9 Maataloustieteellinen A ikakauskirja Vol. 60: 307—321, 1988 Advances in the breeding of oats Comparative trials with historical varieties in 1977—87 MATTI REKUNEN Hankkija Plant Breeding Institute SF-04300 Hyrylä, Finland Abstract. From 1977 to 1987, variety trials were conducted at two test sites in order to determine the agronomic value of old oat varieties as compared to that of the varieties presently grown. The trial sites were located at two breeding stations of the Hankkija Plant Breeding Institute, those of Nikkilä (61° 33' N latitude) and Anttila (60° 25' N latitude). The variety trials were performed according to the methods of Partially Balanced Lattices, and the results and their summary were computed according to the Nearest Neighbour Analysis. Eleven oat varieties released by the Institute between 1921 and 1982 as well as the old native oat variety from Ylitornio and the American oat varietyWasa, released in the 19205, were all tested simul- taneously. The materials are presented in Table 1, the test environment in Table 2. The main find- ings are shown in Tables 3 & 4 and in Figures I—s.1 —5. The correlations between the age of the varieties and their characteristics are presented, in order of quality, in Table 5. The field experiments showed that intense progress in breeding work is reflected as in- creased crop yield, shortening of the straw, improved strength of the straw, and decreased husk content. In the trials the crop yield of the newest variety, Hankkijan Vouti variety, aver- aged 51 per cent more than the Ylitornio land race variety. The mean improvement in these properties achieved in 1921—-1982 by means of breeding work was: an increase in crop yield of approximately 40 per cent; shortening of the straw by roughly 20 per cent; reduction of the tendency to lodging by about half; and lowering of the husk content by some 2 percentage points. In contrast, no constant advances could be shown for the earliness at heading or ripening, the I 000 kernel weight, the hectolitre weight, the crude protein content or resistance to Barley Yellow DwarfVirus (BYDV). The 1 000 kernel weight and the hectolitre weight had risen from those of the local oat variety, whereafter development ceased to occur. The study also investigated the ratio between genotype and environmental effects. In the experimental series, environmental factors had an effect on determining the time needed for ripening, the crude protein content, the length of the straw, the hectrolitre weight and crop yield that was at least five times greater than the effect of genotype. Genotypeproved to have a stronger influence on the I 000 kernel weight, for which the variance component of geno- type was threefold that of the environmental component. The heritability values in the experimen- tal series ranged from 0.19 (for BYDV infection) to 0.77 (for time to heading). Index words: oats, old varieties 307 JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE IN FINLAND https://www.c-info.fi/en/info/?token=8sZCk2Ilqw7mCauZ.HtIL1LmLRau-fHUqAiuFNA.mTqv4POG27fjBLIvIzS7Zu-Ka8dpRDFUrfWNQgpAzGEX0XUNBvbnj6vr9R3agdLeIBPDIrsGvT7_VbFefcGQ6G1TdK51llqTwaEjSQzfDy7gTzZc1DvgASFSgEnjOTvzKES_i8z6-gWFp60IZYpe2P1lZ0_pYV4lkG-1 Introduction Starting-point and main objects of the breeding of oats Oats were grown extensively in Finland as early as the beginning of this century. At that time, the small grain size, low hectolitre weight, poor resistance to lodging and low yield of the local land races compared with foreign varieties grown contemporaneously, although being too late for our conditions, spurred us to start our own breeding work in Finland. When the Hankkija Plant Breeding Institute was established in 1913, the elimina- tion of these drawbacks became the main ob- ject of the breeding work (Sauli 1920a, b, 1925a). 308 Because of Finland’s northern location and its consequent severe climate, one of the most important targets of breeding spring cereals, and oats among them, is sufficient earliness. Many oat varieties bred elsewhere in Europe have proved to be too late to be cultivated in our country (Sauli 1920c, 1930a, Kivi 1963). Varieties released Since the beginning of the 19205, the Hank- kija Plant Breeding Institute has released al- together 16 oat varieties (Fig. 1), which are described briefly below. The Institute’s first oat variety was named Jalostettu maatiaiskaura (Bred Land Race of Oats), line No. 0144. It was released in 1921, and was a fairly early variety with dark brown grains. It was developed by the cross-breeding method, one of its parent cultivars being line No. 091-3, a selected land race collected in the Kuopio region (lat. 63° N), and the other, Svalof’s Guldregn (Sauli 1920c, 1921b, 1925b). Fig. I. The pedigree tree of varieties bred by the Hankkija Plant Breeding Institute (breeding stations Tammisto, Anttila and Nikkilä). The varieties are presented from the youngest to the oldest one. 309 The local land race No. 091-3 was a mid- early variety with dark brown grains (Sauli 1920a). This line of local variety was used as one parent of altogether seven varieties released in the following years. Osmo (1921, No. 0537) was a mid-early va- riety with dark brown grains, which also de- rived from the cross 091-3 x Guldregn (Sau- li 1920c, 1921b, 1925b). Osmo 7/(1922, No. 0693), like those above, had dark brown grains and belonged to the group of mid-early oat varieties. The variety derived from the cross 091-3 x Guldregn (Sauli 1920c, 1925b). Esa (1922, 0644) derived from the cross 091-3 x Seger. Its grains were white-hulled, and the variety belonged to the group of mid- late oat varieties (Sauli 1920c, 1921b, 1925b). Seger (Svalöf, Sweden 1908) was a white- grained, rather late variety grown in southern Finland (Sauli 1930a). It was cultivated quite extensively for two decades (Huttunen 1946a). Pelso (1925, No. 0993) derived from the cross 091-3 x Guldregn. Its grains were dark brown, and the variety was classed among early oats (Sauli 1925b, c). Kytö (1925, No. 01108) belonged to the mid-early group. It derived from the cross 091-3 x Guldregn, and its grains were yellow (Sauli 1925b, c). Twenty years later, it was still the second most popular oat variety in Finland (Huttunen 1946a). Louhi (1928, No. 01555) derived from the cross Kron x 091-3. It was fairly early and its grains were dark brown (Huttunen 1930, Sauli 1930b). Kron (Svalöf, Sweden 1914) was a late variety with white grains, which was hardly at all cultivated in Finland (Sauli 1930a). Pellervo (1935, No. 01651) was a long- strawed, mid-late variety with white, high- quality grains. It derived from a cross between the Finnish Kerttu oat and the line Ta 036 (Huttunen 1935, Sauli 1935). Tammi (1938, No. 06587) derived from the cross Esa x Kytö. Its grains were white, and the variety belonged to the group of early oats (Valle 1938). Owing to its earliness, it was still at the end of the 1950 s the most popular oat variety grown in the northern parts of the oat cultivation area (Huttunen 1960a). Eho (1946, No. Ta a 6595) derived from the cross Kytö x Stjärn. Eho was fairly early and white-grained (Huttunen 1946b). Stjärn (Svalöf, Sweden 1927), in turn, derived from the cross Seger x Kron and was a rather late variety with white grains (Sauli 1930a). In the late 19505, Eho was the most extensively cultivated oat variety in Central Finland (Huttunen 1960a). Sisu (1948, No. Ta a6933) derived from the cross Wasa x Ta 02272. It was a late variety with white grains, which was reported to be the most high-yielding oat variety in its class of earliness in all the Nordic countries (Hut- tunen 1950). Sisu was the most popular oat variety in the southernparts ofFinland in the late 1950 s (Huttunen 1960a). Of the parents of Sisu, Wasa was a late var- iety with white grains. It derived from the (White) Banner variety grown in Canada, which was marketed by the name Wasa in Sweden in the 1920 s (Sauli 1930a). The line Ta 02272 had black grains and derived from a cross between the line Ä212 developed in Finland and the Institute’s own line Ta 0705 (Huttunen 1950). Kyrö (1959, No. Ta 01406) was an early va- riety with white grains. It derived from a cross between two lines, Ta a3084 and Ta 03370. These lines were based, among others, on the Institute’s own varieties Esa and Kytö (Hut- tunen 1960b). Hannes (1964, No. Ta b5794) belonged to the mid-early group. It had white grains and derived from a cross between Sisu and Eho (Kivi 1965). Hannes was cultivated extensive- ly in the 1960 s and 19705. Hankkija-773 (1973, No. Hja 30357) be- longed to the mid-early group. It had white grains and derived from the cross Eho x Blen- da (Rekunen 1976b). Hankkijan Valko (1976, No. Hja 31914) was released in 1976. It belongs to the mid- early group and has good quality traits and 310 white grains. The variety derives from a cross between Pendek and Hja 24137, which is a pedigree line of Sisu (Rekunen 1980). Hankkijan Vouti (1982, No. Hja 72801) also has white grains and is a mid-late, high- yielding variety. It derives from a cross be- tween Hannes and the Dutch Astor (Rekunen 1985b). Progress of breeding The progress of breeding with Finnish va- rieties has been indirectly measured by Kivi (1963) through standard varieties, but only varieties topical at each time have been placed in the trials simultaneously. Varieties of differ- ent periods have not been investigated in simultaneous comparisons in our country. Therefore, a series of trials was established at the Hankkija Plant Breeding Institute in 1977. It included a considerable part of the oat va- rieties released during the Institute’s activity, of which seed had been preserved. In Germany, Aufhammer and Fischbeck (1964) investigated the cultivation traits of old barley and oat material found in the stone base of the Nuremberg City Theatre, in com- parison with present varieties. The samples had been walled up in the foundation of the building during the construction work in 1832 and were found some 130 years later, when the theatre was being repaired. Efforts to produce descendants from part of the grains were successful, and the seed again was used to establish the comparative field trials. Material and methods For the purpose of comparing the progress in breeding work and reinvestigating the traits of old varieties, field trials were established at two of the Hankkija Plant Breeding Insti- tute’s breeding stations in 1977—87. Of the trial sites, Anttila is situated in a clay area near Finland’s southern coast and Nikkilä in an in- land hillocky silt area 150 km farther north. The trials contained a major part of the In- stitute’s old varieties and two other oat varie- ties, of which one was an old local variety of the river Tornio valley (lat. 66° N) in north- ern Finland and the other the Wasa oat referred to above (Table 1). The local variety in question had been col- lected as the Ylitornio land race at the begin- ning of this century. It was an early-maturing oat variety with dark brown grains and very wide panicles (Sauli 1921a, Huttunen 1930). The Institute’s newest varieties were includ- ed in the trial series and thus offered a chance for simultaneous comparison of varieties Table 1. Oat varieties in field trials 1977—87 at the Hankkija Plant Breeding Institute. The varieties are presented in order of their age. Age Variety Released Pedigree or origin rank name in year 1 Ylitornio landrace from northern Finland 2 Wasa selection from (White) Banner 3 Jalostettu maatiaiskaura 1 1921 091-3/Guldregn 4 Osmo 1921 091-3/Guldregn 5 Esa 1922 091-3/Seger 6 Kytö 1925 091-3/Guldregn 7 Pellervo 1935 Kerttu/Ta 036 8 Sisu 1948 Ta 02272/Wasa 9 Kyrö 1959 Ta a3084/Ta 03370 10 Hannes 1964 Eho/Sisu 11 Hankkija-773 1973 Eho/Blendja 12 Hjan Valko 1976 Pendek/Hja 24137 13 Hjan Vouti 1982 Hannes/Astor 1 »Bred landrace» 311 released in the course of 60 years. The breed- ing of oats was started in 1913, and the first varieties were released at the beginning of the 19205. Eleven of the total number of 16 varieties released by the Hankkija Plant Breeding In- stitute were included in the trial series in 1977—87. Those left out were Osmo II (1922), Pelso (1925), Louhi (1928), Tammi (1938), and Eho (1946). During the long trial period, weather con- ditions varied greatly. In addition to cool and rainy growing seasons (for example, 1977, -79, -81, and -87), there were also warm and favourable seasons (especially 1983). The trial series may be considered to represent well Finnish growing conditions as far as variation of weather is concerned. The trials were planned by applying the method of partially balanced lattices, and each trial contained two replications. The plot size was 8 m 2. Fertilization (Table 2) and plant protection conformed to current general recommendations for the cultivation of oats in southern Finland. Observations about lodging and BYDV were made on the scale of 1 to 9, in which 1 indicated the lowest degree of the trait (no lodging, no BYDV infection). The calculation was carried out with tenfold values, i.e. on the scale of 10 to 90. Before treating the results, the grain yield, thousand kernel weight, hec- tolitre weight, and raw protein results were converted to correspond to a 15-per-cent moisture content. To start with, the results of all traits were calculated for each individual trial, applying the Nearest Neighbor Analysis (Wilkinson et al. 1983,Schwarzbach 1984), after which the combination of all 14 trials was calculated by the same method, using the annual results of the former. The calculations were based on the iterative calculation model presented by Schwarzbach (1984). Table 2. Soil analysis and treatments in 14 trials of old varieties at Breeding Station Anttila (lat. 60° 25’ N) and Breeding Station Nikkilä (lat. 61° 33’ N). Trial site and year Sowing PC' SC 2 Soil analysis Rate of fertilizers kg/ha date pH mg/1yymmdd Ca P K Mg N P K Nik 1977 770527 0 5 5.2 1500 12.5 195 210 120 26 50 Nik 1978 780518 7 5 6.2 2350 16.0 140 320 112 65 93 Nik 1979 790523 6 5 5.9 1500 10.0 153 140 105 61 87 Nik 1980 800514 12 5 6.0 1900 21.0 192 240 112 49 91 Nik 1981 810516 12 5 6.5 1850 17.0 95 310 112 49 91 Nik 1982 820511 12 5 6.4 1900 22.0 200 195 112 49 91 Ant 1983 830506 4 16 6.4 3000 18.0 120 720 110 22 44 Ant 1984 840517 4 12 6.3 2950 18.0 95 650 112 49 93 Nik 1984 840515 12 5 6.8 2250 23.0 175 140 110 22 44 Ant 1985 850521 4 12 6.1 2545 14.5 148 1030 110 55 127 Nik 1985 850521 12 5 5.9 1350 11.0 130 180 110 22 44 Ant 1986 860512 1 13 6.7 3200 11.0 139 595 102 68 136 Nik 1986 860523 12 5 6.1 1600 13.0 125 155 112 49 91 Ant 1987 870524 80 13 6.2 2750 13.0 135 670 112 49 91 1 Previous crop: 0=cereals 1 = winter rye 4=winter wheat 6=spring barley 7 =oats 12=turnip-rape 80= fallow 2 Soil class: 5 =silt 12=sandy clay 13 =silty clay 16=muddy clay 312 313 Results The most important data on the combina- tion of annual results are shown in Tables 3—5. On the basis of this series of results, con- clusions have also been presented about the progress made in different traits, as observed in varieties released during the period from 1921 to 1982. Yielding capacity Trial sites and trial years were very dominant factors in determining the yield, which is indicated by the fact that the vari- ance component of trial sites was fivefold compared with the variance component of varieties. The lowest average yield, 290 g/m2 , was measured at Nikkilä in 1985, and the highest average yield, 714 g/m2 , at Anttila in 1983. The interaction between environment and varieties, included now in the error term, was significant. The estimation of heritability, 0.42, remained in the trial series at approxi- mately the usual level. There were statistical- ly significant differences in yield among the varieties. The development of the yielding capacity of oat varieties during six decades is revealed clearly. When the average yield of the Hannes oat of the 1960 s was chosen as the standard of comparison, the yields of the first varieties were almost 20 per cent lower. The yield of the Ylitornio land race was 10 per cent lower still. The youngest variety, Hankkijan Vouti, yielded 10per cent more than Hannes and 35 per cent more than the weakest variety of the trial series, Pellervo, but as much as 51 per cent more than the Ylitornio land race. All these varieties belonged to the same group of earliness (Fig. 2). Table 3. Results on yield and field observations in 1977—87. The varieties are in descending order of yield. Variety Yield (15 %) Straw Lodg- Head- Matu- BYDV 7Z Nsim