The value of selection in conventional breeding trials of cultivars destined for organic systems depends on the correlation between systems and relative heritability of key traits. Genotype by environment interactions is a common phenomenon in plant breeding trials. Thus, multienvironment testing to identify stable genotypes is a high priority for organic systems. In addition, This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. because organic systems have limited inputs to buffer the environment, they may have greater spatial heterogeneity which may be better accounted for by additional spatial blocking terms beyond traditional randomized complete block design. Over two years, we evaluated 100 hybrid and 40 inbred sweet corn genotypes in 11 trials in organic systems across 6 locations and evaluated the addition of augmented incomplete block and row-column design to estimate the performance of sweet corn genotypes. Hybrids differed in their performance for all tested traits. Inbred parents differed in per se performance and general combining ability for all traits. For the hybrid entries, modelling spatial factors beyond the replicated complete blocks improved the model fit for days to anthesis, plant height, ear height, husk protection, ear width and ear length. For inbred entries, modelling spatial factors beyond the replicated complete blocks improved \ model fit for plant height, ear height, tenderness, and ear width. Wricke's ecovalence (W 2 i) was a useful measure of stability, correlating reasonably well with two of the three stability statistics considered in this analysis. Based on Wricke's ecovalence, some inbred parents were more stable than others across tested environments in their combining ability for all traits.
Plant breeders need efficient systems to identify which inbreds to combine to create new hybrid cultivars. The North Carolina Design II (NC DII) is a useful mating design to evaluate the potential of hybrid varieties and their inbred parents. Genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) models, either with or without the inclusion of a dominance term in the model, have been found to be an efficient method for using rich marker sets for prediction. This study used marker data and phenotypic data collected in 11 organic trials across 6 locations on 40 inbred sweet corn (Zea mays This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.L.) genotypes and 100 hybrid progenies formed from 4 disconnected NC DII mating blocks to predict performance of untested sweet corn hybrids. In 2017, validation trials of 24 previously untested hybrids were grown in five organic environments to assess the correlation between actual performance and the performance predicted by GBLUP or NC DII general combining abilities (GCAs).Five-fold cross-validation accuracy ranged from 0.29 to 0.82 for the GBLUP predictions based on additive effects alone, and from 0.70 to 0.91 for GBLUP predictions based on combined additive and dominance effects. For all traits except flavor, addition of dominance effects to the model increased the cross-validation accuracy. Correlations between values measured in the 2017 validation trials and values predicted from the 2015 and 2016 training trials ranged from 0.36 to 0.
Onobrychis viciifolia (hereafter sainfoin) is an autotetraploid (2n = 4x = 28), allogamous insect‐pollinated perennial legume originating from the Caucasus that has historically been cultivated as a forage. As a perennial legume, sainfoin has the potential to improve the sustainability of agriculture and food systems in multiple ways. Sainfoin can provide continuous living cover and biological nitrogen fixation to enhance soil fertility and health. It can also provide ecosystem services as a resource for pollinators and wildlife in addition to nitrogen fixation. Building on this history of valuable uses, The Land Institute is developing sainfoin as a pulse crop for human use. With the goal of supporting human diets with a sustainable, perennial protein source and nutrient‐dense crop, this innovation requires a thorough understanding of the chemical composition of sainfoin seeds to ensure safety and potential nutritional quality. Using seeds from commercial sainfoin varieties developed for forage production, grown by commercial sainfoin seed growers in the western United States, this study evaluates seed composition as part of an ongoing investigation into sainfoin's potential as a novel pulse. We found crude protein content (38.78%) comparable with soybean and lupine, fat content (6.96%) comparable with lupine and chickpea, and starch (7.1%) and dietary fiber content (48.96%) comparable with lupine. Phytic acid content was higher than pulses (1790.89 mg). Ash (3.81%), iron (64.14 ppm), and zinc contents (61.63 ppm) were in the higher end of the range for pulses. This study indicates that sainfoin could become a novel, nutrient‐dense crop for human nutrition. Future studies are required to further characterize seed composition and safety and demonstrate how common legume processing techniques may influence nutritional quality.
Increasing cropping system diversity has great potential to address environmental problems associated with modern agriculture, such as erosion, soil carbon loss, nutrient runoff, water pollution, and loss of biodiversity. As with other agricultural sciences, plant breeding has primarily been conducted in the context of dominant monoculture cropping systems, with little focus on multicrop systems. Multicrop systems have increased temporal and/or spatial diversity and include a diverse set of crops and practices. In order to support a transition to multicrop systems, plant breeders must shift their breeding programs and objectives to better represent more diverse systems, including diverse rotations, alternate-season crops, ecosystem service crops, and intercropping systems. The degree to which breeding methods need to change will depend on the cropping system context in question. Plant breeding alone, however, cannot drive adoption of multicrop systems. Alongside shifts in breeding approaches, changes are needed within broader research, private sector, and policy contexts. These changes include policies and investments that support a transition to multicrop systems, increased collaboration across disciplines to support cropping system development, and leadership from both the public and private sectors to develop and promote adoption of new cultivars.
Open-pollinated varieties provide a number of benefits for organic and smallholder farmers, allowing them to save seed, conduct on-farm selection, and maintain on-farm crop genetic diversity.
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