IDENTIFICATION OF BREAD WHEAT, DURUM-WHEAT AND BARLEY CULTIVARS ADAPTED TO DRY ARES OF SOUTHERN ITALY

Among the cultivars of bread wheat, durum wheat and barley grown in the South of Italy, genetic variation for adaptation to the high temperature and drought stress conditions typical of the Mediterranean environment has been found. The basic data have been extrapolated from 5 years of Italian national network cultivar trials, where 20-30 cultivars were grown in replicated plot trials in 30-50 locations per year, including some where stress strongly affected grain yield. After careful identification of the most representative years and testing sites it was possible to characterise the cultivars on the basis of the grain yield in stress conditions and the Fischer & Maurer (1978) susceptibility index and to find genotypic differences sufficiently repeatable in years. The cultivars giving the best yield under stress associated with low susceptibility indices were in bread wheat: Etruria, Spada, Pandas, Centauro, Oderzo, Costantino and Gladio, in durum wheat: Aldura, Arcangelo, Adamello, Vespro and Capeiti, in barley: Fleuret, Barberousse, Jaidor, Express, Trebbia, Georgie, Dahlia, Criter and Magie.