and 13.4% of roots more (19.5 t/ha); its marketability is 18.7% better (92.0%);  and its leaves accumulate low levels of nitrates (977 mg/kg). Conclusions. Thus, the breeding studies allowed for identification of the promising garden parsley lines to use in breeding programs. One leaf parsley line and 3 turnip-rooted parsley lines have been selected; two of them ('Korotkoplidna' and 'Perspektyvna') have been transferred to the National Center for Plant Genetic Resources of Ukraine.