Relative Discriminatory Ability of AMMI and GGE Biplot in Analysis of GxE Interaction for Yield and Seed Index in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Abstract

Background: The research focused on investigating the impact of genotype-environment interaction on the yield stability and performance of eight chickpea genotypes across three different locations (Bhatapara, Kawardha and Raipur). Method: The study employed a randomized block design with two replications in each environment in Rabi season during 2021-22. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant variations between environments and genotype-environment interaction (G x E) based on AMMI and GGE biplot. Results: To visualize the genotype-environment relationship, a two-dimensional GGE biplot was created using the first two principal components, which accounted for 87.8% and 11.5% of the interaction’s variation. The GGE biplot indicated that genotype g4 (ICCX 161100-B-B-B-B) in environment e2 (Kawardha) and g8 (JG-24) in environment e1 (Bhatapara) exhibited high yield. Genotype g3 (ICCV 201112) in environment e3 (Raipur) also showed high yield, while genotype g5 (JG 2020-10) demonstrated stability across all three environments. Furthermore, the AMMI analysis identified genotype g2 (ICCV 201103) as a superior performer in terms of yield stability across environments. By employing the GGE biplot and AMMI analysis, the study categorized the genotypes into three groups, facilitating simplified visual evaluations. The GGE biplot highlighted that genotype g8 (JG-24) exhibited better seed index in environment e3 (Raipur), while genotype g1 (ICCV 201210) performed well in environment e1 (Bhatapara). Genotype g2 (ICCV 201103) demonstrated a good seed index in all three environments. The AMMI analysis indicated that genotype g3 (ICCV 201112) had a slightly lower seed index but maintained stability across all environments. Overall, the findings of this investigation, as represented by the GGE and AMMI biplots, visually illustrated the relationship between genotypes and environments. The identified genotypes hold potential for improving yield production and further research and breeding efforts can be based on these findings.