Genotypes Performance in Relation to Drought Tolerance in Barley Using Multi-Environment Trials

The selection of stable and superior genotypes, with the aim of improving grain yield in breeding programs, requires the evaluation of genotypes under different environments. In this study, the yields of 10 barley genotypes were evaluated in eight different environments using a graphical method (GGE biplot). These experiments were conducted from 2011 to 2015. There were irrigated and rain-fed conditions, as a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Results indicated that the two components of PC1 and PC2 explained 62.9% and 14.9% of the total variation observed in the yield, respectively. Genotypes with a positive value for PC1 (i.e., PC1 > 0) had the adaptable and the highest performance, whereas genotypes with a negative value for the first component (i.e., PC1 < 0) were non-adaptable and had the lowest performance. Likewise, among the genotypes, some had their second component scores near zero, and they exhibited the greatest stability compared to other genotypes. Specifically, genotype 3 had the highest grain yield and stability, while genotypes 2 and 8 showed relatively high yields.