ANALYSIS AND USE OF INTERPOOL-CROSSES (MEDITERRANEAN X CENTRAL-EUROPEAN) IN FABA BEANS (VICIA-FABA L)

The Central European and the Mediterranean Vicia faba gene pools carry different traits favourable for selecting cultivars with a high and s table yield performance. Interpool crosses, therefore, should provide interesting new basic material, although lack of adaptation of each '' exotic'' parent and linkage of genes may act against the introgression of favourable genes. In a first approach, five German and five Syrian parents (bred by ICARDA) of an interpool-crossing programme were test ed in two years in both regions of origin. The Syrian cultivars proved to be fairly well adapted in the German trials, while the German cult ivars were highly unadapted to the Syrian conditions. The advantage of interpool-crosses for both gene pools is discussed and recommendation s on the further breeding strategy for adaptation of interpool-cross-p rogenies are given.