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Wheat is an important crop to meet the increasing demand for food and fodder. In Germany, it is the most common cereal crop, but only small area is cultivated with spring wheat. However, within the system of organic agriculture this acreage share is considerably higher. Diversified crop rotations with balanced proportions of summer and winter crops are an essential part of organic production systems. Thus, there is a need for varieties with potential under less intensive conditions. In a field trial, breeding progress among 7 European spring wheat varieties with different ages of approval (1949-2011) was investigated at two study sites in Germany and Russia. Newer varieties showed at both sites significant better yields (2 to 4 times higher) than the oldest one. Better lodging resistance as well as lower vulnerability to powdery mildew was observed at significant level for varieties released in the 2000er compared to 1949. Furthermore, individual yield-forming components like 1000-kernel weight, grains/ear and ears/m² were significantly higher among the newer than at the oldest variety. Overall, these results confirm breeding progress for the observed varieties over the entire period for their region of origin (Germany) and under other climatic conditions in Siberia, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]