TY - JOUR

T1 - Effects of inter-varietal diversity, biotic stresses and environmental productivity on grain yield of spring barley variety mixtures

A1 - Kiær,Lars Pødenphant

A1 - Skovgaard,Ib M.

A1 - Østergård,Hanne

AU - Kiær,Lars Pødenphant

AU - Skovgaard,Ib M.

AU - Østergård,Hanne

PB - Springer Netherlands

PY - 2012

Y1 - 2012

N2 - Varietal seed mixtures tend to increase and stabilize crop yields, yet their application is sparse. Large-scale cultivation of variety mixtures may require a better understanding of how inter-varietal interactions and their interaction with the environment may influence the grain yield of variety mixtures relative to their component varieties. For this purpose, six variety mixtures of spring barley and 14 component varieties were grown in each of 17 trial environments. <br/>Atotal of 28 observed and a priori plant characteristics, including grain yield, disease severity and weed competitiveness, were derived for each component variety in each trial. The relationship between intervarietal diversity of each characteristic and the mixing effect on grain yield was analysed. Additionally, <br/>various types of yield stability were estimated and compared among mixtures and component varieties. One mixture out-yielded all of its component varieties <br/>in almost half of the trial environments. Inter-varietal diversity in grain yield potential correlated significantly with mixing effect, as did straw length diversity <br/>when weighted with weed pressure. The grain yields of most mixtures were more stable across environments than their component varieties when accounting also <br/>for the general response to environmental productivity. <br/>Hence, most mixtures adapted slightly better to environmental productivity and were less sensitive to environmental stress than their component varieties. <br/>We conclude that the efficacy of variety mixtures may be enhanced by mixing relatively high-yielding varieties differing in responsiveness to environmental <br/>productivity.

AB - Varietal seed mixtures tend to increase and stabilize crop yields, yet their application is sparse. Large-scale cultivation of variety mixtures may require a better understanding of how inter-varietal interactions and their interaction with the environment may influence the grain yield of variety mixtures relative to their component varieties. For this purpose, six variety mixtures of spring barley and 14 component varieties were grown in each of 17 trial environments. <br/>Atotal of 28 observed and a priori plant characteristics, including grain yield, disease severity and weed competitiveness, were derived for each component variety in each trial. The relationship between intervarietal diversity of each characteristic and the mixing effect on grain yield was analysed. Additionally, <br/>various types of yield stability were estimated and compared among mixtures and component varieties. One mixture out-yielded all of its component varieties <br/>in almost half of the trial environments. Inter-varietal diversity in grain yield potential correlated significantly with mixing effect, as did straw length diversity <br/>when weighted with weed pressure. The grain yields of most mixtures were more stable across environments than their component varieties when accounting also <br/>for the general response to environmental productivity. <br/>Hence, most mixtures adapted slightly better to environmental productivity and were less sensitive to environmental stress than their component varieties. <br/>We conclude that the efficacy of variety mixtures may be enhanced by mixing relatively high-yielding varieties differing in responsiveness to environmental <br/>productivity.

KW - Compensation

KW - Complementarity

KW - Disease severity

KW - Environmental response

KW - Weed infestation

KW - Yield stability

U2 - 10.1007/s10681-012-0640-1

DO - 10.1007/s10681-012-0640-1

JO - Euphytica

JF - Euphytica

SN - 0014-2336

IS - 1

VL - 185

SP - 123

EP - 138

ER -