Spring durum wheat occupies over 0.5 M ha in Kazakhstan and represents an important domestic and export commodity. This study aimed to characterize 151 durum wheat cultivars and advanced lines originating from eight breeding programs of the Kazakhstan–Siberia Spring Wheat Improvement Network (KASIB) between 2003 and 2018. The phenotypic characterization was performed in two contracting evaluation sites more than 1000 km apart (Almaty in the Southeast and Shortandy in the North) for two years and a total of 11 agronomic traits were recorded. Field trials at both locations followed regional agronomy practices, including sowing, harvesting, and genotype evaluation using a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The growing season was longer in Almaty, resulting in a higher number of grains per spike. Though grains are smaller in size with an overall higher yield, 243 g/m² versus 170 g/m², there was no correlation between germplasm performance at the two sites. Molecular characterization was performed with 10 iPBS-retrotransposons primers that resulted in a total of 345 bands and showed a mean polymorphism of 91.9%. Mean values of gene diversity (0.251), Shannon’s information index (0.388), and expected heterozygosity (0.233) revealed a relatively high level of genetic diversity in the KASIB set. AMOVA revealed higher genetic variations due to differences within the populations. Marker-based cluster analysis, including STRUCTURE and neighbor-joining algorithms, divided the material into two populations with clear differences in geographic origin. Superiors and diverse germplasm identified in the study are recommended for marker assisted selection and breeding.

In Kazakhstan, barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is the second most important cereal crop after wheat, with an annual production of approximately 1.9 million tons. The study aimed to characterize Bipolaris sorokiniana isolates obtained from barley fields surveyed. A total of 21 diseased leaves showing spot blotch symptoms were collected from experimental plots located close to the Kazakh Research Institute of Agriculture and Crop Production, where the spring barley Arna cultivar was planted in June 2020. The overall strategy for control of spring barley blotch in the Almaty region of Kazakhstan should include the determination of the aggressiveness of the pathogen isolates to better understand the biology of the diseases and ultimately proper control strategy. Pathogenicity of B. sorokiniana isolates was made on barley seedlings in vitro. Inoculated seedlings showed clear symptoms of B. sorokiniana, and therefore, Kochs postulates were fulfilled by reisolating the pathogen from artificially inoculated seedlings and identifying it based on standard morphology criteria. Further investigation is needed to understand the impact of B. sorokiniana on barley production in Kazakhstan.

Central Asia is an important region for the growth of winter wheat, with a cultivation area of more than 15 million hectares (ha). However, the average yield is approximately 3 tons per ha, which is significantly lower than that in developed countries. Therefore, the development of new competitive high-yielding cultivars, including those based on the application of modern molecular genetics tools, is a key priority in winter wheat breeding projects. One of these tools is the result of the identification of new genes and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for agronomic traits using diverse germplasm panels and genome-wide association studies (GWAS). In this work, a panel of winter wheat accessions was assembled using 115 accessions from Central Asia and 162 samples from other regions of the world. The GWAS, based on a two-year field evaluation of the collection in Kazakhstan’s southern and southeastern regions and 10,481 polymorphic SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism) markers, allowed for the detection of 173 stable QTLs in nine studied agronomic traits. A survey of the published scientific literature suggests that 23 of these 173 stable QTLs have locations similar to those of previously reported QTLs, supporting the robustness of the research. In addition, 221 and 162 accessions surpassed local standards for grain yield at Kazakhstan’s southern and southeastern stations, respectively. Therefore, this study is an additional contribution to the identification of new QTLs for key agronomic traits and valuable genetic lines in winter wheat breeding projects.

Дикие сородичи – это таксоны диких растений, относящиеся к культурам, которые потенциально могут использоваться в качестве доноров генов многих полезных признаков, улучшая урожайность и/или качество, помогая избежать применения пестицидов и повышая адаптивность растений к экологическим стрессам в условиях глобального изменения климата. В этой связи актуальны исследования, направленные на сохранение и изучение генетического разнообразия местных экотипов рода Aegilops L. Проведен скрининг казахстанских местных популяций рода Aegilops L. (Ae. cylindrica, Ae. tauschii, Ae. triuncialis, Ae. crassa) для формирования коллекции ex situ, отражающей меж- и внутрипопуляционное разнообразие. Мониторинг проведен на основе нескольких индикаторов для установления селекционной полезности (фенология, продуктивность, устойчивость к стрессам абиотического и биотического характера). Идентифицированы источники устойчивости к болезням, раннеспелости. Впервые выполнен молекулярно-генетический анализ 50 представителей рода Aegilops L. казахстанской фло ры. Микросателлитный анализ выявил наиболее информативные EST-SSR маркеры (пять и шесть аллельных вариантов), была рассчитана частота аллелей и средняя гетерозиготность. Создан банк геномной ДНК для хранения ex situ (–70 °С).

Wheat production, globally and in Kazakhstan, is significantly limited by heat stress and drought. The evaluation of agronomic traits related to yield under stress conditions is crucial for identifying yield-limiting factors and selecting drought-tolerant germplasm. The aim of this study was to evaluate the variability of the main agronomic and physiological characteristics of 45 winter wheat collection accessions obtained during CIMMYT international variety trials (23IWWYT-IRR and 22IWWYT-SA) in the arid conditions of Southeastern Kazakhstan (foothills of the Zailiyskiy Alatau, 48° N, 77° E, 740 m above sea level) and to identify drought-resistant germplasm. As a result of three years of research (2019–2022) under drought conditions during the 2020–2021 growing season with a high negative environment index (Ij = −3.07), three adapted genotypes were identified: BONITO-37/MV10-2000, LYMARIVNA, and OK12D22004-016. They had yields of 5.3, 5.6, and 5.2 t/ha, respectively, significantly exceeding the yield of the local commercial variety STEKLOVIDNAYA 24 by 15.4–22.8%. The correlation coefficient between productivity variables was significant and varied from 0.55 ** to 0.82 ***. The percentage decrease in yield under drought conditions was 72.3%, while the drought resistance index was 0.27.

Conservation of the biodiversity of crops and their relatives in Kazakhstan is considered with regard to the intensive agriculture of the Republic. Attention is paid to collection, studying, storage, and documentation in order to enable better use, diversification, meeting of new agronomic requirements, food industry, and climate. The conservation of biodiversity is considered as a complex research field.