Fifteen years of soybean productivity in Rio Grande do Sul and the decomposition of phenotypic variation along with relations with the production environment

Grain production systems in Rio Grande do Sul (RS) have soybean ( Glycine max L.) as the main crop in these subtropical environments, demonstrating over the years its adaptability to different growing conditions. The objective of the study was to highlight which soil and climate factors are determinants for grain yield according to the relative maturity group (RMG) of soybean based on the historical series of the last 15 years in RS. An exploratory meta‐analysis was performed using a structure of 231 soybean cultivars sown in 20 environments in the last 15 years in RS, collecting data on soybean yield and soil and climate characteristics of each environment. The variance components and genetic parameters were estimated using the restricted maximum likelihood procedure. The general best unbiased linear predictor was extracted by RMG and stratified for each cultivation environment. Through the analysis of the reaction norm, a multiple regression with environmental covariates was used to identify the responsiveness, adaptability, and stability of the RMG as a function of the cultivation environment. The specific RMG of the soybean cultivar group influences 4% of genetic contribution to the phenotypic manifestation of grain yield regardless of the cultivation environment. RMGs 5.7, 5.8, 5.9, 6.0, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, and 6.5 presented the highest yields, regardless of the environment and harvest. The balanced concentrations of soil texture components condition its carbon concentration and allowed the highest soybean yields in RS.