Comparative yield performance of wheat cultivars grown in small and bulk-sized plots

Abstract

The ranking and grain yield of several recently released and superseded wheat cultivars grown in standard-sized (35-40 m2) plots were compared with their ranking and yield in similarly treated and adjacent bulk-sized plots (0.25-1 ha) in 6 environments in Western Australia. Three of the cultivars were tall (average 83.6 cm) and 3 were semidwarf (average 7 1.5 cm). The yield of cultivars in standard-sized plots was highly correlated (P<0.01) with their yield performance in bulk areas. There were 2 distinct groups of environments. In the first group there was no difference between yields in the standard-sized and bulk-sized plots. In the second group, which consisted of environments with mean yields >2 t/ha, the yield of wheat grown in standard-sized plots was up to 1.0 t/ha higher than the yield in bulk-sized plots. Cultivars had a similar pattern of yield performance in standard and bulk-sized plots, regardless of any differences in plant height.