Adaptation of spring faba bean types across European climates
Résumé
Faba bean (Vicia faba L) is a cool season grain legume whose acreage has constantly declined in traditional producer countries as it has been replaced by more productive cereal crops. However, faba bean is still considered to have great potential as rainfed crop. In order to satisfy the renewed interest in faba bean cultivation yield stability should be improved by exploiting different germplasm types and sowing seasons. In order to understand of genotype by environment interactions and to compare cultivar performance over years and locations a spring faba bean network was established with 20 cultivars grown over three crop seasons at 13 contrasting locations covering most of Europe. Analysis was performed by heritability-adjusted genotype plus genotype x environment interaction (HA-GGE) biplot analysis. HA-GGE biplot analyses identified that the effect of genotype by environment interaction was higher than the effect of genotypes, allowing identification of three mega-environments, namely Continental, Oceanic, and Mediterranean, in which cultivar performed differently. This supports the need for specific breeding for each specific geoclimatic area. Espresso was the highest yielding cultivar, being also highly stable over the Oceanic and Continental mega-environments. Cultivars Fuego, Hobbit and SR-1060 had also good yield but with a moderate unstability in both Oceanic and Continental mega-environments. Baraca and Alameda yielded poorly at all environments although were the best yielders at Mediterranean locations. Environments as Sumperk and Premesques were identified as the best core test locations for Continental and Oceanic mega-environments, respectively, being the locations in which best genotypes could be most easily identified. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.