Adaptation and Agronomic Performance of Domesticated Moroccan Oat (Avena magna ssp. domestica) Lines under Subsistence Farming Conditions at Multiple Locations in Morocco

Abstract

Common hexaploid oat (Avena sativa L.) is an important global cereal crop. A Moroccan tetraploid sister species, A. magna Murphy et Terrel, was exclusively a wild species until recently. The goal of domestication was to exploit its superior groat-protein content and climatic tolerances. We set up replicated trials of 41 domesticated A. magna lines on eight Moroccan farms during the 2017–2018 and 2018–2019 growing seasons. Twenty traits were measured and analyses of variance detected significant differences among lines. The highest grain yield was at Berrechid in 2017–2018 (63.56 q/ha), with an average annual yield across sites of 43.50 q/ha, the site factor explaining 82% and the genotype-environment interaction explaining 15% of the variability. In the second year, El Kebab recorded the highest yield at 20.03 q/ha over the annual average of 14.78 q/ha. In this second year, the site factor was highly significant, explaining 42.25% of the variation, with the genotype-environment interaction explaining 26.61% of the variability. An additional main effect and multiplicative interaction analysis of the eight two-year trials identified several accessions with good yield stability. Twelve lines exhibited a ASVs ≤ 1.50, with five accessions (A34, A40, A23, A05, A04) exceeding the overall average yield of 29.53 and A34 having the greatest mean grain yield and stability. The versatility and stability of A. magna can provide a sustainable protein source and an economic resource for farmers seeking products that are resilient to climatic instability.