Evaluation of yield, yield stability, and yield–protein relationship in 17 commercial faba bean cultivars

Abstract Faba bean is a legume crop with high protein content and considerable potential for wider cultivation in cool climates. However, it has a reputation for having unstable yield with large interannual variability, mostly attributed to yearly variation in rainfall. In this study, 17 commercial cultivars of faba bean were evaluated for seed yield, yield stability and the relationship between seed yield and protein content at four locations in Denmark and Finland during 2016?2018. We found that location and year effects accounted for 89% of the total seed yield variation. Cultivar ? environment (GxE) interactions were small (2.4%) and did not cause reranking of cultivars across environments. Yield stability contributed little to the mean yield of the cultivars, as high-yielding cultivars consistently outperformed the lower yielding genotypes, even under the most adverse conditions. Similarly, GxE effects on protein content were limited, and we found an overall negative correlation of ?0.61 between seed yield and protein content for the cultivars and environments studied. These data may be helpful for selecting cultivars for field use or for use in breeding programmes, considering that future faba bean pricing could depend on both protein quantity and concentration.Peer reviewe

Genetic analysis of global faba bean diversity, agronomic traits and selection signatures

Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is a high-protein grain legume crop with great potential for sustainable protein production. However, little is known about the genetics underlying trait diversity. In this study, we used 21,345 high-quality SNP markers to genetically characterize 2678 faba bean genotypes. We performed genome-wide association studies of key agronomic traits using a seven-parent-MAGIC population and detected 238 significant marker-trait associations linked to 12 traits of agronomic importance. Sixty-five of these were stable across multiple environments. Using a non-redundant diversity panel of 685 accessions from 52 countries, we identified three subpopulations differentiated by geographical origin and 33 genomic regions subjected to strong diversifying selection between subpopulations. We found that SNP markers associated with the differentiation of northern and southern accessions explained a significant proportion of agronomic trait variance in the seven-parent-MAGIC population, suggesting that some of these traits were targets of selection during breeding. Our findings point to genomic regions associated with important agronomic traits and selection, facilitating faba bean genomics-based breeding

Phenotyping revealed tolerance traits and genotypes for acidity and aluminum toxicity in European Vicia faba L

Soil acidity is a global issue; soils with pH <4.5 are widespread in Europe. This acidity adversely affects nutrient availability to plants; pH levels <5.0 lead to aluminum (Al3+) toxicity, a significant problem that hinders root growth and nutrient uptake in faba bean (Vicia faba L.) and its symbiotic relationship with Rhizobium. However, little is known about the specific traits and tolerant genotypes among the European faba beans. This study aimed to identify response traits associated with tolerance to root zone acidity and Al3+ toxicity and potentially tolerant genotypes for future breeding efforts. Germplasm survey was conducted using 165 genotypes in a greenhouse aquaponics system. Data on the root and shoot systems were collected. Subsequently, 12 genotypes were selected for further phenotyping in peat medium, where data on physiological and morphological parameters were recorded along with biochemical responses in four selected genotypes. In the germplasm survey, about 30% of genotypes showed tolerance to acidity and approximately 10% exhibited tolerance to Al3+, while 7% showed tolerance to both. The phenotyping experiment indicated diverse morphological and physiological responses among treatments and genotypes. Acid and Al3+ increased proline concentration. Interaction between genotype and environment was observed for ascorbate peroxidase activity, malondialdehyde, and proline concentrations. Genomic markers associated with acidity and acid+Al3+-toxicity tolerances were identified using GWAS analysis. Four faba bean genotypes with varying levels of tolerance to acidity and Al3+ toxicity were identified.Peer reviewe