Wheat grain yield and stability assessed through regional trials in the Eastern Gangetic Plains of South Asia

Abstract

Improving the level and stability of grain yield is the primary objective of wheat breeding programs in the Eastern Gangetic Plains (EGP) of South Asia. A regional wheat trial, the Eastern Gangetic Plains Yield Trial (EGPYT), was initiated by CIMMYT in collaboration with national wheat research programs in Bangladesh, Nepal, and India in 1999-2000 to identify wheat genotypes with high and stable grain yield, disease resistance, and superior agronomic traits for the EGP region. A set of 21 wheat experimental genotypes selected from a regional wheat screening nursery in South Asia, three improved widely grown cultivars (Kanchan, PBW343 and Bhrikuti), and one long-term cultivar (Sonalika) were tested at 9-11 sites in six wheat growing seasons (2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005) in the EGP. The 21 experimental genotypes were different in each year, whereas the four check cultivars were common. In each year, one or more of the experimental genotypes showed high and stable grain yield and acceptable maturity, plant height, and disease resistance compared to the check cultivars. Three improved cultivars have already been commercially released in the region through EGPYT and many germplasm lines have been used in the breeding programs as parents. Identification of wheat genotypes with high-grain yield in individual sites and high and stable yield across the EGP region underlines their value for regional wheat breeding programs attempting to improve grain yield and agronomic performance.

Effect of row spacing and direction of sowing on yield and yield attributing characters of wheat cultivated in Western Chitwan, Nepal

“…Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a major food grain in the Eastern Gangetic Plains of South Asia, a region comprising the plains of eastern India, southern Nepal, and Bangladesh [2]. In Nepal, wheat ranks the third position after rice and maize, in terms of both area and production.…”

Yield Response of Winter Wheat to Agro‐Ecological Conditions Using Additive Main Effects and Multiplicative Interaction and Cluster Analysis

“…4, that is, the types of their adaptability to diverse environments. According to the terminology adopted in plant breeding (Allard and Bradshaw, 1964; Annicchiarico, 2002a, b; Trethowan et al, 2002; Fufa et al, 2005; Sharma et al, 2007), cultivars are said to be widely adaptable if across years they produce average yields above the environmental mean (mean yield for a location) in a significant majority of locations in a given region of cultivation represented by the experimental stations there. The degree of wide adaptability of a cultivar is determined by both the frequency (probability) of its yielding above the environmental mean and the size of this excess yield.…”

“…P eriodic evaluation of genetic improvement for yield and other important agronomic traits of crop plants is essential to assess and understand the achievements and weaknesses of plant breeding, specifically, (i) to detect yield‐limiting factors, (ii) to illustrate the importance of plant breeding to the public, and (iii) to develop scientific and practical breeding priorities for the future. Determining genetic gain, or lack thereof, can lead researchers to develop new strategies for trait improvement (Slafer et al, 1993; Trethowan et al, 2002; Fufa et al, 2005; Sharma et al, 2007; Rodriguez et al, 2008).…”

“…Although many methods are used to study genetic improvement in the performance of crop plants, the most reliable and credible results are, nevertheless, obtained on the basis of a multiple, complete series of trials using cultivars released in different years across a long period of time (Austin, 1999; Brancourt‐Hulmel et al, 2003; Giunta et al, 2007; Morrison et al, 2008). In this way, it is possible to assess more thoroughly the character of the genetic improvement in the performance of a given plant species, that is, improvement of the species' adaptability to diverse environmental conditions (Slafer et al, 1993; Trethowan et al, 2002; Fufa et al, 2005; Sharma et al, 2007; Rodriguez et al, 2008).…”

Effect of sowing techniques on the agroecological parameters of cereal crops

“…При этом, максимальная средняя полевая всхожесть получена на посевах, высаженных долотообразным сошником (71,2%), а минимальная -стрельчатой лапой (64,7%). Потенциал урожайности зерновых культур зависит от продуктивной кустистости растений, числа продуктивных стеблей на 1 м 2 , количества зерен в колосе и массы 1000 зерен, что подтверждается рядом исследователей (Connor, Mínguez, 2012;Foulkes et al, 2011;Hochman et al, 2009;Malik et al, 2009;Sharma et al, 2007;Soltani, Hoogenboom, 2007;Zwart et al, 2010). Анализ структуры урожая показал, что в обычные по увлажнению годы (2006-2011 гг.…”