Abstract
Aim:
To assess genotypes with ability to sustain yields under arid region and to
understand the significance of interactive effects of genotype × environment
to develop resilient cultivars for rainfed farming.
Methodology: Performances of 12 pearl millet varieties and hybrids
released for commercial cultivation in India, were estimated using RBD with
three replications during rainy seasons of 2018, 2019 and 2020. The trials
were conducted at the Agricultural Research Station, ANGRAU, Ananthapuramu,
located in the Scarce Rainfall Zone of Andhra Pradesh, India, with an average
annual rainfall of nearly 553 mm and 300 mm to 400 mm during rainy season.
Results:
The environment and genotype effects were highly significant in the Additive
Main Effect and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI) model, implying that
environments are varied and genotypes performed differently in each
environment offering a great scope for selecting better adaptive genotypes.
Apart from moisture stress, the amount of rainfall received during both the
anthesis and grain maturation stages were influenced grain yield through
plant height, 1000-grain weight and dry fodder yield. Environment 3 was the
best discriminating environment and the hybrids Pratap, 86M86 and NBH 5767
had outperformed the popular open pollinated varieties in ideal conditions.
Interpretation: In terms of grain
yield,Pusa Comp. 612 and Pratap have proved to be reliable and had a mean
higher than the general mean over environments. As a result, Pusa Comp. 612
and Pratap are suggested for large-scale assessment in a wide range of
locations in rainfed situations of arid regions.
Key words: GT-biplot, Grain
yield, Pearl millet, Stability, Trait associations
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