Field Crops Research 117 (2010) 101–112 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Field Crops Research journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/fcr Genetic gains for grain yield in high latitude spring wheat grown in Western Siberia in 1900–2008 A. Morgounov a,∗ , V. Zykin b , I. Belan b , L. Roseeva b , Yu. Zelenskiy c , Hugo Ferney Gomez-Becerra d , H. Budak d , F. Bekes e a International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), P.K. 39 Emek, Ankara 06511, Turkey b Siberian Research Institute of Agriculture, 28 Korolev St., Omsk 644012, Russian Federation c International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), P.O. Box 1446, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan d Sabanci University, Orhanli, Tuzla, Istanbul 34956, Turkey e CSIRO, Bag 10, Clayton South, VIC 3169, Australia article info Article history: Received 5 March 2009 Received in revised form 4 February 2010 Accepted 5 February 2010 Keywords: Spring wheat Short season Yield Genetic gains abstract Short season high latitude (50 ◦ N–56 ◦ N) spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is grown on approximately 7 million ha in Western Siberia with average yield of 1.5–2.0 t/ha. A historical set of 47 varieties developed and grown in the region between 1900 and 2000 was evaluated at a trial in Siberian Research Institute of Agriculture (Omsk) in 2002–2008. The genetic gains for grain yield and associated changes in agronomic traits were analyzed for three maturity groups (early, medium and late) and four breeding periods (before 1930, 1950–1975, 1976–1985 and after 1985). The overall yield was 3.71 t/ha for modern varieties versus 2.18 t/ha for old varieties representing 0.7% increase per year in the course of 100 years. The genetic gains between the breeding periods indicated that the rate of progress for the early and medium maturity groups was more or less comparable from one breeding period to the other. For the late maturity group there was an obvious and sharp decline in genetic gain with time. Modern varieties were also character- ized by average response to environmental mean and good grain yield stability evaluated according to Eberhart and Russell (1966). Thousand kernel weight and number of grains per unit area were linearly correlated with grain yield and genetic gain over time suggested their importance for breeding progress. Resistance to leaf rust in some modern varieties sustained and contributed to stability of genetic gains. The yield increase over time was not associated with plant height reduction and incorporation of Rht genes. The maturity range of the newer varieties is narrower compared to old germplasm as they tend to belong to medium maturity group. Translocation 1B.1R had limited contribution to Western Siberian germplasm being observed in only three varieties. The increase in adaptation, yield potential and its stability has been reached due to gradual accumulation of favorable genes through diverse crosses, robust selection and testing system. Resistance to leaf rust and other prevalent pathogens is of paramount importance for future progress. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The region of Western Siberia of Russian Federation lies between 50 ◦ N and 56 ◦ N and 60 ◦ E and 95 ◦ E with a typical continental cli- mate. The city of Omsk is a center of the region with average yearly precipitation of 325 mm. Rains in June are critically impor- tant for crop yield. Severe winters with heavy snow allow planting in May. Once in five years there is frost (0 ◦ C or below) in the end of August, thus, limiting the frost-free period to 100 or even 90 days (Kaskarbayev, 1998). The history of wheat (Triticum aestivum ∗ Corresponding author at: CIMMYT, P.K. 39 Emek Ankara 06511 Turkey. Tel.: +1 90 312 3448777; fax: +1 90 312 3270798. E-mail address: a.morgounov@cgiar.org (A. Morgounov). L.) cultivation in Russian Siberia dates back to the 19th century when first settlers arrived from European Russia. In the middle of the 20th century the region was transformed into a very important agricultural area supplying high quality grain for the local popu- lation and the rest of the USSR. The wheat area at its maximum in the 1960s and 1970s reached 35 million ha between North- ern Kazakhstan and Siberia (Morgounov et al., 2001). Currently the whole Western Siberia grows around 7 m ha. The grain yield is vari- able depending on the year but on average it was 1.5 t/ha in Omsk region in 1998–2007 ranging from 1.2 t/ha in 2000 to 2.2 t/ha in 2001 (Shamanin, personal communication). Most of the wheat pro- duced in Siberia and Northern Kazakhstan can be classified as a hard red spring type according to North American classification. Little if any inputs are provided for wheat cultivation. The crop rotation is based on summer fallow followed by three to four years of contin- 0378-4290/$ – see front matter © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.fcr.2010.02.001