EVALUATION OF POTATO VARIETIES FOR DROUGHT TOLERANCE, ECOLOGICAL PLASTICITY, ADAPTABILITY, AND CONSUMER QUALITIES AT EARLY STAGES OF CULTIVATION

Research objective. To investigate potentially drought-resistant, adaptive potato varieties of different maturity groups for yield and evaluate them for consumer qualities at early test periods. Methods. Field, laboratory, weighing, organoleptic, calculation, and statistical. Results. Based on the results of research in 2020-2022, a comprehensive study of drought tolerance of the most common potato varieties in terms of water regime, parameters of ecological plasticity, stability, and adaptability to variable abiotic environmental factors was conducted for the agroclimatic zone of Central Polissia of Ukraine, valuable sources were identified and their consumer qualities were assessed at early formation of a marketable crop. The potato varieties characterized by a higher degree of adaptation to soil moisture deficit in the phases of budding and flowering (65 and 80 days after planting) were identified. The highest water retention rate was shown by the following varieties: Nahoroda, Volodarka, Ivankivska rannia and Tyras. For water recovery on the 65th and 80th day after germination, the highest values were demonstrated by the following varieties: Yavir, Nahoroda, Mezhyrichka 11, Radomysl and Avanhard. The potato varieties were singled out: Lietana, Chervona Ruta, Nahoroda, and Tyras with the highest value of drought tolerance in two tests. A high value of the average yield of varieties Yi to the average yield of varieties by years Yj was declared in the early tests by the following potato varieties: Volodarka, Avanhard, Tyras, Alians, Mezhyrichka 11, and Radomysl. The genotypes with the highest sensitivity to the improvement of growing conditions were identified: at the first test – Nahoroda, Alians, Ivankivska rannia, Levada, and Radomysl; at the second dynamic digging – Avanhard, Nahoroda, Alians, Ivankivska rannia, Chervona ruta, Vyhoda and Basaliia. It was found that following potato varieties had a stable adaptability coefficient in both tests: Alians, Radomysl, Mezhyrichka 11, Tyras, Volodarka, Avanhard, and Levada. It was demonstrated that the highest score in the tasting evaluation by dynamic digging was shown by the following varieties: Radomysl, Tyras, Partner, Levada, Ivankivska rannia, Yavir, Chervona Ruta, Oleksandryt and Volodarka. Conclusions. Using laboratory and field methods of drought tolerance studies of potato varieties, it was found that a number of genotypes demonstrate high actual drought tolerance in the conditions of Central Polissia of Ukraine. Using different methods of calculating the parameters of ecological plasticity, the specifics of the implementation of the productivity potential of the studied varieties under two test conditions were revealed and ecologically sustainable sources were identified. At the early dynamics of crop accumulation, potato varieties with a high rate of reaction to the factors of agroclimatic conditions of the central part of Polissia of Ukraine and the manifestation of consumer qualities at the level of 7.8-8.5 points were identified.