Grain yield and yield components of two-row winter barley cultivars and lines

Abstract

A comparative study on the grain yield and yield components of six winter barley cultivars and lines was conducted at an experimental farm of the Small Grains Research Centre in Kragujevac over a three-year period. The analysis included stem height, spike number per m², kernel number per spike and grain yield.

The smallest and greatest plant heights were found with the K-10-85 line and cv. NS293, respectively, regardless of the year of observation. A considerably lower stem height, as compared to the standard cultivar, was observed in genotypes NS-331, K-10-85 and ZA-88.

Plant height and grain yield were substantially affected by environmental conditions during the observation period. These traits were also considerably affected by the genotype-year interaction.

Spike number per m² and kernel number per spike were significantly affected by year, the differences between the cultivars and lines observed in this study were not significant, and moreover, no important effects of the genotype-year interaction were registered. There were significant differences in grain yield between the genotypes studied, the highest and lowest being obtained by K-10-85 and KG-8/4, respectively.