INVESTIGATIONS ON FABA BEANS, Vicia faba L. 33. BULK vs. INDIVIDUAL SELECTION IN VARIETY CAIRO 25 GROWN UNDER Orobanche STRESS AND FREE FIELD

Abstract

Individual-plant and bulk selection, with different intensities, were practiced in the faba bean variety Cairo 25. It is a blended variety from different genotypes and tolerant to Orobanche. Selection and evaluation occurred under Orobanche-stress and free fields. Significant differences occurred between the orthogonal comparisons (Individual vs. bulk selections and bulks against each other) in both free and infested plots. Genotypes and populations behaved differently in their yield and yield components within each condition, but generally individual selections had better performance than bulk selections. All characters, except the number of branches/plant, decreased for plants grown under Orobanche infestation compared to sister plants grown in healthy plots. Although many individual selections performed better than bulks, some bulk selections had better performance than some individual selections. Selection under Orobanche stress condition can not be absolutely effective under stress and non stress conditions.