On-Station Multilocational Evaluation of Mutant Soybean (Glycine max L.) Lines for Improved Agronomic Traits

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Soybean yield from most varieties cultivated in Northern Ghana is low due to farmers’ use of unimproved local landraces, pod shattering; and drought prevailing in the areas of production. Seeds of the following M₃ mutant soybean lines: 150 Gy, 200 Gy, 250 Gy and 300 Gy were evaluated for desirable agronomic traits in a multi-location experiment in northern Ghana during the 2018 cropping season. The locations were Techiman, Nyankpala and Bawku in the forest-savannah transitional agroecology, Guinea savannah and Sudan Savannah agroecological zones of Ghana, respectively. The mutant lines were planted alongside Jenguma variety as standard check using a randomized complete block design with three replications. Results of the study indicated that the 200 Gy and 250 Gy mutant soybean lines flowered and matured early, gave higher yields and exhibited more resistance to pod shattering as compared to the other lines and Jenguma. Nyankpala was the best location for growth and production of grain from the soybean mutant lines whilst Bawku was not generally conducive for their cultivation. It would be important to validate the current findings by repeating the study, and if the trends in results are the same, the 200 Gy and 250 Gy mutant lines would be recommended for release as improved varieties especially for farmers in Nyankpala in the Guinea Savannah agroecology.