Grain-yield characteristics of oat lines surviving uniform and shuttle selection strategies

Summary Four selection strategies were used on four sets of oat lines to select for grain yield. Two of these used uniform environments whereby sequential selection of the high-yielding lines occurred in continuous high- or continuous low-productivity environments. These are referred to as high and low uniform selection strategies, respectively. The other two selection strategies were conducted by sequential selection of the high-yielding lines in alternating high- and low-productivity environments. They are referred to as high and low shuttle selection strategies, respectively, with high and low designating the productivity of the first environment in the sequence. After three or four cycles of selection, the surviving lines and a random sample from each set were evaluated for mean grain yield, grain yield response to improving environments, and stability of grain yield, in a range of environments typical of oat production on Iowa farms.Grain yield and regression response for all selection strategies, when calculated across all sets of lines, were significantly greater than corresponding values for random samples. Stability was unchanged. The uniform-high and uniform-low strategies gave the greatest and the smallest gains in mean grain yield, respectively, with the shuttle strategies giving intermediate gains. Shuttle selection in predominantly high-productivity environments increased grain yield more than shuttle selection in predominantly low-productivity environments. The uniform-strategy followed by the shuttle-high strategy identified entries with superior performance in high productivity environments. Increased gain in mean grain yield across all environments was associated with increased number of selection cycles conducted in high-productivity environments.Journal Paper No. J-15252 of the Iowa Agric. and Home Econ. Exp. Stn., Ames, Iowa 50011, USA. Project No. 2447.     

Grain yield response and stability for oat lines with low-, medium-, and high-yielding ability

Summary Relationships that exist among grain yielding ability and response and stability of grain yields when tested over variable environments were examined. Two sets of oats lines were tested over many environments that had wide ranges in productivities. The lines in each set were divided into high-, medium-, and low-yielding groups on the basis of means across all environments, and variance components for genotype × environment interactions and means of regression responses and coefficients of determination were computed for the three yield categories in each set.Mean grain yields for the high-, medium-, and low-yielding groups across both sets of oats lines were 2.7, 2.3, and 1.9 Mg ha^-1, respectively. Coefficients of variability for the genotype × environment interaction were 18%, 16%, and 12% for the high-, medium-, and low-yielding categories, respectively. Means for regression responses were 1.22 for the high group, 0.99 for the medium, and 0.78 for the low. Most responses for the high and low groups were significantly different from 1.0. Means for coefficients of contingency were 0.63, 0.56, and 0.51 for the high-, medium-, and lowyielding groups, respectively.There was a positive relationship between mean grain yield and response of grain yield to improving environments. Thus, high yielding lines are also the responsive lines. Our study gave conflicting results about stability of production for the three yield groups. Coefficients of variation for genotype × environment interaction indicated that the high-yielding group was more interactive with environments than were the medium- and low-yielding ones: However, the means for coefficients of contingency indicated that the high yielding group was the most stable.Journal Paper No. J-12128 of the Iowa Agric. and Home Econ. Exp. Stn., Ames, IA 50011. Project 2447.     

Recurrent selection for broad adaptation affects stability of oat

A recurrent selection program for adaptation to diverse environments was successful in improving mean oat (Avena sativa L.) grain yield within and across testing environments. The objectives of this research were to determine if this selection program also resulted in changes in other agronomic traits or altered yield stability. Additionally, we investigated how selection modified the response of genotypes to climatic conditions. We evaluated random samples of 100 families from the original population and each of three selection cycle populations in replicated yield trials in Idaho, Iowa, and Norway for two years. Yield stability was assessed via joint regression analysis and superiority analysis. For each cycle, genetic relationships among yields observed indifferent environments were assessed by estimating phenotypic correlations between pairs of target environments. The effect of climate variables on genotype-by-environment interaction (GEI) responses was determined with partial least squares regression. Selection resulted in a small increase in mean heading date, a decrease in mean test weight, and no change in total above-ground biomass or plant height. Genotypic regression coefficients on environmental indices and deviations from regression were larger in the last cycle population, but superiority analysis demonstrated that selection significantly improved the adaptability of the population to the target testing environments. Improved adaptation was also demonstrated by increased phenotypic correlations among the most divergent pairs of environments in the later cycles. Partial least squares regression of GEI effects on climate variables suggested that later cycle families tended to respond more favorably to cooler than average conditions than the original population. Selection resulted in improved yield stability as well as improved mean yield. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Associations among productivity,production response,and stability indexes in oat varieties

Summary We tested three sets of oat varieties for grain yield in a series of environments and observed that generally more than 80% of the yield variation for individual varieties was due to linear regression response. Mean yields for varieties were significantly variable in all three sets, and regression response indexes were significantly variable in two of them.Mean yields over the three sets were correlated with regression response indexes with r=0.61. Associations of mean yield with the three stability parameters (i.e., coefficient of determination, mean square for deviations from regression, and ecovalence) were low and usually not significant. The correlation of regression response indexes with coefficients of determination was 0.42, but neither of the other stability parameters was associated with the response indexes. The three stability parameters were closely correlated with one another.Our materials were selected varieties, so evidently our results suggest what can be accomplished in breeding for combinations of mean production, production response, and productiom stability.Journal Paper No.J-9092 of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, Ames, Iowa, USA 50011. Project 1752. This work was supported in part by the International Atomic Energy Agency, vienna, Austria, in the form of a fellowship for the senior author.     

Recurrent selection in oat for adaptation to diverse environments

In order to test if selection can improve a population's adaptation to diverse environments simultaneously, three cycles of recurrent selection based on grain yield in Iowa, Idaho, and Norway were practiced in an oat (Avena sativaL.) population developed from North American, Scandinavian, and wild species (A. sterilis L.) germplasm sources. Specific objectives were to determine if selection: increased mean yields across environments and within all environments; changed the genetic correlation of yields in different environments; and changed genetic variation for yield within the population. We evaluated 100 to 210 randomly-chosen families from each cycle of selection at three Iowa locations, in Idaho, and in Norway for two years. Grain yield within each location and mean yields across locations increased significantly over cycles of selection. Mean yields across locations expressed as a percent of the original population mean increased at a rate of 2.6% per year. Several families from the third cycle population exhibited both high mean yields across locations and consistently high yields within all locations. Average genetic correlations of yield in different environments were higher in the second cycle than in the original population. A trend of reduced genetic variation and heritability was observed in Iowa only. These results suggest that we successfully improved mean population yield both within and across locations, and yield stability across environments, and in developing families with outstanding adaptation to diverse environments. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Influence of environmental productivity levels and yield stability on selection strategies in soybean

Summary Yield data were collected for soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) lines in maturity groups III and IV in 14 environments from 1985 to 1989. The lines in each maturity group were subdivided into three different groups based on the mean yield over all environments, and the genotype × environment interactions were studied for each group. Yield stability of the lines was determined. Effectiveness of selection based on different types of environments was examined.Productivity level of the environment did not influence the relative ranking of the lines. Significant rank correlations occurred between mean yields in most environments and the overall mean yield, but few similarities occurred in the line rankings among individual environments. High-yielding lines contributed a significantly smaller proportion to the genotype × environment interaction than medium- and low-yielding lines.A small proportion of the lines were below or above average stability. Significant correlations occurred among stability, overall mean yield, and mean yield in high- and low-yielding environments. However, few significant correlations occurred between individual environment yields and stability in high- or low-yielding environments. Maturity groups differed in yield and stability relationships. Stability in high- and low-yielding environments did not adequately predict stability for each other.Contribution No. 93-445-J from the Kansas Agricultural Experient Station     

Protein yield of oats as determined by protein percentage and grain yield

Summary Relationships among the traits protein percentage, grain yield, and protein yield of oats were studied with F₂-derived lines in F₃ and F₄ from 27 matings obtained by crossing high-protein with high-yield oat lines. High-protein parents were (a) selections from an Avena sativa bulk, (b) selections from three-way matings in which an initial parent was A. sterilss, and (c) cultivars. High-yield parents were derived from backcross populations involving A. sterilis accessions as donor parents.Significnnt genetic variation existed among F₂-derived lines for grain and protein yield in all matings and for protein percentage in all but one mating.Protein percentage had a highly significant negative correlation with grain yield (r=–0.33^**) when pooled over all matings, but in five, these two traits were not correlated. Overall, protein percentage showed a small negative correlation with protein yield (r=–0.09^*), and protein and grain yields had a high positive association (r=0.98^**). F₂-derived lines with both high protein percentage and high grain yield were obtained.High transgressive segregates for protein percentage occurred in two matings, for grain yield in nine, and for protein yield in 14. Most high transgressive segregates for protein yield were high because of high grain yield only, but in four matings, lines were found where protein yield was increased by concurrent increases in both protein percentage and grain yield.Only a few specific parental combinations between high-protein and high-yield parents produced segregates in which increased protein percentage contributed materially to high-protein yields.Journal Paper No. J-11264 of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Stn., Ames, Iowa 50011. Project 2447.     

Relationship between grain yield and grain nitrogen concentration in winter triticale

Summary Ten hexaploid winter triticale lines were grown for two cropping periods at three locations in western Switzerland. Averaged across the six environments, the differences between lines were statistically significant (P=0.05) for grain yield, above-ground biomass, N uptake, grain N yield, nitrogen harvest index, grain N concentration and straw N concentration. There were significant line x environment interactions for all traits. Grain yield and grain N concentration were inversely related (r=–0.74^**). Diagrams in which grain yields were plotted against grain N concentration were used to identify lines with a consistently unusual combination of grain yield and grain N concentration. Despite comparable grain yields, Line 3 had a high grain N concentration, while that of Line 7 was low. Line 3 was superior to Line 7 in both N uptake and N harvest index. Averaged across environments and lines, the N harvest index was 0.73 which corresponds to N harvest indices reported for bread wheat in the same region. We considered the feasibility of developing triticale lines which would outperform the best recent ones in N uptake and partitioning. However, we doubted that this would bring about a marked increase in grain N concentration, because, in the long run, the expected genetic progress in grain yield will lead to a dilution of grain protein by grain carbohydrate increments.Abbreviations GNC grain N concentration - GNY grain N yield - GY grain yield - HI above-ground dry matter harvest index - NHI nitrogen harvest index - SNC straw N concentration - TB total above-ground biomass - TPN total plant N     

Transgressive segregation in inter and intraspecific crosses of barley

Summary Six populations of F₂-derived lines of barley and their parents were evaluated for heading date, plant height, grain yield, bundle weight, and harvest index in a replicated experiment in the field. These data were used to estimate the minimum number of effective factor pairs segregating for each trait, the number of favorable factors contributed by each parent in a cross, and the frequencies and magnitudes of transgressive segregates.Heading date, plant height, and harvest index were controlled by three to four effective factor pairs, whereas grain yield and bundle weight were controlled by five or more.All three H. spontaneum strains used in our study contributed one or more useful genes for each of the traits, grain yield, heading date, plant height, bundle weight, and harvest index. Therefore, it seems that H. spontaneum can be a useful source of favorable genes for quantitative traits, especially for grain yield, which could be incorporated into barley varieties readily by backcrossing. Transgressive segregates for grain yield in the interspecific crosses may provide the basic materials for improving the productivity of cultivated barley varieties.Journal Paper No. J-9760 of the Iowa Agric. and Home Econ. Exp. Stn., Ames, IA 50011. Project 2227. Supported in part by a grant from the Science and Education Administration-Cooperative Research, United States Department of Agriculture.     

Growth rate inheritance and associations with other traits in backcross populations of Avena sativa x A. sterilis

Summary Improved grain yields in lines of oats from matings of Avena sativa x A. sterilis were found to be due to increased plant growth rate. Growth rates of oats were quantitatively inherited, with the minimum number of effective factor pairs segregating in the interspecific matings ranging from 3 to 9. Heritability values for this trait averaged 0.4. Growth rate was highly and positively correlated with bundle weight, straw yield, grain yield, and unit straw weight, but it was uncorrelated with heading date and harvest index. Correlations with plant height were low. Thus, it should be possible for oat breeders to combine the high growth rates from A. sterilis with any combination of agronomic traits.Journal Paper No. J-8608 of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, Ames, Iowa 50011. Project 1752. Supported in part by a grant from the Graduate College.Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Japan (formerly Visiting Scientist at Iowa State University).     

Breeding for wide adaptation in faba bean

Summary Broadening agronomic adaptation will improve yield stability in the grain legume Vicia faba L. We gathered information on the adaptation of European and Mediterranean material to European and Mediterranean environments. The material comprised 20 inbred lines (12 European and 8 Mediterranean lines) and 99 intra- and interpool-crosses in generation F₁. These were evaluated in 9 environments: two spring-sown Southern German environments (SGermE), and seven autumn-sown Mediterranean environments (MedE) in Sicily, Puglia, Andalucia and South Africa. Standard ANOVA, stability analyses and AMMI analysis were performed. Mean yield in F₁ was 257 g/row, the overall parental mean was 144 g/row. The range of environmental means was from 94 g/row to 411 g/row. The average regression coefficient in F₁ was b _i =1.07, being significantly greater than for the parents (b _i =0.68). The opposite was true for the relative magnitude of the deviations from the regressions, which were highly correlated to the AMMI-PC1-results. The AMMI analysis clearly separated the SGermE from the MedE, as well as the germplasm pools. Though the superiority of the F₁-hybrids over their parents was striking, their pattern of interactions with the environments strictly reflected that of their parents. A number of promising crosses was identified as a nucleus of a widely adapted faba bean genepool.     

Correlated response to recurrent selection for groat-oil content in oats

Summary One hundred random oat (Avena sativa L.) lines from a base (C₀) and each of three populations (C₁, C₂, and C₃) improved for groat (caryopsis) oil content by phenotypic recurrent selection were evaluated for correlated changes in several unselected agronomic traits. In addition, the parents of the base population and four check varieties were evaluated for the same traits. Phenotypic recurrent selection for high groat-oil content resulted in no significant correlated response in mean expression of any trait. Mean grain yield, biomass, groat yield, and harvest index of the improved populations were equal or superior to the mean of the parents and, with the exception of harvest index, equivalent to the mean of the check varieties. Mean test weight and seed weight of all populations were lower than for parents or check varieties. Selection for high groat-oil content caused a decline in genotypic variance for test weight and groat fraction, but reductions in genotypic variance for heading date and plant height may have resulted from culling for good agronomic type. Broad-sense heritability remained moderate to high for all traits except groat fraction. Phenotypic and genotypic correlation coefficients revealed negative, though mostly nonsignificant, relationships between groat-oil content and several traits, which may reflect a purported bioenergetic limitation to increasing groat-oil content in oats. Oil yield, however, was positively correlated with grain and groat yield, groat fraction, biomass, and harvest index. Results suggest that development of high-oil oat cultivars with current levels of production traits via phenotypic recurrent selection is possible.Journal Paper no. J-13038 of the Iowa Agric. and Home Econ. Exp. Stn., Ames, IA 50011. Project 2447.     

Potential of wild germplasm for increasing yield of grain sorghum

Summary Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] backcross populations containing 3 to 50% wild germplasm were evaluated in south central India for grain yield and nine related traits. No individual BC₀F₂- to BC₂F₂-derived lines were high transgressive segregates for grain yield. Only 1.5% of all BC₃F₂- or BC₄F₂-derived lines were transgressive segragates, with 26% higher mean grain yield than their respective recurrent parents. The ten highest-yielding BC₂F₂- to BC₄F₂-derived lines per mating having parent CK60B yielded an average of 14% more than CK60B, which was, at the 5% level, a statistically significant difference. However, the increased yield was associated with increased plant height. The highest-yilding lines from RS/R/A2725 x virgatum and RS/R/A2725 x verticilliflorum were an average of 13.5% higher-yielding than RS/R/A2725 (a significant difference) and were equal in plant height. Selection increased BC₂ mean grain yields by 6 to 27%. Population mean yield, mean yield of selected lines, and frequency of high-yielding lines were highest in the BC₄.Journal paper no. 380, ICRISAT, Patancheru, India; Journal paper no. J-11114, Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, Ames, Iowa, USA.     

Effects of recurrent selection for grain yield on plant and ear traits of five maize populations

Summary Maize (Zea mays L.) breeders are interested in the effects of recurrent selection for grain yield on other traits. Changes in plant traits could alter agronomic acceptability of the populations under selection, and observed improvements in grain yield could be explained by changes in ear traits. We evaluated changes in combining ability for plant and ear traits of BS10(FR), BS11(FR), BSSS(R), BSCB1(R), and Lancaster Surecrop associated with recurrent selection for grain yield.Recurrent selection procedures generally did not change plant and ear heights or date of silking of testcrosses of populations or of the population crosses, BS10(FR)×BSS11(FR) and BSSS(R)×BSCB1(R). Grain yield improvements, however, were associated with increases in ear-sink size.Journal Paper No. J 9517 of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Exp. Stn., Ames, Iowa. Project 2152.     

Assessment of drought resistance in 20 accessions of Triticum aestivum L. and related species II. Stability in yield components

Summary Stability in yield components was estimated in several species of Triticum grown across a range of soil moisture. The aim was to assess the effect of varying soil moisture on mechanisms leading to grain yield stability, particularly in the accessions identified as having stable yields and drought resistance viz., T. sphaerococcum, T. vavilovii and T. aestivum cv. C 306 (Paper I of this series). The study indicated that number of grains per spike provided stability to the accessions of T. sphaerococcum and T. vavilovii whereas number of spikes per unit area contributed towards the stability of T. aestivum cv. C 306. It is suggested that these accessions could be utilized as the genetic sources for improving specific yield components with regard to grain yield stability under droughted conditions.     

Repeatability of regression stability indexes for grain yield of oats (Avena sativa L.)

Summary Two lines of descent were established from an F₃ bulk lot of oats (Avena sativa L.) initiated by mixing seeds from approximately 250 crosses. For one line of descent, seeds were radiated with thermal neutrons or X-rays from F₃ through F₆, followed by five generations of bulk propagation. The second was propagated for 10 generations. No artificial selection was practiced in either line of descent. Grain yield data from 20 random strains from each of four generations from the radiated (F₇, F₈, F₉, and F₁₁) and five from the nonradiated (F₃, F₆, F₇, F₈, and F₁₂) line of descent and 20 check cultivars tested in 14 environments were used for estimating regression stability indexes of oat strains.The 14 environments were assigned randomly to two sets of seven, and regression stability indexes were computed for the 180 experimental oat strains for both sets. Intrageneration correlations between regression stability indexes from the two sets of environments ranged from –0.35 to 0.64 (18 d.f.), and only one of nine was significant, indicating poor repeatability for estimates of this statistic computed from different sets of environments.Correlations between regression stability indexes from two sets of environments, one in which the environments varied by soil nitrogen levels and a second in which they varied by soil phosphorus levels, ranged from –0.01 to 0.28, none of which was significant.The relative magnitudes and ranking of the regression stability index values for the oat genotypes were nearly identical when environmental productivity indexes were assessed with any number of check cultivars from 2 to 20.Journal paper No. J-8080 of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station. Ames. Iowa. USA 50010. Project 1752.     

Predicting the relative effectiveness of direct versus indirect selection for oat yield in three types of stress environments

Summary In breeding crop varieties for stress environments, it must be decided whether to select directly, in the presence of stress, or indirectly, in a nonstress environment. The relative effectiveness of these two strategies depends upon the genetic correlation (r _g ) between yield in stress and nonstress environments and upon heritability in each. These parameters were estimated for grain yield of 116 random oat lines grown in nonstress, P-deficient, N-deficient, and late-planted environments. Estimates of r _g between yield in nonstress and yield in P-deficient, N-deficient, and late-planted environments were 0.52±0.24, 1.08±0.16, and 0.06±0.24, respectively. No consistent relationship between heritability and environment mean yield was observed. Direct selection in the presence of stress was predicted to be superior for yield in low-P and late-planted environments, but indirect selection in high-N environments was predicted to be as effective as direct selection in producing yield gain in low-N environments. These results confirm that neither high-yield environments nor environments in which the heritability of yield is maximized are necessarily optimum when the goal is to maximize yield gain in stress environments.Dep. of Agronomy, Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA 50011; USA, Journal Paper no. 13101. Project 2447.     

Use of Triticum tauschii to improve yield of wheat in low-yielding environments

Triticum tauschii (Coss.) Schmal. is an ancestor of bread wheat (T. aestivum). This species has been widely used as a source ofsimply-inherited traits, but there are few reports of yield increases due tointrogression of genes from this species. Selections from F₂-derivedlines of backcross derivatives of synthetic hexaploid wheats (T.turgidum / T. tauschii) were evaluated for grain yield in diverseenvironments in southern Australia. Re-selections were made in theF₆ generation and evaluated for grain yield, yield componentsincluding grain weight, and grain growth characters in diverse environmentsin southern Australia and north-western Mexico. Re-selection was effectivein identifying lines which were higher yielding than the recurrent parent,except in full-irrigation environments. Grain yields of the selectedderivatives were highest relative to the recurrent parent in thelowest-yielding environments, which experienced terminal moisture deficitand heat stress during grain filling. The yield advantage of the derivativesin these environments was not due to a change in anthesis date orgrain-filling duration, but was manifest as increased rates of grain-filling andlarger grains, indicating that T. tauschii has outstanding potential forimproving wheat for low-yielding, drought-stressed environments.     

Stability and genetic improvement of maize yield in Argentina

Summary Yield stability and the genetic improvement of maize (Zea mays L.) grain yield in the humid pampas of Argentina were evaluated.Stability parameters were computed for 15 varieties grown in 35 environments. To analyze genetic improvement of grain yield, data were obtained from trials grown in four locations and twelve years. Two locations represented the typical maize area, while the remaining two were considered marginal. Simple correlation and linear regression coefficients were computed to study the relationships between yield, stability parameters, number of days to 50% tassel emergence, and year of release. Genetic improvement of grain yield was analyzed from linear regression of the average yield of the three highest-yielding varieties (as percentage of the average yield of five common checks) on year of trial.Yield differed significantly among varieties. Significant variety x environment (linear) interaction was also detected. Significant linear relationships were found between regression coefficient for yield (stability parameter 1) and days to tassel emergence, stability parameter 1 and yield, year of release and days to tassel emergence, and year of release and stability parameter 1. Thus, newer maize varieties tended to flower later and had greater responsiveness to favorable environments than did older varieties. Yields have increased for both the typical and marginal areas, with average yearly increases of 114 and 182 kg/ha, respectively.Breeding programs with nurseries located in the typical maize area have raised yield potential in both areas studied. However, if present trends continue, future releases could prove inadequate in low-yielding or short season environments.     

Interpreting genotype × environment interactions for durum wheat grain yields using nonparametric methods

The objective of this study was to compare nonparametric stability procedures and apply different nonparametric tests for genotype × environment (G × E) interactions on grain yields of 15 durum wheat genotypes selected from Iran/ICARDA joint project grown in 12 environments during 2004–2006 in Iran. Results of nonparametric tests of G × E interaction and a combined ANOVA across environments indicated the presence of both crossover and noncrossover interactions, and genotypes varied significantly for grain yield. In this study, high values of TOP (proportion of environments in which a genotype ranked in the top third) and low values of sum of ranks of mean grain yield and Shukla’s stability variance (rank-sum) were associated with high mean yield. The other nonparametric stability methods were not positively correlated with mean yield but they characterized a static concept of stability. The results of correlation analysis indicated that only TOP and rank-sum methods would be useful for simultaneous selection for high yield and stability. These two methods identified lines Mrb3/Mna-1, Syrian-4 and Mna-1/Rfm-7 as genotypes with dynamic stability and wide adaptation. According to static stability parameters, the genotypes 12A-Mar8081 and 19A-Mar8081 with lowest grain yield were selected as genotypes with the highest stability.