Local vs. formal breeding and inbred line vs. synthetic cultivar for organic farming: Case of Vicia faba L.

As organic farming refrains from the use of agrochemical inputs, it is characterized by large environmental heterogeneity. Genotype × location interaction is expected to be larger across organic cropping areas than across conventional ones. When breeding for organic farming, it is important to identify an adequate breeding approach and type of cultivar. The objective was to investigate in the case of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) the effectiveness of local breeding (exploiting local adaptation) vs. formal breeding (exploiting broad adaptation) for grain yield in organic farming and to compare the performance of two types of cultivars: inbred lines and synthetics. A set of 18 inbred lines, their polycross progenies and 13 checks was tested in five locations in Germany from 2004 to 2006. Due to the large genotype × location interaction, local breeding generated higher gains from selection than formal breeding. Based on estimates of genotypic performance and variance of inbred lines and polycross progenies, the best synthetic cultivar at generation Syn-1 and the best inbred line cultivar were predicted. Despite the large variance among inbred lines available in local breeding, the highest performing entry in both breeding strategies was a synthetic, due to its partial realization of heterosis.