Open Access

ARTICLE

Multi-Environment Evaluation of Soybean Genotypes for Yield, Stability, and Trait Associations in Croatia

Ivica Delic¹, Goran Jukic², Ivan Varnica², Valentina Spanic^3,*

1 Department of Plant Varieties and Propagating Material Sector, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Zagreb, 10000, Croatia
2 Department for Plant Varieties, Croatian Agency for Agriculture and Food, Osijek, 31000, Croatia
3 Department of Small Cereal Crops Breeding and Genetics, Agricultural Institute Osijek, Osijek, 31000, Croatia

* Corresponding Author: Valentina Spanic. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Influence of Biotic and Abiotic Stresses Signals on Plants and their Performance at Different Environments)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2025, 94(10), 3189-3203. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2025.070489

Received 17 July 2025; Accepted 23 September 2025; Issue published 29 October 2025

Abstract

This study evaluated agro-morphological traits, grain quality traits, and phenotypic stability of nine soybean genotypes across four environments over two growing seasons (2022–2023). Traits such as days to flowering, days to maturity, and disease symptoms were monitored throughout the season. At maturity, parameters including grain yield, grain oil and protein content, 1000-seed weight, test weight, scores of lodgings, shattering, plant height, and first pod height were evaluated. In addition, 18 morphological traits were scored, of which eight were sufficiently variable for further analysis. In terms of environmental stability, genotypes 2 and 13 excelled, while genotypes 12 and 14 consistently yielded the maximum grain production regardless of season or location. Through the application of PCA, we observed significant genotypic variance along with distinct clustering patterns based on year and location, with overall higher yields observed in the 2023 season. The 2022 season was marked by uneven rainfall that contributed to greater disease pressure. Grain yield exhibited a positive association with test weight and the timing of flowering/maturity, whereas lodging demonstrated a weak yet positive correlation. Although the lodging ratings were generally modest, there seems to be an indirect association between genotypes with somewhat higher scores and enhanced grain yield. Among morphological traits, the intensity of green leaf color and leaf blistering had the strongest influence on grain yield. This study shed information on key distinctions in characteristics and how they relate to grain yield, which could lead to future improvements in output. Some genotypes demonstrated both high yield potential and stability, which are essential for developing cultivars suitable for diverse environments.

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Keywords

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Supplementary Material

Supplementary Material File

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