Development of high yielding and stable cultivars of various legume crops across different environments is very important for their adoption by farmers. In addition, climate change sets new challenges to major crop species and especially to grain legumes such as faba bean (Vicia faba L.) for adaptation to stressful environments. The present study focused on evaluating faba bean genotypes developed for yield and stability across different environments. The study was conducted in three areas of Greece (South, Central, and North) for two consecutive growing seasons (2018–2019 and 2019–2020). Biomass yield, seed yield, and yield components were studied together with plant height, earliness, and water use efficiency. Genotype, environment, and their interaction affected most of the studied characteristics. The environment was the major source of variation for most of the characteristics, as it explained 81–93% of total variation, and only in the thousand seed weight the variation was 49% for the environment and 40% for the genotype. Genotype had a much smaller effect on the remaining characteristics (1.2–3.9%), and the interaction between environment x genotype accounted for up to 0.5–17% of the variation. GGE-biplot analysis for high yield and stability across different environments revealed three genotypic types: genotypes well adapted either for biomass or seed yield and genotypes with high adaptation capacity for both traits under typical Mediterranean conditions. These results indicated that screening faba bean genotypes under different environmental field conditions is essential to identify adaptable cultivars to be cultivated for biomass and/or seed yield or to be used in breeding programs.

Drought affects common bean productivity, and the severity of its impact is expected to increase due to climate change. The use of versatile genotypes could contribute to securing future bean production. This study investigates the adaptability of 10 common bean genotypes of indeterminate growth type under water scarcity conditions by measuring agronomic and physiological parameters. The evaluation occurs under irrigation treatments applied at two different phenological stages (anthesis (WDA) and seed filling initiation (WDSF)). The recorded adaptabilities of the genotypes (G) showed that G10 produced the highest overall seed yield in the normal irrigation (NI) (197.22 g plant⁻¹) and WDA (192.78 g plant⁻¹), while the G6 had the highest yield at WDSF (196.71 g plant⁻¹). For the genotype’s average mean, chlorophyll content decreased by 10.5% under drought at WDSF. Net photosynthetic rate (P_n), stomatal conductance (g_s), and transpiration rate (E) were reduced at WDA by 53%, 80.8%, and 61.4% and at WDSF by 43.75%, 57.7%, and 36%, respectively, while relative water content (RWC) reduced by 16.48%, on average, for both stages. G10 and G6 showed adaptability when water scarcity occurred at an early (WDA) or later stage (WDSF), respectively, providing insights into using germplasm resources to cope with the drought effect.

Vicia sativa L. (common vetch) is an annual legume species of high economic and ecological importance which is characterized by high nutritive value for animal feeding and its ability to adapt to various edaphic–climatic conditions. However, limited information is available about genotypic and environmental effects on agronomic, nutritional, and antinutritional traits of common vetch genotypes. Thus, in the present study, four advanced breeding lines and three commercial cultivars were evaluated for yield biomass, color assessment, fiber, crude protein (CP), and polyphenols in three locations (Spata, Larissa, and Thessaloniki) for two consecutive growing seasons (2018–2019 and 2019–2020). The effects of genotype, environment and their interaction (GXE) were significant for all the studied traits. The main source of variation for yield, color, CP, and polyphenols was the environment as it explained 71.5–89.7% of the total variation, whereas for the fibers content it was the GXE interaction. On the other hand, genotype had a much smaller effect on all the traits studied (2.9–16.6%). According to GGE biplot analysis, the ‘Alexandros’ cultivar was the most high-yielding and stable, whereas ‘Leonidas’ was the best performing in terms of nutritional and antinutritional traits. However, one advanced line combined high and stable yield biomass with high nutritive value, indicating the possibility for simultaneous improvement of both features.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the most important legume crops worldwide, with its importance mainly relying on its high protein content. Chickpea productivity is strictly threatened by abiotic stresses, of which drought exerts the most crucial role in terms of growth inhibition and yield losses encountered. Given that germination is a critical stage that is negatively affected by drought, the aim of this study was to estimate the genotypic variability among ten chickpea genotypes and to determine the seed germination and seedling growth ability under drought stress conditions. Seeds were subjected to water stress by polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) at five stress levels (0, 5, 10, 20, 30 and 50% PEG). Germination percentage, seed water content, seed water absorbance, root and shoot development and seedling vigour index were evaluated. The analyses revealed significant genetic variability in relation to genotypic performance under drought stress. Drought significantly affected germination as well as all other associated traits, with the effects of stress being analogous to the stress level applied. Findings point to the fact that seedling vigour index is a suitable selection criterion for drought tolerance as it allowed the classification of genotypes as tolerant, moderately tolerant, moderately susceptible and susceptible. Taken together, the commercial varieties ‘Thiva’, ‘Keryneia’ and ‘Gavdos’ as well as the landrace ‘Lemnos’ showed an increased drought tolerance at high stress level, indicating their possible exploitation as valuable genetic material for breeding programs or for commercial use.

White lupin is a promising high-protein crop, the cultivation of which is limited by a lack of adaptation to soils that are even just mildly calcareous. This study aimed to assess the phenotypic variation, the trait architecture based on a GWAS, and the predictive ability of genome-enabled models for grain yield and contributing traits of a genetically-broad population of 140 lines grown in an autumn-sown environment of Greece (Larissa) and a spring-sown environment of the Netherlands (Ens) that featured moderately calcareous and alkaline soils. We found large genotype × environment interaction and modest or nil genetic correlation for line responses across locations for grain yield, a lime susceptibility score, and other traits, with the exception of individual seed weight and plant height. The GWAS identified significant SNP markers associated with various traits that were markedly inconsistent across locations, while providing direct or indirect evidence for widespread polygenic trait control. Genomic selection proved to be a feasible strategy, owing to a moderate predictive ability for yield and lime susceptibility in Larissa (the site featuring greater lime soil stress). Other supporting results for breeding programs where the identification of a candidate gene for lime tolerance and the high reliability of genome-enabled predictions for individual seed weight.

Soybean is one of the most important oil seed crops. However, soybean seed is structurally weak and inherently short-lived, making the crop vulnerable to long period storage. Thus, it is crucial to study the effect of storage conditions on the quality of soybean seeds (Glycine max L.). The genetic material consisted of 10 soybean varieties, whose seeds were stored under both cooling (refrigerator) and room temperature conditions and were subsequently subjected to germination test, electric conductivity test and estimation of free fatty acids percentage. In order to determinethe long-term effects of storage on seed quality, all genotypes were subjected to accelerated ageing at 40℃ up to 48 days and viability equation was used to determine the Ki value. Overall findings revealed the significant effect of storage conditions on seed quality and, at the same time, underlined the beneficial effect of storage under cooling conditions, which is expressed as higher germination percentage, reduced electric conductivity and free fatty acids percentage and improved storage longevity. Further, our data provide conclusive evidence for the qualitative superiority of the varieties Adonai, Celina and Neoplanta, especially upon storage under cooling conditions, as they were characterized by higher germination percentage and improved tolerance to storage (storage potential).