Genetic variation and stability of agronomic and quality traits in soybean varieties grown in western Canada between 2013 and 2018

Non-Peer ReviewedSoybean is one of the major crops of the world, but relatively new to western Canada, especially areas west of Morden, Manitoba. Expansion of soybean production to these Canadian Prairies has been slow due to a lack of adapted very-early maturing cultivars. Evaluation of stability and adaptability of a genotype to a broad range of environments is beneficial to recommend cultivars for known conditions of cultivation. Diverse soybean varieties were evaluated over multiple locations in Saskatchewan for six years (2013-2018). Significant effects of genotype, environment, and genotype and environment interaction were detected for phenology, agronomic and quality traits. Broad sense heritability estimates are medium to high for most of these traits in many site-years. Varieties with good performance stability for yield, quality and days to maturity were detected over the study period. Results from this study suggests some recommendations for soybean breeding and expansion in western Canada