Analysis of the genotype-by-environment interaction of spring barley tested in the Nordic Region of Europe: Relationships among stability statistics for grain yield

Variation in agronomic and quality characteristics was investigated in 220 Nordic spring barley cultivars across distinct environments (6 locations during 3 years) in the Nordic Region of Europe. The objectives of this research were to determine the importance of the genotype by environment interaction in all characteristics evaluated and to establish the relationship among different stability statistics for grain yield. Combined analysis of variance across locations indicated that both environments and genotype by environment interactions influenced significantly the cultivar phenotypes for all characteristics, irrespective of their type (row number) or earliness. The first two interaction principal component axes of the additive-main-effects-and-multiplicative-interaction (AMMI) model accounted together between 35% and 75% of the total genotype-by-environment interaction for all characteristics. Grain yield was, on average, higher in 2-row than in 6-row cultivars, which were significantly earlier in heading and grain maturity than the former. However, in some of the most northern locations, 6-row barley cultivars significantly outyielded on average 2-row barley lines. The genotype by location interaction variance (σ² _GL) accounted by each genotype was significantly associated to the deviation from regression (Tai's λ) while the coefficient of regression (β) was significantly correlated to the IPCA1 and IPCA2 of the AMMI model in 2-row, 6-row and early barley cultivars. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Do different production environments justify separate maize breeding programs?

Different production environments are being adopted by farmers. Therefore, allocation of resources to breeding research that targets different production environments should be continuously assessed. Agronomists should conduct extensive hybrid × production environment interaction research before recommending breeders to conduct separate breeding programs for each production environment. The lack of interactions between genotypes and production environments (e.g., tillage) would not justify conducting separate breeding programs and duplicating breeding resources. On the other hand, separate breeding programs would be necessary if cultivar rankings differ. The purpose of this paper is to review the available literature on experiments designed to test genotype × tillage interactions (GT) in maize (Zea mays L.). No-till system (NT) and conventional till system (CT) were utilized as examples of different production environments. The majority of experiments reviewed showed that there is no need to develop cultivars specific to NT because the cultivars that were developed under CT systems performed relatively the same under NT. The magnitude of GT interactions found was very small to expect better cultivars from breeding under NT. Additional research is needed to confirm these conclusions, especially when applied to other production environments (e.g., development of cultivars under organic conditions). Scientists should evaluate genotype by tillage interactions before investing additional resources in breeding for those specific target environments. Top yielding genotypes seem be consistent across years, locations, inputs; and most of the present evidence suggests that breeding for specific till systems is not necessary.     

Environmental and Genotypic Effects on Pod Characteristics Related to Common Bean Quality

A collection of 121 common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) landraces from Spain and Portugal (Iberian Peninsula) was evaluated in six environments (three locations and 2 years). Significant differences among landraces were found for period of flowering, pod maturity and pod morphology (weight, length, width/thickness and curvature). Wide variation among landraces was revealed by the range of variation observed. Environmental effects were not significant although year × location and landrace × year × location interactions were significant for all traits studied except for pod curvature. Poor consistent expression across the different environments for most of the traits studied was expressed by the low values of constancy (C) with the exception of width/thickness indicating that pod shape (round or flat) was expressed regularly across different environments. Principal component analysis enhanced differences among environments affecting the performance of the bean landraces evaluated. Analysis by environment showed that 51 landraces were adapted to specific environments and only four of them had broad geographical adaptability with similar performance under different conditions. These results could be a starting point for selection of new inbred lines adapted to distinct environments with potential for the improvement of current snap bean cultivars.     

Specific and General Adaptation and Yield Stability of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Genotypes

Mean grain yield performance of 12 wheat and one triticale genotypes were measured at four locations over four consecutive years, using a randomized complete block design with four replications. The genotypes used were commercial cultivars and advanced lines from different wheat breeding projects located in different areas in Iran. Two locations were in semiarid regions and the other two locations in the temperate zones. The combined analysis of variance indicated highly significant genotype-environment (GE) interactions. From combinations of locations and years three sets of environments were generated. Set I and set II, each, consisted of eight environments (two locations and four years) representing semiarid and temperature environments, respectively. Set III consisted of 16 environments including both semiarid and temperate conditions. Set I and set II were used to measure specific adaptation of the genotypes while set III was employed for measuring general adaptation. The methods of Eberhart and Russell (1966) were used for partitioning GE interactions. The mean square associated with the heterogeneity of regression was highly significant under all sets of environments. These observations indicated that a major part of GE interaction could be accounted for by differences in the regression of the individual genotypes. All the genotypes had significant regression mean square under set I, set II, and set III environments, with the exception of two genotypes under set II. However, mean yields, regression coefficients, and the mean squares associated with deviation from regression greatly varied over the sets of environments. Only three genotypes, a commercial cultivar and two new advanced line, were identified as having specific adaptation and yield stability to semiarid environments. Among all the genotypes, only a commercial cultivar was identified as adapted and stable to temperate conditions. Two of the three genotypes which were adapted to semiarid environments also showed general adaptation to set III environments. However, the mean yield of these two genotypes under semiarid conditions (set I) were significantly greater than their respective mean yields under set III environments. Thus, wider adaptability was compensated by lower mean yield. The present study indicates that, while a wide range of environments is necessary and recommended for measuring general adaptation reactions and yield stability of various genotypes, one should not ignore the possibility of finding some genotypes with specific adaptation to specific environments and thus maximizing yield production. Stable genotypes with general of specific adaptation should be utilized in breeding projects in order to develop even more desirable lines.     

Yield of synthetic backcross-derived lines in rainfed environments of Australia

Wheat is one of the major food crops in the world. It is Australia’s largest crop and most important agricultural commodity. In Australia the crop is grown under rainfed conditions with inherently important regional environmental differences; wheat growing areas are characterized by winter dominant rainfall in southern and western Australia and summer rainfall in northern Australia. Maximizing yield potential across these diverse regions is dependent upon managing, either genetically or agronomically, those factors in the environment that limit yield. The potential of synthetic backcross lines (SBLs) to increase yield in the diverse agroecological zones of Australia was investigated. Significant yield advantages were found for many of the SBLs across diverse environments. Depending on the environment, the yield of the SBLs ranged from 8% to 30% higher than the best local check in Australia. Apart from adaptation to semiarid water stressed conditions, some SBLs were also found to be significantly higher yielding under more optimal (irrigated) conditions. The four testing environments were classified into two groups, with the northern and southern environments being in separate groups. An elite group of SBLs was identified that exhibited broad adaptation across all diverse Australian environments included in this study. Other SBLs showed specific adaptation to either northern or southern Australia. This study showed that SBLs are likely to provide breeders with the opportunity to significantly improve wheat yield beyond what was previously possible in a number of diverse production environments.     

Agronomic performance of winter wheat grown under highly divergent soil moisture conditions in rainfed and water‐managed environments

Even in the temperate climates of Europe, increasing early season drought and rising air temperature are presenting new challenges to farmers and wheat breeders. Sixteen winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes consisting of three hybrids, six line cultivars and two breeding lines from Germany as well as five line cultivars from France, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and the Ukraine (referred to as “exotic” lines) have been included in this study. The genetic materials were evaluated over three growing seasons under a range of soil moisture regimes at the three North German sites Braunschweig (irrigated and drought‐stressed), Warmse (rainfed) and Söllingen (rainfed). The average grain yields in the twelve growth environments (water regime × season combinations) ranged from 6.1 to 13.5 t ha^?1. The exotic lines showed little evidence of specific phenological adaptation to drought although they are frequently faced with water scarcity in their countries of origin. The hybrids and German lines exhibited higher regression coefficients (b_i) to environmental means than the exotic lines, indicating particular adaptation to favourable growing conditions. The phenotypical correlations of grain yield between the various environments were high, ranging for instance from 0.6 to 0.8 for the irrigated and drought‐stressed environments at Braunschweig. It is thus expected that in the foreseeable future continued selection aiming at high yield potential will suffice as a means to counter the expected increase in droughts.     

Reflectance estimation of canopy nitrogen content in winter wheat using optimised hyperspectral spectral indices and partial least squares regression

Many spectral indices have been proposed to derive plant nitrogen (N) nutrient indicators based on different algorithms. However, the relationships between selected spectral indices and the canopy N content of crops are often inconsistent. The goals of this study were to test the performance of spectral indices and partial least square regression (PLSR) and to compare their use for predicting canopy N content of winter wheat. The study was conducted in cool and wet southeastern Germany and the hot and dry North China Plain for three winter wheat growing seasons. The canopy N content of winter wheat varied from 0.54% to 5.55% in German cultivars and from 0.57% to 4.84% in Chinese cultivars across growth stages and years. The best performing spectral indices and their band combinations varied across growth stages, cultivars, sites and years. Compared with the best performing spectral indices, the average value of the R² for the PLSR models increased by 76.8% and 75.5% in the calibration and validation datasets, respectively. The results indicate that PLSR is a potentially useful approach to derive canopy N content of winter wheat across growth stages, cultivars, sites and years under field conditions when a broad set of canopy reflectance data are included in the calibration models. PLSR will be useful for real-time estimation of N status of winter wheat in the fields and for guiding farmers in the accurate application of their N fertilisation strategies.     

Analyses of Interactions of Wheat Cultivars in Tests for Resistance to Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides

A total of 20 cultivars of winter wheat were tested by ELISA for resistance to Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides in six environments and three growth stages. In a three-factor statistical analysis, the contribution of the different factors to their respective interactions was studied. The genotype × environment interactions exerted a considerable influence which could be reduced by increasing the number of test locations. Environments with a high disease level were less suited to measuring resistance than those environments with a medium level. Estimates of heritability from 0.54 to 0.78 show that successful selection may be possible using ELISA. Significant correlations of quantitative resistance at different environments were only obtained under similar environmental conditions (the same location, the same year) and with P. herpotrichoides populations of similar composition (the same inoculum). The contributions of the individual cultivars to the genotype/ environment interactions were not significantly different, except for ‘Roazon’ and ‘Rendezvous’. Due to high environmental effects in growth stage H5, the determination of quantitative resistance was more reliable in younger stages (65, 75). Nevertheless, the use of the values from that late stage did not reduce the genetic parameters (σ², h₂) if they were combined with the earlier measurements.     

Contributions to the Analysis of Genotype × Environment Interactions: Experimental Results of the Application and Comparison of Clustering Techniques for the Stratification of Field Test Sites

The results from multienvironment field performance trials of cultivars are usually analysed as two‐way classification data with rows=genotypes/cultivars and columns=environments (locations and/or years). To reduce the impact of genotype × environment interaction effects, one commonly stratifies genotypes/cultivars or environments by cluster analysis techniques into homogeneous groups so that interactions within groups are minimized. By such a stratification, for example of test sites, with regard to similarity of genotype × environment interactions and the selection of only one representative test site from each group, the overall number of necessary test sites for yield trials can be reduced. In the literature, many clustering techniques have been proposed. Systematic comparisons between different cluster methods, however, are rather rare. A single cluster method is characterized by `measure of distance', `stopping criterion', `algorithm' and `level of significance'. In this paper, 11 clustering techniques were applied to extensive yield data sets of several agricultural crops (faba bean, fodder beet, oat, winter oilseed rape and sugar beet) from the official registration trials of the German `Bundessortenamt'. The results were compared with each other using two proposed parameters: measure of resemblance (for two classifications) and cluster size (for one classification). Neither the level of significance nor the algorithm has a substantial impact on the resulting clusters. The final results of clustering are therefore mainly determined by the stopping criterion with its associated measure of distance. If one uses tests for crossover interactions as stopping criteria, the resulting clusters are larger than the resulting clusters for the F‐test of conventional interactions in an analysis of variance. The cluster size decreases with increasing sensitivity of the tests that are used as stopping criteria. Finally, recommendations for the choice and handling of clustering techniques for practical applications are given.     

Adaptation and environmental sensitivity of mungbean genotypes evaluated in the international mungbean nursery

Summary Yield data from the 5th–12th international mungbean nursery (IMN) trials conducted at 23 sites in 15 countries were analyzed by conventional stability analysis—regression of genotype mean on the environmental index, and by segmented regression analysis—fitting separate linear regressions in low yielding and high yielding environments. The gene pool base concept allows comparison of genotypes from different IMN trials grown in different years and sites. A very high positive linear relationship was observed between the regression coefficient and the average yield of cultivars, indicating that high yielding cultivars were less stable across environments. When data points of the regression of genotype mean and site mean for VC 1973A, a high yielding and widely adapted cultivar, were examined, the relationship appeared not to be linear. The segmented regression analysis improved the coefficient of determination (r²) and the genotypes were grouped based on regression coefficients in high yielding and low yielding environments. Different categories of genotypes suitable for high input environments, widely adaptable genotypes, and highly stable genotypes were identified.Texas Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Article 23208.     

评价全球气候变化对我国玉米生产的可能影响

利用我国玉米带１２个有代表性地点的作物、土壤和天气资料，验证了ＣＥＲＥＳ－Ｍａｉｚｅ在我国的适用性，确定了各地有代表性品种在模型中的遗传参数，还对模型进行了敏感性分析，之后，将ＣＥＲＥＳ－Ｍａｉｚｅ在各地当前气候以及在３中由平衡ＧＣＭｓ生成的气候变化情景下分别运行，通过分析与比较模拟结果，评价了当ＣＯ２倍增时，气候变化国各地玉米产量和灌溉需要量的可能影响，对Ｃ煌直接影响也做了考虑。还应用若干农业气     

Response of Some Quality Traits of Sunflower Seeds and Oil to Different Environments

Five sunflower hybrids and one open-pollinated variety were sown at two locations in West Germany and at two-sowings at Giza, Egypt (summer and winter seasons). Cultivars showed different response concerning oil and protein contents as well as fatty acid composition. Highest protein content was observed from Giza in winter season. Cultivars differed significantly with this respect under different environments. However, oil content was not significantly affected by environments X cultivars interaction.
Regarding fatty acid composition, palmitic and stearic acids were insignificantly affected. However, highest oleic acid percentage (57.5%) was observed at Giza in summer sowing by Nhy , hybrid, while at Giza in winter sowing the highest value (25.7%) was produced by Semu 209 hybrid. The differences between the two Germany locations were relatively low in range from 14.6–17.6%. Concerning linoleic acid, it showed an opposite trend.
Environments X cultivars interaction showed significant influence on total tocopherol content.     

Studying the effect of environmental variables on the genotype × environment interaction of tomato

Genotype × environment interaction (GEI) affects marketable fruit yield and average fruit weight of both hybrid and open-pollinated (OP) tomato genotypes. Cultivars vary significantly for marketable fruit yield, with hybrid cultivars having, on average, higher yield than OP cultivars. However, information is scanty on environmental factors affecting the differential response of tomato genotypes across environments. Hence, the aim of this research was to use factorial regression (FR) and partial least squares (PLS) regression, which incorporate external environmental and genotypic covariables directly into the model for interpreting GEI. In this research, data from an FAO multi-environment trial comprising 15 tomato genotypes (7 hybrid and 8 OP) evaluated in 18 locations of Latin America and the Caribbean were analyzed using FR and PLS. Environmental factors such as days to harvest, soil pH, mean temperature (MET), potassium available in the soil, and phosphorus fertilizer accounted for a sizeable portion of GEI for marketable fruit yield, whereas trimming, irrigation, soil organic matter, and nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers were important environmental covariables for explaining GEI of average fruit weight. Locations with relatively high minimum and mean temperatures favored the marketable fruit yield of OP heat-tolerant lines CL 5915-223 and CL 5915-93. An OP cultivar (Catalina) and a hybrid (Apla) showed average marketable fruit yield across environments, while two hybrids (Sunny and Luxor) exhibited outstanding marketable fruit yield in high yielding locations (due to lower temperatures and higher pH) but a sharp yield loss in poor environments. Two stable hybrid genotypes in high yielding environments, Narita and BHN-39, also showed high and stable yield in average and low yielding environments.     

Stability of performance of tetraploid wheat landraces in the Ethiopian highland

Plant breeding has always been concerned with genotype-environment interaction. Normally high and stable performance are desirable attributes of cultivars. However, this is practically difficult to achieve where environmental variations are high and unpredictable and significant genotype-environment interactions occur. Stability of performance of 13 landraces evaluated at 4 different locations for 3 years in the highlands of Ethiopia was investigated. The testing locations have different climatic and edaphic conditions providing the conditions necessary for the assessment of stability. Stability parameters like b, s²d, s², r² and cv which are in common use were employed. Grain yield and 1000-kernel weight were the agronomic traits considered for the stability analysis. There were differences in the ranks of genotypes across the locations. Significant main environmental as well as interaction effects were observed showing the importance of genotype-environment interaction in both traits. Many of the landraces evaluated are rated as stable for these traits within the environmental conditions prevailing in these highland locations. Genotypes with specific adaptation to poor and favourable conditions were also identified. Certain genotypes showed similar manners of adaptation and stability for both of the traits. Grain yield showed low correlations with the stability parameters showing the possibility of attaining high yield and stability. Correlations between the stability parameters were mainly positive and significant for grain yield. Only a few of these correlations were found to be significant for kernel weight. The good adaptability of landraces should be exploited in the improvement of their yield potential. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Genetic variation in a Norwegian germplasm collection of white clover (Trifolium repens L.)

Genetic variation and genotype × environment interactions for important agronomic characters were estimated for eleven Norwegian populations of white clover (Trifolium repens L.), originating from between 58^°52′N and 69^°30′N latitude, and from altitudes of 10 to 450 m a.s.l. The populations were evaluated in monoculture clonal field plots for two years at two locations in Norway. The medium-leaved Danish cultivar Milkanova was also included in the experiment as a standard market cultivar. Considerable variation between populations was observed for winter survival, spring growth, morphological characteristics, dry matter yield, general performance, earliness and seed yield. Winter survival, measured as plant cover after two years, was significantly different at the two locations. All the populations had sufficient winter survival at the southern, continental highland site (61^°07′N).At the northern coastal location (69^°30′N),where the winter climate is unstable with physical stresses such as frost, ice-encasement and water-logging frequently occurring, only the northernmost, coastal populations showed sufficient winter survival. Highly significant interactions were found between populations and locations, and between populations and years for all characters measured at both locations and in both years, respectively. Interaction effects between populations, locations and years were significant only for leaflet length. The largest leaf lamina's were observed in the most southern populations. However, genotypes possessing relatively long leaflets were also found in the northernmost populations, although at low frequencies. In general, the populations originating from the northernmost locations had lower biomass production, and were smaller-leaved, more prostrate and exhibited shorter internodes and stolons compared to the populations from South and Middle Norway. These populations also initiated inflorescences earliest, and were among the lowest seed yielding populations. Otherwise, no clear clinal variation in growth characteristics was observed which could be related to the latitude or altitude of origin of the populations. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Photoperiod and vernalisation response of Mediterranean wheats, and implications for adaptation

Hexaploid wheat has the largest cultivated area among crop plants due to its adaptability to different agroclimatic regions. A large part of this adaptability depends upon the variation in vernalisation and photoperiod requirements. A better understanding of the genetic control of flowering in wheat, as expressed by vernalisation requirements and photoperiod response, will guide breeders in targeting crosses of different types and will also improve our understanding of regional adaptation requirements. Characterisation of large numbers of breeding lines for photoperiod and vernalisation response in wheat is needed to assign the lines to geographic areas of most probable adaptation. Simple screening methods to quantify the effects of these two factors and their interaction are needed to assist breeding progress. Twenty wheat lines were evaluated for response to photoperiod and vernalisation under two controlled environments and under high ambient air temperatures in field conditions. Vernalised and non vernalised seedlings were transplanted into pots and placed in three photoperiod (8, 12 and 16 h light) cabinets, in the greenhouse or in growth chambers. Days to anthesis decreased with increasing length of photoperiod. Vernalised plants flowered earlier than non vernalised plants. There was a significant correlation between days to anthesis in the greenhouse and the growth chamber (r=0.88, P<0.001). Length of basal vegetative period, effects of vernalisation, and photoperiod from the two screening techniques were positively correlated with each other. Growth habit score, vernalisation requirement and heading date in the field were highly correlated with the main effect of vernalisation in the two controlled environments. The results indicated that selection for vernalisation response in a large number of genotypes can be achieved under high ambient air temperatures in the field. The selected material can subsequently be screened for photoperiod response under greenhouse conditions. Using these techniques, 49 local and improved cultivars from the Mediterranean region in west Asia and north Africa (WANA), showing differences in response to photoperiod, vernalisation, and earliness independent of vernalisation and photoperiod, affecting time to anthesis, were identified. Most old local cultivars were sensitive to both photoperiod and vernalisation. All the improved genotypes were insensitive to photoperiod. Responses to vernalisation were generally small under short photoperiods, but were more pronounced in long photoperiod, particularly in winter and facultative types from northern latitudes. These results should help to explain the adaptability of cultivars based on photoperiod and vernalisation requirements and their interaction. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Genetic progress of oats in Italy

The genetic gain of oats in Italy over the past 40 years was evaluated using 14 cultivars belonging to three different groups: (i) five cultivars derived from local populations at the beginning of the oat breeding in Italy; (ii) four foreign cultivars, introduced in Italy in the 1980s; (iii) five modern cultivars, selected through specific breeding programmes. The genotypes were tested for 2 years in three locations characterised by different climatic conditions and agricultural practices; furthermore in one location in Southern Italy, irrigated and rainfed plots were compared. Genetic gain was estimated equal to 3.6 g m⁻² y⁻¹ based on eight environments. The performance of the most recent cultivars was high under both irrigated and rainfed conditions, showing a good adaptation of these genotypes to both fertile and drought prone environments. Finally, yield increase in oats was found to be negatively correlated with plant height and positively correlated with test weight and seed weight.     

基因型和环境对小麦烘烤品质的影响

利用１２个小麦品种在５个地点的试验结果，分析了品种、环境以及品种与环境的互作对小麦烘烤品质的影响，结果表明：品种、环境以及品种与环境的互作对小麦烘烤品质都有显著影响，品种和地点的互作效应在同一品种不同地点间是不同的，在较差的环境下，也有表现好的品种。不同环境下，烘烤品质指标的变化大于籽粒蛋白质含量的变化，小麦品种品质的评价，不仅应考虑其蛋白质含量在不同地点之间的变化，更重要的是研究最终加工品质的变     

Classification of Global Environments and Cultivars of Spring Barley Based on Heading Time Interactions

Global heading time data collected by the International Center for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT) during the International Barley Yield Trials were used to assess similarity of environments, variation among cultivars, and genotype × environment interactions. Data for 29 spring barley cultivars grown in 89 environments over three years were analyzed by cluster analysis. The deviation m days to heading of the mean of 28 photoperiod sensitive cultivars from the cultivar ‘Mona’ and the mean of ‘Mona’, homozygous recessive for the ea_k gene conferring photoperiod insensitivity and thermal stability, were used as environmental coordinates. In addition, diversity of heading time responses among genotypes was illustrated by differences among overall means and patterns of deviation for days to heading from ‘Mona’ in selected environments. Three main clusters were identified. Mexican environments were similar to warmer Mediterranean, eastern and southern African, West Asian, and Latin American environments. Heading time responses in Syria were similar to those observed m other cool Mediterranean environments. Early heading cultivars exhibited greater variation for heading response, especially in extremely warm-and equaiorial- short daylength environments, com-pared to late heading cultivars, presumably because of larger photothermal × genotype interactions. Photoperiod flux about the winter solstice appeared to be a major environmental cue for heading time in photoperiod sensitive spring barleys.     

Adaptation of poplar leaf rust to Eastern cottonwood

Summary Genotypes of eastern cottonwood, Populus deltoides, from Kentucky or Mississippi were inoculated using a leaf disk assay with isolates of poplar leaf rust, Melampsora medusae f. sp. deltoidae (Mmd), from both locations to determine if pathogenic races differ at these locations. Disease severity measurements, including infection probability (number of uredia produced per uredospore), sporulation (number of uredospores/cm²), and the progeny/parent ratio (number of daughter uredia produced per mother uredium) were significantly higher when trees of southern origin were inoculated with isolates from southern locations as compared to isolates from northern locations. In addition, larger variation in disease severity measurements attributable to specific interactions, i.e. the variance due to isolates adjusted for virulence on a universal suscept, were found in northern than in southern isolates. These results suggest that isolates of southern origin have broader adaptation and are more virulent on local southern host genotypes than isolates of northern origin. However, the larger variance attributable to specific interactions in northern isolates indicates the potential for pathogen adaptation to resistant host genotypes in Kentucky.Journal series paper 92-8-81 of the University of Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station