Genetic gain in grain yield and main agronomic traits of winter wheat during the past 90 years in Pannonian plain

Abstract

This study aimed to quantify the changes in grain yield and main agronomic traits in winter wheat cultivars registered during the past 90 years . A field trial with 18 winter wheat cultivars registered from 1930 to 2016 was conducted at the experimental field Rimiski šančevi during two growing seasons . The following agronomic traits were measured: grain yield, stem height, spike length, heading date, hectolitre mass, 1000 grain weight, and grain number per unit area . The results of this study showed that there was a significant genotypic effect on the studied traits . Du-ring the past 90 years, grain yield increased at rate of 50 kg ha -1 per year of cultivar release . Grain yield improvement was followed by stem height decrease (0 .4 cm per year of cultivar release) and earlier heading date in modern cultivars, which were 7 -8 days earlier than the older ones . Modern wheat cultivars were characterized by a higher grain number per unit area than the ol-der ones while during the past 90 years, the 1000 grain weight was not significantly related to the year of cultivar release . Further grain yield improvement should be related to a further increase of grain number per unit area while maintaining a higher 1000 grain weight.