Bread Wheat Landraces Adaptability to Low-Input Agriculture.

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Plant Breeding
• Genetics

Background:

• Bread wheat landraces represent a vital source of biodiversity, predating modern high-yielding cultivars.
• Their potential for low-input and organic agricultural systems remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the grain yield, agronomic performance, and quality of bread wheat landraces in diverse cropping systems.
• To assess the adaptability of landraces to low-input/organic versus conventional environments.
• To identify landraces suitable for sustainable wheat production.

Main Methods:

• A two-year field trial comparing bread wheat landraces and commercial cultivars.
• Evaluation across low-input, organic, and conventional cropping systems.
• Statistical analysis including GGE biplot for genotype-environment interactions.

Main Results:

• Significant variability in yield and agronomic traits was observed among landraces.
• "Xilokastro Lamias" demonstrated high and stable yields, showing potential for breeding.
• Landraces exhibited greater yield stability and less reduction in organic systems compared to commercial cultivars, with a 45% yield reduction for commercial cultivars versus half for landraces.

Conclusions:

• Bread wheat landraces are valuable genetic resources for developing high-yielding, quality wheat for organic and low-input systems.
• Landraces contribute to biodiversity and offer enhanced resilience in sustainable agriculture.
• "Xilokastro Lamias" and "X4" are identified as promising candidates for direct cultivation and breeding.