The objective of the present work was to study the adaptability and stability of single and double-crosses of maize originated from the same gene pool. Ten commercial single-crosses and all possible double-crosses, obtained from a complete diallel, were evaluated. Seeds of the double-crosses were obtained in an experimental area of the Biology Department at Universidade Federal de Lavras (DBI/UFLA). The experiments were conducted in 15 environments in the 2005/06 growing season, on farms and in experimental stations. The cultural practices were the ones normally used by farmers or experimental stations for maize. The entries were evaluated in randomized complete blocks design with three replications per environment. The trait under study was husked ears yield (kg ha-1), corrected to 13% of moisture content. Nonparametric statistics were used to study hybrids adaptability and stability. The contribution of each hybrid to the genotype-by-environment interaction and the deviation in relation to the maximum performance in each environment was determined. The double-crosses were on average more stable, although some single-crosses were as stable as the double-crosses.
Genotype by environment interaction; Nonparametric statistics; Zea mays L
