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Grain Yield Variation in Malting Barley Cultivars in Uruguay and Its Consequences for the Design of a Trials Network

^a Programa Cultivos de Secano, Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria, CC 39173, CP 70000, Colonia, Uruguay
^b Lab. of Plant Breeding, Dep. of Plant Sciences, Wageningen Univ., P.O. Box 386, 6700 AJ Wageningen, The Netherlands

^* Corresponding author (ceretta{at}inia.org.uy).

The efficiency of cultivar trial networks is an important subject in official cultivar testing. We investigated this efficiency for malting barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in Uruguay, using data on 213 cultivars tested across an eight-year period at six locations. The variance-components approach was used to quantify the effects of years, locations, sowing dates and replicates on the precision of cultivar mean comparisons. The relationships among testing environments and genotypic adaptation patterns were explored via biplots. Factorial regression was used to model genotype x environment interaction (GEI) directly in relation to measured environmental variables. Variance components indicated that both the number of locations and sowing dates could be reduced. Biplot analysis identified some repeatable GEI patterns. Factorial regression showed that mean daily temperature during the emergence-heading period and daily minimum temperature at heading explained 20% of GEI. Still, the majority of the GEI appeared to be highly nonrepeatable. A future network should focus on wide adaptation while enhancing the chances to exploit specific adaptation to the prevalent temperature conditions by sampling contrasting sowing dates at different locations.

Abbreviations: AMMI, additive main effect and multiplicative interaction effect • CPD, critical percentage difference • CS, Colonia Suiza • GEI, genotype x environment interaction • GGE, genotypic main effect plus GE • GL, genotype x location interaction • GLY • genotype x location x year interaction • GY, genotype x year interaction • LE, La Estanzuela • MET, multiple environment trial • OL • Ombúes de Lavalle • PCA, principal components analysis • PRE_EH, the precipitation accumulated during the emergence-heading period • PRE_HH, precipitation accumulated during the heading-harvesting period • PY, Paysandú • RAD_HH, the solar radiation accumulated during the heading-harvesting period • RAD_{AVG_}EH, the daily solar radiation averaged across the emergence-heading period • RAD_{AVG_}HH, the daily solar radiation averaged across the heading-harvesting period • TMAX_H, the daily maximum temperature averaged across an interval of 7 d before and after heading • TMED_EH, daily medium temperature accumulated during the emergence-heading period • TMED_{AVG_}EH, daily medium temperature averaged across the emergence-heading period • TMIN_H, the daily minimum temperature averaged across an interval of 7 d before and after heading • TPE, target population of environments • TR, Tarariras • YG, Young

Received for publication June 27, 2006.