Genotype by environment interaction and grain yield stability of early maturing bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes in the drought prone areas of Tigray region, northern Ethiopia

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Hintsa Gebru
Abraha Hailemariam
Tesfay Belay

Abstract

In an attempt to identify suitable bread wheat varieties for the Tigray Region of Northern
Ethiopia, six early type varieties namely HUW-468, HI-1418, DL-788-2, GW-273, local and
standard check were tested in six drought prone areas of Tigray Region. The study was
conducted in farmers’ fields using the mother-baby trial approach with an objective of
identifying high yielding with broadly and specifically adapted varieties for drought prone
areas of the Tigray region. Results of the analysis of variance for AMMI model showed
significant differences among the genotypes and locations, but were not significant for GxL
interaction. Similarly, the regression analysis showed that regression coefficients (b i ) of the
tested genotypes were not significantly different from unity. Based on deviation from linear
regression and over all mean grain yield, HUW-468 was the best performing genotype
yielding 2.375 t/ha. In a similar manner, the IPCA 1 (interaction principal component analysis)
for this variety had the lowest score (0.47), indicating its stability in all environments. Besides,
HI-1418 was also a good yielder in both relatively better locations like Illalla and Atsbi with
an annual rainfall of 433 and 411 mm, respectively and in less favored locations of Enderta
and Wukro with environmental mean yield of less than 1 t/ha. Although it is difficult to
conclude the adaptability and stability of the candidate varieties in one year trial, all of the
varieties showed a wide adaptation across the tested locations that indicated the change in
environment had negligible effect on their grain yield. The local and standard checks were
relatively sensitive to variation across locations. This indicate that these check varieties lack
wider adaptability even within the drought prone areas of the region and a higher yield is
expected, especially from the standard check in relatively better environments. Since the
varieties HUW-468, HI-1418 showed an excellent performance over the local and standard
checks, they can be recommended to moisture stressed wheat growing areas of Northern
Ethiopia.

Article Details

How to Cite
Gebru, H., Hailemariam, A., & Belay, T. (2011). Genotype by environment interaction and grain yield stability of early maturing bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes in the drought prone areas of Tigray region, northern Ethiopia. Ethiopian Journal of Applied Science and Technology, 2(1), 51-57. Retrieved from https://journals.ju.edu.et/index.php/ejast/article/view/822
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Articles
Author Biographies

Hintsa Gebru, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia

Mekelle Agricultural Research Center, P. O. Box 258, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia

Abraha Hailemariam, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia

Mekelle Agricultural Research Center, P. O. Box 258, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia

Tesfay Belay, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia

Tigray Agricultural Research Institute, P. O. Box 492, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia
*Corresponding author: E-mail: hagy516@yahoo.com
(Received in revised form: May 23, 2011)