Abstract
Organic growers face unique challenges when raising sweet corn, and benefit from varieties that maintain high eating quality, germinate consistently, deter insect pests, and resist diseases. Genotype by environment rank changes can occur in the performance of cultivars grown on conventional and organic farms, yet few varieties have been bred specifically for organic systems. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the changes made to open-pollinated sweet corn populations using recurrent selection and a participatory plant breeding (PPB) methodology. From 2008 to 2011, four cycles of two open-pollinated (OP) sweet corn populations were selected on a certified organic farm in Minnesota using a modified ear-to-row recurrent selection scheme. Selections were made in collaboration with an organic farmer, with selection criteria based on traits identified by the farmer. In 2012 and 2013, the population cycles were evaluated in a randomized complete block design in two certified organic locations in Wisconsin, with multiple replications in each environment. Significant linear trends were found among cycles of selection for quantitative and qualitative traits, suggesting the changes were due to recurrent selection and PPB methodology for these populations. However, further improvement is necessary to satisfy the requirements for a useful cultivar for organic growers.
Highlights
As organic agriculture has grown in recent years, so too has an interest in breeding crop and vegetable varieties adapted for organic farming systems
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the gains made in two organic OP sugary-enhancer sweet corn populations, developed with a modified ear-to-row recurrent selection scheme and participatory plant breeding (PPB)
There was no significant difference between cycle 0 (C0) and cycle 4 (C4)
Summary
As organic agriculture has grown in recent years, so too has an interest in breeding crop and vegetable varieties adapted for organic farming systems. Varieties bred for conventional agriculture often perform differently when grown in organic systems [1,2,3,4,5]. For cultivars in which the important traits under selection exhibit minimal genotype by environment interaction, indirect selection on conventional breeding stations may be the most efficient breeding method. Numerous studies have shown the effect of conventional versus organic environments on genotype performance, few studies have been conducted to understand potential genotype x production system interactions among organic farms [10]. Plant breeders who have been trained in conventional farming systems may be unaware of the most important traits for successful production in organic systems
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