Yield Performance of Faba Bean Cultivars under Different Environmental Conditions in Greece

Abstract

Faba bean is an important grain legume, grown for human consumption and animal feed and can be used as an alternative to soybean protein. Drought and heat strongly influence faba bean growth and production, especially in flowering and pod development stages. The aim of this study was to determine the response of six cultivars to different environmental conditions during the 2018-2019 growing season. Four inbred lines and two commercial cultivars were sown in different environments in South, Central and North Greece. At each location, a randomized complete block design with four replications was used. Different characteristics such as plant height, number of pods plant-1, number of seeds pod-1, seed yield and 1000-seed weight, were recorded. The results indicated that all traits were significantly affected by different climatic conditions and cultivars. In most cases, seed yield and 1000-seed weight decreased with increasing drought conditions in the southern site. KK10 produced higher yield and pods plant-1, especially in North and Central Greece. The late maturity cultivars, ‘Polycarpe’ and KK14, showed lower values for the seed traits under all locations. Multi-location trials are useful for the evaluation of new cultivars and lead to an increase in production of feedstuff directly available to farmers.