Comprehensive Evaluation of Production Performance of Gui Series Soybean Varieties in Northern Guangdong Region

Objective This study aimed to optimize the soybean planting structure in northern Guangdong and provide scientific evidence for soybean breeding and cross-regional introduction through systematic field evaluation.

Method Using the locally dominant cultivar 'Huaxia 10' as control, the production performance of nine Gui series soybean varieties from Guangxi was systematically evaluated in northern Guangdong. Eight key agronomic traits, including plant height, pods per plant, grains per plant, 100-seed weight, and plot yield, were measured. Comprehensive assessment of yield potential, stability, and adaptability was conducted using multiple analytical methods including coefficient of variation (CV), high-stability coefficient (HSC), and principal component analysis (PCA).

Result Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between grains per plant and yield (r=0.73), and a very strong positive correlation between pods per plant and grains per plant (r=0.92), while 100-seed weight showed negative correlations with both pods per plant and grains per plant. Principal component analysis extracted four principal components with cumulative contribution rate reaching 94.89%. PC1 (52.88% variance contribution) represented yield potential with high loading on plant height, main stem nodes, pods per plant, grains per plant, 100-seed weight, and yield. PC2 (23.38% variance contribution) primarily reflected branching traits. Yield analysis demonstrated that 'Guichun 205' showed the highest yield (3 065.15 kg/hm²), with an 11.45% increase over the control and HSC of 99.58% (ranked first). 'Guichun 206' yielded 2915.15 kg/hm² (6.00% increase) with HSC of 94.02%. 'Guixia 7' yielded 2 771.81 kg/hm², compared to the control, with HSC of 89.60%.

Conclusion 'Guixia 7', yielding 2 771.81 kg/hm² (0.79% increase over control), combines compact plant architecture and suitable bottom pod height for mechanized operations, demonstrating comprehensive excellent performance and is recommended for promotion in northern Guangdong. 'Guichun 205' and 'Guichun 206' exhibit significant high-yield potential and outstanding yield stability, suitable for expanded demonstration planting in the region.