Eugen-Iulian Petcu

Increasing climate variability is placing growing pressure on cereal production systems, highlighting the need to identify stable and resilient genotypes for sustainable crop production. This study evaluated phenotypic variability, grain yield, yield stability and grain-quality traits in 25 spring barley (Hordeum vulgare subsp. distichon (L.) Körn.) genotypes, including varieties and advanced breeding lines, under contrasting agro-ecological conditions in Romania. Field experiments were conducted over two growing seasons (2024–2025) at Turda and Fundulea using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The evaluated agronomic, phenological, and quality traits included plant height, heading and flowering time, thousand-kernel weight, grain yield, and grain protein and starch contents. The effects of year, location, genotype and their interactions were analyzed, and GGE biplot analysis was used to examine genotype performance and stability across environments. Across the 300 plot-level observations, grain yield ranged from 1631 to 7730 kg ha⁻¹, with an overall mean of 5283 kg ha⁻¹ and a descriptive CV of 21.99%, reflecting overall variability across the dataset rather than experimental error. Year and genotype significantly affected all evaluated traits, while location significantly affected all traits except plant height. For grain yield, protein content, starch content, thousand-kernel weight, heading time, and flowering time, all main effects and interactions were significant (p < 0.001). For plant height, the location effect was not significant, whereas year, genotype, and the interaction terms were significant. Mean grain yield ranged from 4149 kg ha⁻¹ at Fundulea in 2024 to 6364 kg ha⁻¹ at Turda in 2025. Grain yield was strongly negatively correlated with protein content (r = −0.832, p < 0.001) and positively correlated with thousand-kernel weight (r = 0.767, p < 0.001). Ioana had the highest grain yield in three of the four environments and the highest thousand-kernel weight in all four environments, while also showing early heading and flowering in three environments. In the AEC analysis, To 2112-21 showed a more stable yield response across the four tested environments, whereas Ioana was characterized primarily by high yield performance. These findings identify promising barley germplasm for further multi-environment evaluation and breeding for productive, adaptable spring barley under variable growing conditions in central and southeastern Romania.

Reducing nitrogen inputs while maintaining grain yield and quality is an important objective for sustainable barley production. This study evaluated 39 winter barley genotypes (20 six-row and 19 two-row) under two N management treatments following pea as the preceding crop during two contrasting growing seasons (2021–2022 and 2022–2023) under rainfed conditions. Both treatments received the same basal fertilization, while the fertilized treatment received an additional 46 kg N ha⁻¹ as urea. Yield response to additional N differed between barley types and growing seasons. In six-row barley, grain yield increased by 5.9% in 2021–2022 but decreased by 4.8% in 2022–2023, whereas two-row barley maintained positive responses of 7.9% and 5.9%, respectively. Additional N consistently increased grain protein content by 17.2–21.7% in six-row and 17.1–19.0% in two-row barley, while starch content decreased in both barley types. NDVI generally increased following additional N application. GGE biplot analysis revealed substantial genotypic variation in performance and response across the four year × nitrogen combinations evaluated at the experimental location. Overall, two-row barley showed a more consistent yield response to additional N across the two growing seasons, while the identified genotypic variation provides useful material for selecting winter barley adapted to reduced N inputs following a legume preceding crop.

Barley remains the fourth most cultivated cereal crop worldwide and is valued for its versatility in malting and brewing, animal feed, human nutrition, and dietary supplements. The identification of genotypes suitable for breeding or specific end-use applications requires multi-environment testing to evaluate agronomic performance, grain quality, and trait stability. In this study, a panel of 50 winter barley genotypes (two-row and six-row) originating from diverse genetic backgrounds was evaluated over three growing seasons (2021–2023) under the environmental conditions of southeastern Romania. Seven traits were analyzed, including three phenological traits (heading time, flowering time and plant height), grain yield, and three quality parameters (thousand-grain weight, protein content, and starch content). Environmental conditions had a strong influence on phenological development and grain yield, whereas grain quality traits showed relatively greater stability, indicating a stronger genetic control. Multivariate analyses (Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Genotype plus Genotype-by-Environment interaction biplot (GGE biplots)) revealed clear relationships among traits and highlighted contrasting adaptive strategies between the two barley types. In two-row barley, genotypes such as Idra and Sandra combined favorable yield performance with stable grain quality traits and therefore represent promising candidates for breeding programs and large-scale cultivation. In six-row barley, SU-Ellen and LG Zebra showed high productivity and strong starch accumulation, making them valuable genetic resources for yield-oriented breeding, although further improvement in nitrogen use efficiency may be beneficial. The 2022–2023 growing season represented the most restrictive environment, emphasizing the importance of stability under stress conditions. Genotypes located close to the Average Environment Coordination axis (AEC axis) during that season, such as Ametist (six-row) and Lardeya (two-row), may represent promising material for breeding programs targeting drought resilience. Overall, the results expand the phenotypic characterization of winter barley germplasm and identify valuable genetic resources that can support pre-breeding efforts and the development of climate-resilient barley cultivars.

Plant genetic resources are considered a treasure trove of valuable, untapped diversity that holds the key to breeding the crops of the future. However, the use of these resources in breeding is often limited due to the lack of comprehensive phenotypic characterization. The present study provides extensive historical phenotypic data from nine genebanks as a MIAPPE compliant data set. We compiled and curated phenotypic data from 43,293 wheat accessions, encompassing 460,399 data points across 52 traits, including the three core traits of plant height, heading time, and thousand kernel weight from seven decades. The exceptional quality of the presented dataset was highlighted by predominantly high heritabilities. Phenotypic data of such quantity and quality is a crucial resource for unlocking the valuable diversity of plant genetic resources for agricultural advancement.