Stability and Yield Performance of Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Genotypes Across Diverse Environments Using AMMI and GGE Biplot Analysis

Abstract

In groundnut crop improvement, Genotype (G) × environment (E) interaction is very important for the evaluation of cultivars to identify highly stable, adaptable and location specific genotypes. Present study was conducted to assess the effect of environment on dry pod yield stability of nine genotypes (PGN 1, PGN 2, PGN 3, PGN C1, PGN C2, PGN C3, PGN C4, PGN C5 and PGN C6) of groundnut at three test environments i.e., Palem (E1), Jagtial (E2) and Thornala (E3). The additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) and genotype main effects and genotype by environment (GGE) biplot methods were used to analyse the data.  Analysis of variance indicated highly significant variation in genotypes, environments and genotype × environment interactions (G×E). Partitioning of the GxE interaction into interaction principal component axes (IPCA) showed that IPCA1 explained a major and significant portion of the GEI (85.8%). 100% of the variation in relation to genotype and genotype environment interaction was explained by the GGE biplot.  The AMMI2 biplot revealed that genotypes PGN 2 and PGN C2 are the most stable with minimal Genotype environment interaction (GEI), making them suitable for broad adaptation. Hence, the integration of mean performance and stability indices suggests that PGN C3 and PGN 2 are the most promising genotypes, offering high yield with acceptable stability. Meanwhile, PGN C2 was the most stable but relatively low yielding, making it more suitable for low-input or marginal environments. These stable lines can be used as parents in breeding programs.