ABSTRACT
Nitrogen is essential for sustaining life on the planet, and it is the most important nutrient for obtaining high agricultural production. However, their use leads to the release of nitrous oxide with a global warming potential 296 times higher than the CO2 molecule, making it a challenge to reduce their use in agriculture. The objective of this research was to identify efficient popcorn inbred lines and responsive nitrogen use and exhibit a good expansion volume. For this, 29 inbred lines from the Germplasm Collection of Darcy Ribeiro North Fluminense State University (UENF) were evaluated at two contrasting levels of nitrogen availability (low and ideal) at two representative locations in the north and northwest of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, arranged in a randomized block design with three replicates. These inbred lines were discriminated against efficient use of nitrogen by multivariate GGE Biplot. Selective accuracy was close to 1, showing that the genotypes were enough to provide contrasting success in selection procedures. The first two main components (PC) retained 93.82% of the total variation, and PC1 furnished an information ratio (IR) that was unaffected by noise. L77 was the most unstable line, while P7, P2, P6, P3, P5, P4, P9, P10, P8, P9, L70, L74, and L55 were efficient and responsive. The GGE biplot method is recommended for the reliable identification of popcorn lines that are efficient and responsive to the use of nitrogen.
Index terms:
Zea mays; multivariate analysis; abiotic stress; G x E interaction.