Study of genotype × environment interaction on the morphological and chemical features of geranium (Pelargonium graveleons L'Her Ex Ait.)

Abstract

Geranium is a multi-harvest perennial plant in the Geraniaceae family grown for its sweet-scented herbs and essential oils. It is well-known for its imposing rose-like aroma. Geranium essential oil is commonly used in the soap, fragrance, and cosmetic industries to isolate rhodinol, an aromatic compound found in most high-grade perfumes. The current study evaluated a total of 5 geranium genotypes across three years, at two locations, to identify the superior and stable geranium genotypes. "The pooled ANOVA results showed substantial genotype × environment interactions for all the traits under study. The CIM-Bio 171 genotype had the highest essential oil production per plant (g) (X9), followed by Kelkar (rank II, 10.24), Algerian CIM-Pawan (rank III, 10.03), CIM-Pawan (rank IV, 7.63), and Bourbon (rank V, 7.24) g/plant. For the trait citronellol content (X10), the Algerian genotype ranked top (37.83%), followed by CIM-Pawan (rank II, 30.81%), CIM-Bio 171 (rank III, 28.33%), Bourbon (rank IV, 26.89%), and Kelkar (rank V, 12.58%). The Kelkar genotype ranked the highest (6.20%) in the trait 10-epi-γ-Eudesmol content (X16), followed by CIM-Pawan (rank II, 5.89%), Algerian (rank III, 4.56%), Bourbon (rank IV, 4.29%), and CIM-Bio 171 (rank V, 4.25%). The genotype CIM Bio 171 exhibited the highest mean value for essential oil yield, and cis-Rose oxide content (%). The following genotypes, such as CIM Bio 171, Algerian, and CIM Pawan, emerged as high-mean performers and exhibited stability across diverse environments. The genotype CIM Bio 171 is closer to the ideal genotype, followed by CIM Bio 171, Algerian, and CIM Pawan as the most desirable genotypes. Similarly, the year Y3 was determined to be the most desirable based on GGE-biplot environment evaluations at both locations. Therefore, CIM Bio 171 has been released for commercial cultivation because of its exceptional performance in essential oil yield and quality attributes across locations and years. Kew wordscis-Rose oxide; essential oil; environment ranking; GGE-biplot; genotype × environment interaction.