The most effective way to ensurе high yields and high-quality produce under intensive farming conditions is the crop variety. The selection and proper utilization of suitable cultivars are major factors for achieving high and stable yields. It is well known that cultivar performance is strongly influenced by environmental conditions, and no single variety can perform optimally across all regions. For this reason, all developed cultivars are subjected to official multi-location testing before their release, to evaluate their biological and economic characteristics under different agroecological conditions. Long-term cultivation may lead to changes in varietal performance due to environmental pressure, seed quality deterioration, or interactions with biotic and abiotic stress factors. Therefore, the re-assessment of existing cultivars under present-day conditions is necessary to determine their current suitability for agricultural practice. The current study aims to re-evaluate the stability, productivity, and adaptive response of the Bulgarian winter barley cultivar “Neda” based on historical (2010, 2011) and recent (2024, 2025) multi-environment trials. The results of the analyses conducted over various environmental conditions reveal that Neda clearly stands out as having a higher yield compared to the standard varieties (“Obzor”, “Emon,” and “Kaskadior 3” within the system of Executive Agency of Variety Testing, Field Inspection and Seed Control) and exhibits a high degree of adaptability to the environment and resilience to climatic fluctuations. Neda is a two-row barley variety owned by Agrodimex Ltd., characterized by high lodging resistance and very good winter hardiness. Grain protein content is around 12%, and the 1000-grain weight: 50-53 g. Hectoliter weight: 66 kg; yield: 693-801 kg/dka.

barley, Hordeum vulgare L., Neda, plant breeding, re-evaluation, yield stability

agronomy

Presentation: poster