Parametric Stability Analysis of Malt Barley Genotypes for Grain Yield in Tigray, Ethiopia

Abstract

: An experiment was conducted using eight malt barley genotypes across eight environments with the objective of determining grain yield stability using parametric stability models. The trial was laid down in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications in the production year 2012-2013. The combined analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant differences (P<0.01) for genotype, environment and their genotype by environment interactions. The environment captured 72.71% of the variation. Strong rank correlation was observed between deviation from regression, Wricke’s ecovalence, Lin and Binns’s cultivar performance measure and additive main effect and multiplicative interaction effect stability value. The coefficient of variability and environmental variance were also strongly correlated. The interaction principal component one and two showed weak correlation with most of the parametric stability models. Mean grain yield was negatively correlated with environmental variance, Francis and Kannenberg’s coefficient of variability, Wricke’s Ecovalence, Lin and Binns’s cultivar performance measure and additive main effect and multiplicative interaction stability value. Grain yield was positively correlated with deviation from the regression. Generally using the parametric stability models the genotype Bekoji was ranked first with regard to the stability and mean grain yield followed by the genotype Frie Gebs. Using parametric stability model the environmental variance, Francis and Kannenberg’s coefficient of variability, Wricke’s Ecovalence, Lin and Binns’s cultivar performance measure, deviation from the regression and additive main effect and multiplicative interaction stability value the genotype Sabini was unstable coupled with low yield.