Abstract
Key messageConsiderable breeding progress in cereal and disease resistances, but not in stem stability was found. Ageing effects decreased yield and increased disease susceptibility indicating that new varieties are constantly needed.Plant breeding and improved crop management generated considerable progress in cereal performance over the last decades. Climate change, as well as the political and social demand for more environmentally friendly production, require ongoing breeding progress. This study quantified long-term trends for breeding progress and ageing effects of yield, yield-related traits, and disease resistance traits from German variety trials for five cereal crops with a broad spectrum of genotypes. The varieties were grown over a wide range of environmental conditions during 1988–2019 under two intensity levels, without (I1) and with (I2) fungicides and growth regulators. Breeding progress regarding yield increase was the highest in winter barley followed by winter rye hybrid and the lowest in winter rye population varieties. Yield gaps between I2 and I1 widened for barleys, while they shrank for the other crops. A notable decrease in stem stability became apparent in I1 in most crops, while for diseases generally a decrasing susceptibility was found, especially for mildew, brown rust, scald, and dwarf leaf rust. The reduction in disease susceptibility in I2 (treated) was considerably higher than in I1. Our results revealed that yield performance and disease resistance of varieties were subject to considerable ageing effects, reducing yield and increasing disease susceptibility. Nevertheless, we quantified notable achievements in breeding progress for most disease resistances. This study indicated an urgent and continues need for new improved varieties, not only to combat ageing effects and generate higher yield potential, but also to offset future reduction in plant protection intensity.
Highlights
Cereals are the most grown crops in Europe
We provide a comprehensive overview of the long-term breeding progress and ageing effects of yield, yield-related and disease resistance traits from five cereal crops based on data from official variety trials carried out across Germany from 1988 to 2019 under two treatment intensities
Results of long-term trends were quantified and compared between five cereal crops based on genotypes grown under two different treatment intensities in a wide range of pedo-climatic conditions
Summary
Cereals are the most grown crops in Europe. They covered 53.8% of annual crops in the EU-28 in 2020 (https://ec.europa.eu/info/news/eu-agricultural-outlook-arable-land-area-continue-its-decline_en). Breeding progress has substantially increased potential yields of cereals in Germany by about 0.6%–1.3% per year in variety trials over the last 30 years, while on-farm yields only increased by about 0.5%–1%, leading to increasing yield gaps (Laidig et al 2014). In this regard, insufficiently controlled fungal pathogens are one of the reasons for hampering higher on-farm yield progress
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