Adaptability and Stability of Irrigated Barley Genotypes in the Cerrado of the Federal District

Abstract

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is a significant cereal globally, widely used in human and animal food. Furthermore, it has a strong influence on genotype-by-environment interactions, being considered a highly adaptable crop. This study aimed to estimate the parameters of adaptability and stability for 17 barley genotypes, compared with two controls (BRS 180 and BRS 195) grown under irrigation in the Cerrado. The experiments were conducted from 2017 to 2020, from May to September, in two different experimental areas of Embrapa in the Federal District, Brazil. Five traits were evaluated: 1. Esti mated grain yield (kg ha−1); 2. CL1—commercial classification of first grains (>2.5 mm) (%); 3. TGW—1000-grain weight (g); 4. plant height (cm); 5. cycle—days after emergence to earing (days). The data obtained were analyzed for normality and homogeneity of variance, subjected to individual and joint analysis of variance, with means compared by Tukey’s test at 5% significance and the adaptability and stability parameters estimated for the genotypes. The coefficients of environmental variation (CV%) were generally low, indicating good experimental precision. The PFC 2006053 and PFC 2006054 genotypes have broad adaptability and high stability for most traits and outperformed the controls and the overall experiment average.