Breeding progress, genotypic and environmental variation and correlation of quality traits in malting barley in German official variety trials between 1983 and 2015

Friedrich Laidig,Thomas Drobek,Dirk Rentel,Uwe Meyer,Hans-Peter Piepho

doi:10.1007/s00122-017-2967-4

Friedrich Laidig, Thomas Drobek + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-017-2967-4

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Abstract

Key messageEvaluation of breeding progress for spring barley varieties in Germany showed that both grain yield and malting quality were considerably improved during the last 33 years, and that genetic effects of protein concentration and malting traits were not associated.Based on historical data, this study aimed to investigate yield potential and malting quality of 187 varieties tested and released in German registration trials to evaluate the value for cultivation and use (VCU) during 1983–2015, and to quantify the environmental variability and the association among traits. We used mixed linear models with multiple linear regression terms to dissect genetic and non-genetic trend components. Grain yield increased by 43% (23.4 dt ha−1) in VCU trials and 35% (14.0 dt ha−1) on-farm relative to 1983. All yield components contributed significantly. Malting quality was also considerably improved by 2.3% for extract content up to 25.1% for friability, relative to 1983, nearly completely due to new varieties. Total variability of individual traits was very different between traits (2.4–24.4% relative to 1983). The relative influence of genotypes on total variation was low for grain yield and its components, whereas it was considerably larger for other traits. We found remarkable differences between phenotypic and genetic correlation coefficients for grain yield and protein concentration with malting traits. The observed positive phenotypic relation between grain yield and malting quality can be attributed to a shift of selection and environmental effects, but genetic correlations showed a negative association. Genetic effects of protein concentration and malting quality were not correlated indicating that both were not genetically linked. Considerable yield progress and improvement of malting quality were achieved despite of their weak to moderate negative genetic dependence.

Highlights

Spring barley is a very important field crop for the brewing industry in Germany
We found remarkable differences between phenotypic and genetic correlation coefficients for grain yield and protein concentration with malting traits
The objective of our study is to evaluate the progress made in malting barley breeding based on varieties tested in official value for cultivation and use (VCU) trials in Germany between 1983 and 2015, estimate the influence of genotypic and environmental effects on variation of agronomic and quality traits and describe the phenotypic and genetic relationships between traits

Summary

Introduction

Spring barley is a very important field crop for the brewing industry in Germany. During the last 3 years, approximately 67% of harvested grain was delivered as malting barley (Braugersten-Gemeinschaft 2016a).The growing area in Germany declined drastically from about 11% in 1983 to nearly 3% of total arable land in 2015 (Fig. 1), which corresponds to about 371,000 ha (StatJ 2015). Further quality specifications may be required depending on the processor. If these requirements are not met, grain lots are usually classified as of fodder quality which fetches a lower market price. The average market price for spring barley with brewing quality in 2011–2015 was 19.90 € per dt and with fodder quality 16.50 € per dt (Erntebericht 2015)

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