Pot trials as an adjunct to cereal breeding and evaluation of genetic resources

• Published in: Field crops research 1993-12, Vol.35 (3), p.205-213
• Main Authors: Spoor, W., Simmonds, N.W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; AMELIORATION DES PLANTES; AVENA; Barley; Biological and medical sciences; Breeding schemes. Varia; CONTENIDO PROTEICO; CROP YIELD; ECOSSE; ENSAYOS DE VARIEDADES; ESCOCIA; ESSAI DE VARIETE; EXPERIMENTACION EN CONTENEDOR; EXPERIMENTATION EN POT; FITOMEJORAMIENTO; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetic resource conservation; GENETIC RESOURCES; Genetics and breeding of economic plants; HORDEUM; PLANT BREEDING; Plant breeding: fundamental aspects and methodology; POT EXPERIMENTATION; Pot trial; PROTEIN CONTENT; RECURSOS GENETICOS; RENDEMENT DES CULTURES; RENDIMIENTO DE CULTIVOS; RESSOURCE GENETIQUE; SCOTLAND; TENEUR EN PROTEINES; TRITICUM; Variety trial; VARIETY TRIALS
• ISSN: 0378-4290; 1872-6852
• DOI: 10.1016/0378-4290(93)90154-F

Experiments with spring barleys grown in pots in an outdoor cage in Scotland over several seasons are described. Limited results from wheat and oats also reported. The object was to test the utility of pot trials for barley breeding and genetic resource studies. Grain and straw yields were measured and protein contents were estimated for some trials. Modern varieties consistently outyielded old (land-race) varieties and were more responsive to nitrogen fertilizing. Yields of pot trials of modern varieties were moderately correlated with yields of the same varieties in sets of fields trials ( r ∼ 0.7). Substantial genetic variance among old or land-race varieties was detected, such that varieties equal or superior to the means of modern ones occurred with a frequency of about 7%. The usual negative regression of grain yield on protein content was found. Coefficients of variation on a pot/plot basis were high (15–30%) but replication is cheap, so experiments can be made rather accurate. It is suggested that such pot trials could be used for quick, cheap screening of land-race materials or segregating families in breeding programmes for small-grain cereals. They could also be useful for preliminary evaluation of lines in genetic collections.