Genotype × Environment Interaction of Elite Mulberry Genotypes in Different Seasons for Vegetative and Fruit Traits

Abstract

An investigation was undertaken to study the Genotype × Environment interaction of elite mulberry genotypes across different seasons at Department of Sericulture, UAS, GKVK, Bengaluru during 2023-24. Analysis of variance revealed that significant differences among mulberry genotypes for traits such as number of leaves per plant at 30 DAP, leaf yield per plant, complete flowering duration, inflorescence length, number of fruits per plant, fruit weight, fruit width and fruit yield per plant across three seasons. Similarly, environmental variance was significant for all characteristics except for the number of days required for fruit formation. Significant G × E interaction variance was observed for most of the traits across the three seasons, with the exception of internodal distance at 60 DAP, number of branches per plant at 30 and 60 DAP, single leaf area (cm²) at 30 DAP, total shoot length at 60 DAP, number of days to first flower initiation, inflorescence breadth, fruit length, fruit width and fruit weight. Therefore, both genotype and environment significantly influence most mulberry traits, with notable G × E interactions indicating that trait expression varies across environments.