Mixing ability of conventionally bred common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) cultivars for grain yield under low-input cultivation.

An alternative way to overcome the negative environmental fluctuations observed in low-input culture systems is to compose and utilize cultivar mixtures. However, the available genetic materials to compose such mixtures are cultivars developed by conventional breeding programs with questionable adaptability under low-inputs. The aim of this work was to investigate the mixing ability of conventionally bred common vetch cultivars for grain yield under low-input cultivation. Six common vetch cultivar mixtures were evaluated over their conventionally bred cultivar components for grain yield under low-input cultivation in four environments (20072009). Grain yield and stability performance were assessed for each entry. Mixture effect was calculated as an index for the quantitative relation between the mixture and its conventionally bred cultivar components. ANOVA and GGE-biplot analysis indicated that four out of six mixtures over-yielded the average of the experiment and the most cultivar pure stands . Two of the mixtures illustrated high yield, stability across environments and positive Mixture Effect in three out of four environments and could be recommended for low-input cultivation. Earliness and temporal maturing of common vetch cultivar components were recognized as major factors affecting mixture’s grain yield and stability performance and should be taken into account when composing common vetch cultivar mixtures for grain yield.