Multi-Environment Evaluation of Bread Wheat Genotypes for Yield Stability in Ethiopia Using AMMI and GGE-Biplot Analyses

Ensuring the resilience and productivity of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) across diverse environments is essential for sustainable food production, particularly in the context of climate change. However, genotype-by-environment interaction (GEI) significantly influences the selection of high-yielding and stable wheat genotypes across diverse environments. This study evaluated 250 bread wheat genotypes, including 240 elite lines from the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and 10 released varieties in Ethiopia, across five environments during the 2022–2023 cropping season. The trials were conducted using an alpha lattice design with two replications, and agronomic traits, including grain yield, were analyzed using the Additive Main Effects and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI) and Genotype + Genotype-by-Environment (GGE) biplot models. The analysis of variance revealed significant effects of genotype, environment, and their interaction on all measured traits. Environmental factors contributed the largest portion of the total variance, particularly for grain yield and plant height. The study identified G-180 and G-242 as the most stable genotypes across environments, demonstrating consistent performance and low genotype × environment interaction in both AMMI and GGE analyses. G-232 and G-234 were more specific to certain environments and might perform optimally in those settings but are less stable across diverse environments. Additionally, the study highlighted the importance of selecting genotypes based on mean yield and stability for breeding programs. The findings provide valuable insights into breeding strategies for wheat improvement, emphasizing the need for multi-environment trials in selecting resilient and high-yielding genotypes suitable for diverse agroecological zones.