Adaptability and genotypic stability of Coffea arabica genotypes based on REML/BLUP analysis in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

Abstract

Biannuality in coffee culture causes temporal variability in plant productivity. Consequently, it is essential to evaluate genotypes during various crop years to ensure selection of productive and stable genotypes. We evaluated the effectiveness of simultaneous selection of coffee genotypes along harvests, based on productivity, stability, and adaptability, via mixed models, for indication of varieties suitable for Rio de Janeiro State. We evaluated 25 genotypes during 4 crop seasons (2009-2012), in a randomized block design with 5 replications. The ranking of genotypes was obtained on the basis of the adaptability and temporal stability methods (harmonic average of genetic values, relative performance of genetic values, and harmonic mean of the relative performance of the genetic values), obtained via restricted maximum likelihood/best linear unbiased procedure analysis. The selection accuracy (0.8717), associated with the high magnitude of mean heritability, indicate good reliability and prospects for success in the indication of agronomically superior genotypes. There was little variation in the ordering of genotypes among the environments, indicating low influence of harvests in the performance of the genotypes. Five of the 25 genotypes were superior and could be recommended for planting in the northwestern region of Rio de Janeiro State, due to high predicted productivity and stability. We recommend that these methodologies for evaluation of productivity, stability, and adaptability be included in the selection criteria for recommendation of genotypes for commercial plantings.