On-farm impact on bread wheat quality under different management practices: a case study in the Yaqui Valley.

Abstract

Continuous development of new wheat varieties is necessary to satisfy the demands of farmers, industry, and consumers. The evaluation of candidate genotypes for commercial release under different on-farm conditions is a highly recommended strategy to assess the performance and stability of new cultivars in heterogeneous environments and different farming systems. The main objectives of this study were to evaluate the grain yield and quality performance of ten different genotypes across six contrasting farmers' field conditions, determined by different irrigation and nitrogen fertilization levels, and to develop suggestions to aid breeding programs and farmers for a more efficient use of resources. Through Genotype and Genotype by Environment (GGE) interaction biplot analyses we identified the genotypes with the highest performance and stability in the Yaqui Valley. Analyzes showed that some traits were mainly explained by the genotype effect, others by the field management conditions while the rest by combined effects. We also identified the most representative and discriminative field conditions in the Yaqui Valley, a useful strategy when breeders have limited resources. The independent effects of irrigation and nitrogen levels and their interaction were analyzed for each trait; results showed that full irrigation is not always necessary to maximize grain yield in the Yaqui Valley; in parallel, other suggestions for more efficient use of resources were proposed. The combination of on-farm trials with GGE interaction analyses is an effective strategy to include in breeding programs to improve process and resources. Identifying the most outstanding and stable genotypes under real on-farm systems is key to develop novel cultivars adapted to different management and environmental conditions. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.