Abstract
Breeding barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) for low-input conditions may be a key factor for enhancing yields in poor environments. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis and seeding rate may also affect barley performance in alkaline, low-P soils under Mediterranean conditions. For two growing seasons, two conventionally bred and two cultivars bred under low-input conditions were tested at three seeding rates (300, 400 and 500 seeds m-2) under rainfed Mediterranean conditions. Length of root colonized by AM fungi and plant height were determined at anthesis, whereas grain yield (GY), 1000-kernel weight (TKW) and protein concentration (PC) were measured at harvest. Across the growing seasons, GY was highest (2713.6 kg ha-1) at the highest seeding rate. The shorter, conventionally bred cultivars yielded better compared to the low-input-bred counterparts (2872.6 vs. 2228.1 kg ha-1). However, the low-input cultivars had significantly higher PC (12.63 vs. 12.04%). The six-row cultivars were more productive compared to two-row ones (2854.1 vs. 2246.6 kg ha-1) with higher TKW (40.22 vs. 35.99 g). No differences between cultivars, seeding rates or breeding method were found for AM colonization of roots. Low-input breeding did not select for higher mycorrhization and did not perform better than conventionally bred barley cultivars under low-input conditions.
Published Version
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