EARLY GENERATION SELECTION UNDER DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS AS IT INFLUENCES ADAPTATION OF BARLEY

Abstract

Selections, from F 2 to F 5 inclusive, were made from a segregating population of barley under the environmental conditions of Macdonald College and La Pocatière. In each generation, seed from the selected plants was divided into two parts and subsequently seeded at the two locations. This yearly exchange of material provided 16 selection pathways, that is, groups of different environmental conditions, under which selection was performed. The adaptability of the selected strains was estimated from yield trials conducted at the two stations during F 7 and F 8 . Strains selected at La Pocatière in F 4 possessed a better adaptation than those selected at Macdonald College. Strains selected at alternate locations in successive years, starting at La Pocatière in F 2 , possessed the widest adaptation.Yield trials indicated that the adaptability of the selected strains was dependent upon the selection pathway involved. Selection of barley varieties with wide adaptation could be enhanced by paying attention to the environmental conditions under which the selection is made.