Genetic progress from 15 years of white oat breeding in Brazil

Abstract Despite advances in crop management and breeding, cereals still face considerable yield losses from phytopathogens and lodging caused by adverse weather. Developing oat genotypes that combine disease tolerance, lodging resistance, and industrial quality is therefore essential, and the estimation of genetic progress allows validation of strategies and redirection of breeding goals. The objective of this study was to estimate the genetic progress achieved by white oat breeding programs over 15 years for agronomic and industry‐relevant traits. Multi‐environment trials were conducted in 23 Brazilian municipalities under rainfed conditions, using a randomized block design. Traits evaluated included crop cycle stages, plant height, lodging, incidence of bacterial blight, leaf spot, rusts, and barley yellow dwarf virus, as well as hectoliter weight, hulling index, and grain yield. Data were analyzed by restricted maximum likelihood, with genetic progress estimated using the Breseghello model. Results indicated significant gains in reducing lodging and in decreasing the incidence of leaf rust, stem rust, and barley yellow dwarf virus. No progress was detected for leaf spot or bacterial blight, and hectoliter weight exhibited a negative trend. Grain yield displayed a genetic gain of 11.33 kg ha −1 year −1 , accompanied by improvements in the hulling index. This study extends previous estimates of genetic progress in Brazilian oats by evaluating a broader set of genotypes in diverse environments. The findings confirm relevant advances while underscoring persistent challenges, highlighting the need for innovative approaches and advanced models to better account for management, physiological, and environmental effects on genotype performance.