PRIMARY SEED PRODUCTION ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT ON THE MAIZE VARIETY “UZBEKISTAN-2018”

Abstract

This article presents the results of primary seed production activities conducted on the newly developed maize variety “Uzbekistan-2018”. Maize is one of the most important agricultural crops worldwide and serves as a valuable source of food, feed grain, and silage. In Uzbekistan, more than 150 thousand hectares are annually cultivated for grain production and over 200 thousand hectares are used for silage production as a secondary crop. The “Uzbekistan-2018” maize variety was developed by scientists of the Research Institute of Livestock and Poultry Farming and was included in the State Register of Agricultural Crops in 2019. Maintaining varietal purity through scientifically based primary seed production is essential for preserving genetic characteristics and producing high-quality elite seeds. The study evaluated morphological traits, including plant height and thousand-kernel weight, under field conditions. The average plant height ranged from 265.8 to 269.0 cm among the selected families, while the average weight of 1,000 seeds was 345 g. Elite seed production was successfully organized on 3 hectares of experimental fields, resulting in the production of 36 tons of elite seeds.