Analysis of the collection samples of Coriandrum sativum L. by valuable breeding indicators

Coriander is a valuable, highly profitable essential oil crop. Therefore, the development of new highly productive varieties is the main direction of breeding. The aim of the research was to study the collection of Coriandrum sativum L. (owner – Research Institute of Agriculture of Crimea) by a complex of valuable traits to identify promising samples for breeding purposes. In 2017–2019, under the conditions of the Crimean Foothills (village of Krymskaya Roza, Belogorsky district), we analyzed 164 samples from 30 regions of the world. The territory of the experimental plots belongs to the upper foothill, warm, insufficiently humid agro-climatic region. To compare the parameters, we included five coriander varieties in our study. They were created in the Research Institute of Agriculture of Crimea (‘Yantar’, ‘Ranniy’, ‘Nektar’, ‘Medun’ and ‘Silach’) and registered in the “State Register of Breeding Achievements Permitted for Use” of the Russian Federation. The work was guided by the methodological recommendations on essential oil crops breeding. Plot area – 0.6 m2, double replication. The analysis revealed high variability of the collection samples in terms of the main indicators of productivity: fruit yield (Cv = 37.2 %), content of essential oil (Cv = 51.3 %), yield of essential oil per unit area (Cv = 60.0 %). Optimal weather conditions for the accumulation of essential oil with a high content of linalool (the main component) are relatively low air humidity and increased temperature regime during flowering and fruit ripening. The following samples were identified as sources of valuable traits: vr. 341, vr. 757, vr. 756, vr. 387, VIR 415 with a mass fraction of essential oil in fruits at the level of 2.81–3.62 %; VIR 258, vr. 233, VIR 144, VIR 165, VIR 246, vr. 705 with a fruit yield that reached 52.0–73.9 g per plot. Five samples – VIR 348, VIR 421, VIR 180, VIR 431 and vr. 521 – provided a high amount of essential oil (0.90–1.23 g per plot) because of the combination of the increased yield and essential oil mass fraction.