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Relative Yields of Mixtures and Monocultures of Oat Genotypes 1
Author(s) -
Shorter R.,
Frey K. J.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci1979.0011183x011200190028x
Subject(s) - straw , avena , monoculture , cultivar , agronomy , diallel cross , yield (engineering) , biology , grain yield , population , mathematics , materials science , composite material , hybrid , sociology , demography
We evaluated relative yields of mixtures and monocultures of eight cultivars and 20 random F 9 ‐derived oat ( Avena sativa L.) lines from a bulk population at two locations for 2 years. Three diallel sets of two‐component mixtures were constructed: 378 1:1 mixtures among 28 lines, as well as 105 1:3 mixtures among 15 lines (four cultivars and 11 random lines). The 28 oat lines also were mixed in a 1:1 frequency with each of six testers (homogeneous and heterogeneous at low, medium, and high grain yield levels) to identify lines forming high yielding mixtures. General mixing ability was significant (P ≤ 0.01) for grain and straw yields and specific mixing ability was not. Of the 1:1 mixtures, 321 for grain yield and 305 for straw yield were not significantly different (P ≤ 0.05) from their component means. Only 15 1:1 mixtures for grain yield and .10 for. straw yield, significantly (P ≤ 0.05) outyielded thexr higher yielding component (by up to 11% for grain and 15% for straw). Cultivar mixtures exceeded their component means by up to 7% for grain or straw yield whereas random line mixtures were superior to their component means by up to 13% for grain yield and 17% for straw yield. Grain or straw yield differentials between mixtures and their components in monoculture generally had repeatability of 0 to 32% over environ. ments. Seven (for grain) and five (for straw) mixtures out of 105 used in the component.frequency experiment had significant (P ≤ 0.05) linear effects across component frequencies, and none had significant quadratic effects for either trait, indicating that mixture components interacted additively. Line performances in monoculture and in 1:1 mixtures were significantly correlated (r = 0.91 for both grain and strawyield (P ≤ 0.05). For both traits, the highest yielding mixtures were not superior to either their higheryieldin.g component or the fine with the highest monoculture yield. Therefore, use of mixtures of oat cultivars or lines to obtain a yield advantage over monocultures would not be justified.