Soybean cultivation holds great potential for a sustainable agriculture in Europe, but adaptation remains a central issue. In this large mega-environment (MEV) study, 75 European cultivars from five early maturity groups (MGs 000-II) were evaluated for maturity-related traits at 22 locations in 10 countries across Europe. Clustering of the locations based on phenotypic similarity revealed six MEVs in latitudinal direction and suggested several more. Analysis of maturity identified several groups of cultivars with phenotypic similarity that are optimally adapted to the different growing regions in Europe. We identified several haplotypes for the allelic variants at the E1, E2, E3 and E4 genes, with each E haplotype comprising cultivars from different MGs. Cultivars with the same E haplotype can exhibit different flowering and maturity characteristics, suggesting that the genetic control of these traits is more complex and that adaptation involves additional genetic pathways, for example temperature requirement. Taken together, our study allowed the first unified assessment of soybean-growing regions in Europe and illustrates the strong effect of photoperiod on soybean adaptation and MEV classification, as well as the effects of the E maturity loci for soybean adaptation in Europe.

Transylvania Plain with meadows of Mureş and Târnave, is one of the areas most favorable for soybean crop. Generally in this area, ranfall recorded in the critical phases (beggining flowering,flowering, pod formation, grain formation and filling) is appropiate with the plant requirements for water, without a costly intervention with irrigation.

Worldwide soy is one of the most important sources of vegetable protein and vegetable fats supplying plant. Soybean proteins are important both for human food and animal feed industry concentrated. In the last twenty years soybeans have become an irreplaceable product for the food industry. This paper presents the results of the production capacity, protein and oil content of 25 soybean genotypes studied in 2011-2013 at Agricultural Research Station Turda Development. Were calculated the amounts of protein and oil produced by each genotype in part each year and averaged over three experimental years. Protein content was between 39 per cent and 43.9 per cent and for fat percentage values were between 18.9 per cent and 21.8 per cent. Romanian genotypes quality results are similar to those obtained for foreign genotypes. These genotypes can be grown in climatic conditions of Transylvania resulting quality for there production.

The superiority of the next-generation of soybean varieties regarding the majority of the main characteristics among the old soybean varieties created at A.R.D.S. Turda, Romanian soybean varieties from the Official Catalogue of varieties of Agricultural and Vegetables species in Romania and even from the foreign soybean varieties registered in the Catalogue it is obvious. The new soybean varieties Darina TD, Cristina TD and Malina TD are the most recent creations of Agricultural Research and Development Station Turda in the field of soybean breeding. The new cultivars were obtained through individually repeted selection of hybrid population accomplished by crossing the cultivars T93- 8966 x Amurskaja, Zefir x Lena and Amurskaja x Simson. The new varieties are characterized by a growing season adequate to the ecological conditions of the area. Their growing season rank is appropriate with the needs of the area, with a maturity group OO, Darina TD, Cristina TD and Malina TD growing season is 122 days, 124 days and 123 days, respectively. Darina TD has a reddish pubescence easily distinguieshed from the eather soybean varieties whose pubescence is grey. At Cristina TD soybean variety the hilum colour is an important characteristic by which, at maturity, the Cristina TD variety may be distinguished from the rest of A.R.D.S. Turda soybean varieties whose hilum are brown, black and grey. Due to the white colour of flowers, during flowering Malina TD is easily distinguished from the others soybean varietie. A high yield potential as compared to the maturity group to which they belong, very high resistance to lodging, shattering, bacterial blight and mildew. This characteristics and features corroborated with high insertion of the basal pods, ensures suitable conditions for mechanized harvesting. Besides this features, the new soybean varieties have remarkable qualitative traits, high protein and oil content. The characteristics and features of the soybean cultivars Darina TD, Cristina TD and Malina TD created at A..R..D.S. Turda recommend them as the most adequate cultivars for the Transylvania Plain.

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