Comparison of bread wheat varieties with different breeding origin under organic and low input management

Summary

The aims of the study were to compare 37 bread wheat varieties with different breeding origin under conventional and organic farming conditions in Hungary and Austria for three years and to identify traits highly sensitive to management systems that could be separated according to their suggested selecting environments. According to the results, heading date, sensitivity to leaf rust and powdery mildew had high heritability, thus, for economic reasons, it is reasonable to select for these traits in conventional fields even if the selection target is organic agriculture. On the contrary, selection for grain yield, test weight, leaf-inclination and vigorous growth should be done later in the target environment. It was concluded that the selecting environment has measurable effects on the performance of bread wheat varieties. Our results could help organic breeders in their selection work, especially in the continental climatic zone of Europe.