BEHAVIOR OF VARIETIES OF TWELVE PLANT SPECIES UNDER SEASONAL IN PANFILO NATERA, ZACATECAS

Abstract

The Regional Center for Studies in the Arid and Semiarid Zones of the Graduate College (CREZAS-CP ), comprises the States of Aguascalientes and Zacatecas, as well as the arid zone of the States of San Luis Potosi, Guanajuato and Jalisco. Rainfall is the most important factor affecting crop production in this region. The objetive of this study was to detect which species and cultivars have higher rain use efficiency, among corn (Zea mays L.), dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), oat (Avena sativa), barley (Hordeum vulgare), colza (Brassica sp ), sunflower (Helianthus annus), millets (Setaria, Panicum y Pennisetum), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), wheat (Triticum aestivum) and triticale (Triticum sp x Secale cereale). The experiment was located at Panfilo Natera, Zacatecas, under rainfall conditions. soil and climate factors were relatad to earliness, adaptation, yield and yield components. Oat cultivars were the
best in rain use efficiency for grain and forage production; late maturity corn genotypes were also good for producing forage. Oat and barley cultivars, dueto their earliness, also showed good responses. Some corn genotypes had good adaptation to the ecological conditions, of the area. The yield of some dry bean genotypes were very attractive due to local high grain prices. Sorghum, wheat and colza genotypes were not adaptad to this environment. Early corn cultivars showed the highest harvest index, followed by some barley and triticale genotypes.