Evaluation of sugarcane genotypes (Saccharum sp. hybrid) for multi-trait stability analysis across diverse environments

Abstract

The current study evaluated a total of 21 sugarcane genotypes across 27 diverse environments, including nine locations over three cropping seasons, to identify the superior and stable sugarcane genotypes. The pooled ANOVA results showed substantial genotype-environment interactions among the 21 genotypes under study. The genotype Co 11015 exhibited the highest mean value for CCS yield, CCS percentage, and sucrose percentage. With the help of GGE analysis and biplots, both stable genotypes as well as mega environments were identified. The following genotypes such as Co 13014, Co 11015, Co 13018 and Co 14016 emerged as the high-mean performers and exhibited stability across diverse environments. The outcomes from ‘which-won-where’ patterns suggested the existence of different mega environments which are classified as ME1, ME2, and ME3. When the genotypes were ranked, it revealed that Co 14016 is closer to the ideal genotype, followed by Co 13014, Co 11015, and Co 13018 as the most desirable genotypes. Similarly, the environments E8, E25, and E26 were identified as the most desirable ones, based on GGE biplot environment rankings. The Multi-Trait Stability Index (MTSI) values highlighted the following genotypes such as Co 13018, Co 13003, and Co 11015 as stable ones with high performance across the traits and environments. The MGIDI (Multi-trait Genotype Ideotype Distance Index) values inferred that Co 11015, Co 15007, and Co 13018 are the superior genotypes. Consequently, Co 11015 was released for commercial cultivation based on its stability and superior performance for biomass yield and quality traits across the locations and environments.