Identifying superior feed barley genotypes using GGE biplot for diverse environments in India

Abstract

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is an important feed purpose cereal grown under diverse production conditions and harsh environments. The present investigation was carried out to study performance of advanced breeding lines and identify superior genotypes of feed barley using multienvironment trial data from All India Coordinated Wheat and Barley Improvement Programme (AICW&BIP). Ninety three experimental genotypes and five released cultivars were tested across eleven locations during four years. Grain yield and other agronomic traits were analyzed. Stability and genotype superiority for grain yield and other traits were determined using genotype and genotype × environment (GGE) biplot analysis. The result showed that environment and genotype contributed 32.9 to 67.4% and 4.7 to 20.4% of the total variation, respectively. The genotype × environment interaction contributed 27 to 44% of total variation. The experimental genotypes showed arrays of variation for grain yield in each year, with mean values ranging from 2.12 to 5.36 t/ha. Twelve experimental genotypes were identified, which were either superior or equal performance to the best check based on their high yield and stability across environments. The locations Varanasi, Kanpur, Vijapur and Durgapura discriminated the genotypes more than other sites for grain yield and agronomic traits. The findings provided valuable information on wide adaptation of feed barley genotypes, which could be useful for barley improvement programmes.