Yield Structure of Winter Faba Beans Grown in Northern Germany in Dependence of Different Environments, Seed Rates, Sowing Rates and Genotypes

Two series of field trials were performed at three sites in Schleswig-Holstein between 1981 and 1988 to inquire into the yield structure of European winter types of Vicia faba L. and to compare their yield potential with that of spring types. Due to low winter survival, 6 winter types could be evaluated only in 4 environments in dependence of 1–3 sowing times (series α: seed rate 30/m²) and 1 winter type in 5 environments in dependence of 3 sowing times and 3 seed rates (series β: seed rate 15, 30, 45/m²). Seed yield of winter type averaged 410 g/m² (D.M.) surpassing spring types by about 14 %. Environments caused a considerable variation in yield (275–620 g/m²) and in each yield component of winter types, while sowing dates and seed rates hardly affected the components seeds/pod and seed weight, which displayed stable genotypic rank orders. Compensative forces among the components plants/m², tillers/plant and pods/tiller, were established. Plant densities of less than 10/m² in spring, generally led to seed yield below 350 g/m². Variation between 15–30 plants/m² due to environments, sowing times or seed rates were frequently not fully compensated by tillering of plants, but often variation of the thus formed yield potential was reduced by pod set of tillers resulting in 210–270 pods/m². The direction of correlations of pods/tillers with tillers/plant and plants/m² differed due to experimental conditions whereas negative correlations between pods/tiller and tillers/ m² were generally evident. Tillering was significantly influenced by the sowing time, though the increase because of early sowing was often covered by compensative effects of different plant densities. A genotypic capability to produce reproductive tillers was demonstrated using an approach which considered different plant densities and compensative forces. Neither a genotypic capability of tillers to set pods nor direct effects of environments or sowing time on pod set were established.