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Adaptability and stability of corn hybrids for the south of the Amazon biome via GGE biplot

Adaptabilidade e estabilidade de híbridos de milho para o sul do bioma Amazônia via GGE biplot

Abstract

The objective of this work was to select maize hybrids using the GGE biplot analysis, as well as to evaluate their stability and adaptability in different environments of the North and Midwest regions of Brazil. Thirty-six maize hybrids were evaluated in 2018, in the following five environments in the Northern and Midwestern regions, respectively: in the municipality of Vilhena, in the state of Rondônia; and in the municipalities of Sorriso, Sinop, Alta Floresta, and Carlinda, in the Northern region of the state of Mato Grosso. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design. The analysis of variance was performed, and adaptability and stability were estimated by the GGE biplot method based on grain yield performance. A significant interaction between genotypes and environments was detected, and the biplot analysis was efficient in explaining 62.74% of the total variation in the first two principal components, with the formation of three macroenvironments. The 1P2227, 'BRS 3042', and 1P2265 hybrids showed high yield, responsiveness, and stability in the evaluated environments. The DKB310VTPRO2 hybrid was the most unstable genotype. The recommended hybrids are: DKB310 for the Sorriso and Vilhena macroenvironment; 1M1810 and 1O2106 for the Carlinda environment; and 1M1807 for the Sinop environment.

Index terms:
Zea mays ; G×E interaction; multivariate analysis; multienvironments

Resumo

O objetivo deste trabalho foi selecionar híbridos de milho, por meio da análise GGE biplot, bem como avaliar sua estabilidade e adaptabilidade em diferentes ambientes das regiões Centro-Oeste e Norte do Brasil. Trinta e seis híbridos de milho foram avaliados em 2018, nos seguintes cinco ambientes das regiões Norte e Centro-Oeste, respectivamente: no município de Vilhena, no estado de Rondônia; e nos municípios de Sorriso, Sinop, Alta Floresta e Carlinda, na região norte do estado de Mato Grosso. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos completos ao acaso. Realizou-se a análise de variância, e estimaramse a adaptabilidade e a estabilidade pelo método GGE biplot com base na produtividade. Detectou-se interação significativa entre genótipos e ambientes, e a análise biplot foi eficiente para explicar 62,74% da variação total nos dois primeiros componentes principais, com a formação de três macroambientes. Os híbridos 1P2227, 'BRS 3042' e 1P2265 apresentam alta produtividade, capacidade de resposta e estabilidade nos ambientes avaliados. O híbrido DKB310VTPRO2 foi o genótipo mais instável. Os híbridos recomendados são: DKB310 para o macroambiente Sorriso e Vilhena; 1M1810 e 1O2106 para o ambiente Carlinda; e 1M1807 para o ambiente Sinop.

Termos para indexação:
Zea mays ; interação G×E; análise multivariada; multiambientes

Introduction

Corn is one of the most important and cultivated cereals in the world, ranking third after wheat and rice. In the 2020 season, the total area for corn production worldwide was approximately 200 million hectares with a total production of 1.1 billion tonnes (FAO, 2022FAO. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Faostat: statistical data. Available at: <http://www.fao.org/faostat>. Accessed on: Aug. 1 2022.
http://www.fao.org/faostat...
). Currently, Brazil is the third largest corn producer in the world, with a production of about 102 million tonnes in approximately 18 million hectares, in the 2020/2021 season (Anuário..., 2019ANUÁRIO BRASILEIRO DO MILHO 2020. Santa Cruz do Sul: Editora Gazeta Santa Cruz, 2019.).

In the state of Mato Grosso, areas located mainly in the north region show a great potential for grain production, where corn yield has been gradually increasing (Pereira et al., 2020PEREIRA, S.C.; ZANETTI, V.H.; WIEST, G.; SCHOFFEN, M.E.; FIORINI, I.V.A. Desempenho produtivo de híbridos de milho na segunda safra no norte de Mato Grosso. Tecno-Lógica, v.24, p.160-165, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17058/tecnolog.v24i2.14713.
https://doi.org/10.17058/tecnolog.v24i2....
). Therefore, it becomes essential to develop research activities aiming at the regional evaluation of cultivars for the selection of adapted materials with desirable agronomic and productive characteristics for a specific region.

The major challenge in the recommendation of cultivars is the different behavior of genotypes between locations, due to the genotype × environment (G×E) interaction, especially for quantitative traits such as grain yield. Quantitative traits and economic interests such as grain yield are most influenced by G×E interaction (Mohammadi et al., 2020MOHAMMADI, M.; XAVIER, A.; BECKETT, T.; BEYER, S.; CHEN, L.; CHIKSSA, H.; CROSS, V.; MOREIRA, F.F.; FRENCH, E.; GAIRE, R.; GRIEBEL, S.; LOPEZ, M.A.; PRATHER, S.; RUSSELL, B.; WANG, W. Identification, deployment, and transferability of quantitative trait loci from genome-wide association studies in plants. Current Plant Biology, v.24, art.100145, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpb.2020.100145.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpb.2020.10014...
). Therefore, from a plant breeding perspective, identifying superior genotypes for different conditions is a complex task. Thus, it is extremely important to know the nature of these interactions because this phenomenon makes it difficult to recommend varieties adapted to specific environments, as several studies on corn for Brazilian regions have addressed (Cargnelutti Filho & Guadagnin, 2018CARGNELUTTI FILHO, A.; GUADAGNIN, J.P. Number of experiments for adaptability and stability analysis in maize by Lin and Binns method. Ciência Rural, v.48, e20170130, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-8478cr20170130.
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; Oliveira et al., 2019OLIVEIRA, T.R.A. de; CARVALHO, H.W.L. de; OLIVEIRA, G.H.F.; COSTA, E.F.N.; GRAVINA, G. de A.; SANTOS, R.D. dos; CARVALHO FILHO, J.L.S de. Hybrid maize selection through GGE biplot analysis. Bragantia, v.78, p.166-174, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-4499.20170438.
https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-4499.201704...
, 2020OLIVEIRA, T.R.A.; CARVALHO, H.W.L.; NASCIMENTO, M.; COSTA, E.F.N.; OLIVEIRA, G.H.F.; GRAVINA, G.A.; AMARAL JUNIOR, A.T.; CARVALHO FILHO, J.L.S. Adaptability and stability evaluation of maize hybrids using Bayesian segmented regression models. PLoS ONE, v.15, e0236571, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236571.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.023...
; Ceccon et al., 2021CECCON, F.; DAVIDE, L.M.C.; GONÇALVES, M.C.; SANTOS, A. dos; LOURENTE, E.P.R. GGE-biplot of multivariate index to select maize progenies for efficient association with Azospirillum brasiliense. Revista Caatinga, v.34, p.739-751, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-21252021v34n401rc.
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; Shojaei et al., 2022SHOJAEI, S.H.; MOSTAFAVI, K.; BIHAMTA, M.R.; OMRANI, A.; MOUSAVI, S.M.N.; ILLÉS, Á.; BOJTOR, C.; NAGY, J. Stability on maize hybrids based on GGE biplot graphical technique. Agronomy, v.12, p.1-10, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12020394.
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).

Traditional analyses of the G×E interaction based on regression analysis – such as the method of Eberhart & Russell (1966)EBERHART, S.A.; RUSSELL, W.A. Stability parameters for comparing varieties. Crop Science, v.6, p.36-40, 1966. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci1966.0011183X000600010011x.
https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci1966.0011...
– are widely used for corn evaluations (Faria et al., 2017FARIA, S.V.; LUZ, L.S.; RODRIGUES, M.C.; CARNEIRO, J.E. de S.; CARNEIRO, P.C.S.; DELIMA, R.O. Adaptability and stability in commercial maize hybrids in the southeast of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Revista Ciência Agronômica, v.48, p.347-357, 2017 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5935/1806-6690.20170040.
https://doi.org/10.5935/1806-6690.201700...
; Eckardt et al., 2022ECKARDT, M.; CARDOSO, I.R.M.; SILVA, N.A. da; ABREU, Y.V. de; AFFÉRRI, F.S.; PELUZIO, J.M. Adaptability, stability and environmental stratification of genetically and nongenetically modified corn in the Cerrado. Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental, v.26, p.75-81, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v26n1p75-81.
https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-1929/agriam...
); however, these analyses have the disadvantage that the mean values of the environments and the mean values of the genotypes are not independent (Aarthi et al., 2020AARTHI, S.; SURESH, J.; LEELA, N.K.; PRASATH, D. Multi environment testing reveals genotype-environment interaction for curcuminoids in turmeric (Curcuma longa L.). Industrial Crops and Products, v.145, art.112090, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/jindcrop.2020.112090.
https://doi.org/10.1016/jindcrop.2020.11...
). Therefore, the multivariate analysis is a more appropriate model, when there are a sufficient number of environments (Yan et al., 2019YAN, W.; FRÉGEAU-REID, J.; MOUNTAIN, N.; KOBLER, J. Genotype and management evaluation based on genotype by yield*trait (GYT) analysis. Crop Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, v.1, e190002, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20900/cbgg20190002.
https://doi.org/10.20900/cbgg20190002....
).

In this sense, the GGE biplot analysis is another useful tool in the plant breeding for the evaluation of genotypes in different environments, and it has been used in stability and adaptability studies on corn (Pagliosa et al., 2015PAGLIOSA, E.S.; CARPENTIERI-PÍPOLO, V.; ZUCARELI, C.; ZAGO, V.S. Análise GGE biplot de genótipos de milho sob diferentes formas de adubação em sistema de agricultura familiar. Semina: Ciências Agrárias, v.36, p.2965-2975, 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2015v36n5p2965.
https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2015v3...
; Kaplan et al., 2017KAPLAN, M.; KOKTEN, K; AKCURA, M. Assessment of genotype × trait × environment interactions of silage maize genotypes through GGE Biplot. Chilean Journal of Agricultural Research, v.77, p.212-217, 2017 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-58392017000300212.
https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-5839201700...
; Oliveira et al., 2019OLIVEIRA, T.R.A. de; CARVALHO, H.W.L. de; OLIVEIRA, G.H.F.; COSTA, E.F.N.; GRAVINA, G. de A.; SANTOS, R.D. dos; CARVALHO FILHO, J.L.S de. Hybrid maize selection through GGE biplot analysis. Bragantia, v.78, p.166-174, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-4499.20170438.
https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-4499.201704...
; Božović et al., 2020BOŽOVIĆ, D.; POPOVIĆ, V.; RAJIČIĆ, V.; KOSTIĆ, M.; FILIPOVIĆ, V.; KOLARIĆ, L.; UGRENOVIĆ, V.; SPALEVIĆ, V. Stability of the expression of the maize productivity parameters by AMMI models and GGE-biplot analysis. Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, v.48, p.1387-1397, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15835/nbha48312058.
https://doi.org/10.15835/nbha48312058....
; Santos et al., 2021SANTOS, T. de O.; AMARAL JUNIOR, A.T. do; BISPO, R.B.; LIMA, V.J. de; KAMPHORST, S.H.; LEITE, J.T.; SANTOS JÚNIOR, D.R. dos; SANTOS, P.H.A.D.; OLIVEIRA, U.A. de; SCHMITT, K.F.M.; CAMPOSTRINI, E.; MOULIN, M.M.; VIANA, A.P.; GRAVINA, G. de A.; CORRÊA, C.C.G.; GONÇALVES, G.M.B. Phenotyping Latin American open-pollinated varieties of popcorn for environments with low water availability. Plants, v.10, art.1211, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10061211.
https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10061211....
).

The objective of this work was to select maize hybrids using the GGE biplot analysis, as well as to evaluate their stability and adaptability in different environments of the North and Midwest regions of Brazil.

Materials and Methods

Thirty-six corn hybrids were evaluated, including 32 experimental hybrids developed by the plant breeding program of Embrapa Milho e Sorgo and four control cultivars – two commercial ones (DKB310 VTPRO2, and DKB390 VTPRO2) developed by Dekalb (Bayer, São Paulo, SP, Brazil), and two developed by Embrapa (the three-way cross 'BRS 3042', and the single cross hybrid IF640). The 32 evaluated hybrids are part of a cultivation and use value (VCU) test promoted by the Embrapa Milho e Sorgo, in 2017/2018 cropping season (Table 1).

Table 1
Description of the 36 corn (Zea mays) hybrids evaluated in five environments, in the north of Mato Grosso state and in the southeast of Rondônia state, Brazil.

The experiments were carried out in 2017/2018 – in the spring-summer crop season, and in the fall-winter off-season – at five sites, in the northern region of Mato Grosso (MT) state, in the municipalities of Sorriso, Sinop, Alta Floresta, and Carlinda, and at one site in Rondônia (RO) state, in the municipality of Vilhena (Table 2).

Table 2
Identification of the experimental cultivation sites of corn (Zea mays), cropping season, geographic location, climate, average temperature, precipitation, and altitude.

A randomized complete block experimental design was carried out with two replicates. The experimental plots consisted of two 4 m long rows spaced at 0.7 m apart. Twenty seed were sown per row 0.20 m spacing between plants.

Two fertilizations were applied, one of which was a basal fertilization at the time of sowing, as follows: 500 kg ha-1 of 08-28-16 N-P-K formula (40 kg ha-1 N, 140 kg ha-1 P2O5, and 80 kg ha-1 K2O); and two post-fertilizations with 350 kg ha-1 of 20-00-20 N-P-K formula (70 kg ha-1 N and 70 kg ha-1 K2O), and 200 kg ha-1 urea (90 kg ha-1 N) applied 20 and 30 days after sowing, respectively. There was no irrigation, and the crop needs in each region determined the control of weeds and pests.

The grain yield was determined by weighing the harvested grains from each plot. Data were subjected to a stand correction by analysis of covariance with correction for ideal stand (Schmildt et al., 2001SCHMILDT, E.R.; CRUZ, C.D.; ZANUNCIO, J.C.; PEREIRA, P.R.G.; FERRÃO, R.G. Avaliação de métodos de correção do estande para estimar a produtividade em milho. Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira, v.36, p.1011-1018, 2001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0100-204X2001000800002.
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0100-204X200100...
) corrected to 13% moisture, and converted to kilograms per hectare.

For each environment, an individual analysis of variance was performed to test the homogeneity of variances – the ratio between the highest and lowest mean squares of the residue (MSR) –, using the following model: Yij=μ+gi+bj+εij , in which: Yij is the observed value of the ith genotype evaluated in the jth block; μ is the general constant; gi is the fixed effect of the ith genotype (i = 1, 2, ..., 36); bj is the random effect of the jth block (j = 1, 6); and ɛij is the random error associated with the observation Yij.

A joint analysis of variance was then performed to test for the presence and significance of the G×A interaction, according to the following statistical B model: Yijk=μ+gi+(b/a)jk+aj+gaij+εijk , in which: Yijk is the observed grain yield of the ith genotype grown in the kth block of the jth environment; μ is the overall mean; gi is the fixed effect of the ith genotype (i = 1, 2, ..., 36); (b/a)jk is the random effect of block k in environment j; aj is the random effect of environment j; gaij is the random effect of interaction between genotype i and environment j; and ɛijk is the experimental error associated with observation Yijk.

The information from the averages of the genotypes in the environments were used to implement the GGE biplot analysis. The following model was considered: γ¯ijμ=Gi+Ej+GEij , in which: γ¯ij is the phenotypic mean of genotype i in environment j; μ is the general constant; Gi is the random effect of genotype i; Ej is the random effect of environment j; and GEij is the random effect of the interaction between genotype i and environment j (Yan, 2001YAN, W. GGEbiplot-A Windows application for graphical analysis of multienvironment trial data and other types of two-way data. Agronomy Journal, v.93, p.1111-1118, 2001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2001.9351111x.
https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2001.93511...
).

The GGE biplot model does not dissociate the genotype effect (G) from the genotype × environments (GE) effect. It holds G and GE together in two multiplicative terms, using the following model: Yijμβj=gi1ej1+gi2ej2+εij , in which: Yij is the expected performance of genotype i in the environment j; μ is the general constant of the observations; βj is the main effect of the environment j; gi1 and ej1 are the scores of the ith genotype in the jth environment, respectively; and εij is the unexplained error of the two effects.

The graphs of the GGE model were generated through the simple dispersion of gi1 and gi2 to access the genotypes; ej1 and ej2 to evaluate the environments, based on the singular value decomposition (SDV), in accordance with the following model: Yijμβj=λ1ζi1τ1j+λ2ζi2τ2j+εij , in which: λ1 and λ2 are the highest values of the first and second principal components (PC1 and PC2, respectively); ζi1 and ζi2 are the eigenvectors of the ith genotype of PC1 and PC2, respectively; and τ1j and τ2j are the eigenvectors of the jth environment of PC1 and PC2, respectively (Yan, 2001YAN, W. GGEbiplot-A Windows application for graphical analysis of multienvironment trial data and other types of two-way data. Agronomy Journal, v.93, p.1111-1118, 2001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2001.9351111x.
https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2001.93511...
). To perform the GGE biplot analysis, the R Studio software (R Core Team, 2021R CORE TEAM. R: a language and environment for statistical computing. Vienna: R Foundation for Statistical Computing, 2021. Available at: <http://www.r-project.org/>. Accessed on: Mar. 30 2022.
http://www.r-project.org/...
) and the GGE biplot GUI package (Yan, 2001YAN, W. GGEbiplot-A Windows application for graphical analysis of multienvironment trial data and other types of two-way data. Agronomy Journal, v.93, p.1111-1118, 2001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2001.9351111x.
https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2001.93511...
) were used.

Results and Discussion

The experimental precision was adequate, since the coefficient of variation value was below the limits defined for experiments with corn (Fritsche-Neto et al., 2012FRITSCHE-NETO, R.; VIEIRA, R.A.; SCAPIM, C.A.; MIRANDA, G.V.; REZENDE, L.M. Updating the ranking of the coefficients of variation from maize experiments. Acta Scientiarum Agronomy, v.34, p.99-101, 2012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4025/actasciagron.v34i1.13115.
https://doi.org/10.4025/actasciagron.v34...
) (Table 3).

Table 3
Analysis of variance of the grain yield of 36 corn (Zea mays) hybrids evaluated in five locations, in the North and Midwest regions of Brazil, in the 2017 crop year.

The genotypes showed different behaviors in the studied environments with significant GEI (Table 3), due to the environmental characteristics of each site (Table 2). In this sense, the classification of each cultivar may change depending on the environment (Oliveira et al., 2019OLIVEIRA, T.R.A. de; CARVALHO, H.W.L. de; OLIVEIRA, G.H.F.; COSTA, E.F.N.; GRAVINA, G. de A.; SANTOS, R.D. dos; CARVALHO FILHO, J.L.S de. Hybrid maize selection through GGE biplot analysis. Bragantia, v.78, p.166-174, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-4499.20170438.
https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-4499.201704...
; Ceccon et al., 2021CECCON, F.; DAVIDE, L.M.C.; GONÇALVES, M.C.; SANTOS, A. dos; LOURENTE, E.P.R. GGE-biplot of multivariate index to select maize progenies for efficient association with Azospirillum brasiliense. Revista Caatinga, v.34, p.739-751, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-21252021v34n401rc.
https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-21252021v34...
).

The first two principal components (PCs) of the biplot analysis applied to genotypes × environments explained 62.74% of the total variation (Figure 1). To obtain a reliable analysis of the results, it is necessary that the graphs of the biplot analysis explain most of the sums of squares and GEI among genotypes (Yan et al., 2007YAN, W.; KANG, M.S.; MA, B.; WOODS, S.; CORNELIUS, P.L. GGE biplot vs. AMMI analysis of genotype-by-environment data. Crop Science, v.47, p.643-653, 2007. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2006.06.0374.
https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2006.06.0...
). Therefore, it is possible to make a reliable selection of genotypes for the most stable environments.

Figure 1
A “which-won-where” view of the genotypic main effects and genotype × environment interaction (GGE) biplot of 36 corn (Zea mays) genotypes for the grain yield trait in five environments.

In the “which-won-where biplot”, a set of perpendicular lines divide the plot into several groups. As to productive performance, genotypes that are further away from the center of origin and that form the vertex of the polygon are more responsive to stimuli from the environments, thus, they can be classified as those that present the best performance for one or more environments (Yihunie & Gesesse, 2018YIHUNIE T.A; GESESSE, C.A. GGE biplot analysis of genotype by environment interaction in field pea (Pisum sativum L.) genotypes in Northwestern Ethiopia. Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology, v.21, p.67-74, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12892-017-0099-0.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12892-017-0099-...
) and can be used to form possible macroenvironments (Santos et al., 2017SANTOS, A. dos; AMARAL JÚNIOR, A.T. do; KUROSAWA, R. do N.F.; GERHARDT, I.F.S.; FRITSCHE NETO, R. GGE Biplot projection in discriminating the efficiency of popcorn lines to use nitrogen. Ciência e Agrotecnologia, v.41, p.22-31, 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-70542017411030816.
https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-70542017411...
; Oliveira et al., 2019OLIVEIRA, T.R.A. de; CARVALHO, H.W.L. de; OLIVEIRA, G.H.F.; COSTA, E.F.N.; GRAVINA, G. de A.; SANTOS, R.D. dos; CARVALHO FILHO, J.L.S de. Hybrid maize selection through GGE biplot analysis. Bragantia, v.78, p.166-174, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-4499.20170438.
https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-4499.201704...
). In contrast, genotypes located within the polygon are those with the lowest average performance for the studied characteristics.

In this sense, the genotypes 10 (DKB310 VTPRO2), 3 (1M1810), 8 (102106), and 4 (1M1807) represent the vertices of the polygon in which the environments are contained. Thus, they were used to identify at least three macroenvironments. The first one was composed by Sorriso and Vilhena with genotype 10 (DKB310 VTPRO2) at the vertex of the polygon and with better yield performance in the environments within this macroenvironment; the second consisted of Carlinda with two genotypes at the vertex of the polygon – hybrids 3 (1M1810) and 8 (102106) –, that achieved a higher average grain yield; and the third was composed by Sinop with genotype 4 (1M1807) forming the vertex of the polygon. However, the genotypes 7 (1O2034), 15 (1P2227), 26 (1P2188), and 32 (1P2247), at the vertices of polygons, did not group in any of the studied environments and were not considered responsive to any of these environments. These results corroborate those by Oliveira et al. (2019)OLIVEIRA, T.R.A. de; CARVALHO, H.W.L. de; OLIVEIRA, G.H.F.; COSTA, E.F.N.; GRAVINA, G. de A.; SANTOS, R.D. dos; CARVALHO FILHO, J.L.S de. Hybrid maize selection through GGE biplot analysis. Bragantia, v.78, p.166-174, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-4499.20170438.
https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-4499.201704...
, with 25 corn cultivars in North of Brazil, where the biplot delimited three sectors (macroenvironment). It is important to highlight that, even though Alta Floresta formed a group in the biplot, no genotype constituted its vertex, indicating that there was no responsive hybrid to the stimulus of this environment.

From these results, it is possible to affirm that these genotypes are highly productive and excellent alternatives for the regional agriculture, ensuring their recommendations for the different corn production systems practiced in the Midwest of Brazil, especially in systems where modern production technologies are adopted.

The visualization of the biplot means × stability of the GGE biplot is an effective tool for the evaluation of genotypes regarding their grain yield and stability. In Figure 2, the abscissa axis with a small circle that represents the environment-mean axis is defined based on the average coordinates of all environments in the biplot. The arrow on the line that passes through the origin of the biplot and the mean-environment points to a higher average performance of the genotypes. Therefore, genotypes located to the right of the arrow have higher values than the general average of grain yield in the evaluated environments and those to the left of the arrow have lower values (Li et al., 2018LI, Z.; COFFEY, L.; GARFIN, J.; MILLER, N.D.; WHITE, M.R.; SPALDING, E.P.; LEON, N. de; KAEPPLER, S.M.; SCHNABLE, P.S.; SPRINGER, N.M.; HIRSCH, C.N. Genotype-by-environment interactions affecting heterosis in maize. PLoS ONE, v.13, e0191321, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0191321.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.019...
). The stability of the genotypes can be observed through the arrangement in the graph and, in this case, the smaller the projection of the dashed line of a given genotype, the closer it goes to the center of the biplot, showing a greater stability for the evaluated characteristic (Yan, 2001YAN, W. GGEbiplot-A Windows application for graphical analysis of multienvironment trial data and other types of two-way data. Agronomy Journal, v.93, p.1111-1118, 2001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2001.9351111x.
https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2001.93511...
; Yan et al., 2007YAN, W.; KANG, M.S.; MA, B.; WOODS, S.; CORNELIUS, P.L. GGE biplot vs. AMMI analysis of genotype-by-environment data. Crop Science, v.47, p.643-653, 2007. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2006.06.0374.
https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2006.06.0...
).

Figure 2
The “mean × stability” of the genotypic main effects plus genotype × environment interaction (GGE) biplot view of 36 corn (Zea mays) genotypes for the grain yield trait in five environments.

Based on the previous description, the genotypes 27 (1P2212), 12 (1O2008), 34 (1P2231), 5 (1M1782), 4 (1M1807), 20 (1P2237), 1 (1L1411), 6 (1N1958), 36 (1P2215), 30 (1P2255), 19 (1P2193), 10 (DKB310 VTPRO2), 23 (1P2184), 22 (BRS3042), 31 (1P2265), 15 (1P2227), and 7 (1O2034) had the highest grain stability and performance and are characterized as the best genotypes. Furthermore, the genotype 10 (DKB310 VTPRO2) was the most unstable genotype due to its distance from the horizontal line, while the genotypes 11 (1O2073), 9 (1O2112), 2 (1M1804), 13 (1O2018), 16 (1N1906 ), 21 (1P2203), 33 (1F640), 18 (DKB390VTPRO2), 28 (1P2273), 29 (1M1752), 35 (1P2267), 17 (1P2216), 25 (1P2214), 8 (1O2106), 26 (1P2188 ), 14 (1P2224), 3 (1M1810), 24 (1P2175), and 32 (1P2247) had the lowest grain performance and were characterized as undesirable. These results are relevant and corroborate with the findings by Shojaei et al. (2022)SHOJAEI, S.H.; MOSTAFAVI, K.; BIHAMTA, M.R.; OMRANI, A.; MOUSAVI, S.M.N.; ILLÉS, Á.; BOJTOR, C.; NAGY, J. Stability on maize hybrids based on GGE biplot graphical technique. Agronomy, v.12, p.1-10, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12020394.
https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12020394...
for 12 corn hybrids evaluated in four environments in Iran, evidencing that these studies should be carried out continuously, to provide information on new genotypes which can be increasingly productive and with high stability, in order to make them available to farmers in the Midwest and North regions of Brazil.

The ideal hybrid is the genotype with the best average performance and stability in all tested environments (Kendal et al., 2019KENDAL, E.; TEKDAL, S.; KARAMAN, M. Proficiency of biplot methods (AMMI and GGE) in the appraisal of triticale genotypes in multiple environments. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research,v.17, p.5995-6007, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15666/aeer/1703_59956007.
https://doi.org/10.15666/aeer/1703_59956...
). In this sense, an ideotype has high average performance and high stability. As this ideotype is only symbolic, it serves as a reference to compare the other genotypes. Therefore, based on the GGE biplot genotype ranking plot (Figure 3), the ideotype should have a long vector and low G × E interaction (arrow inside the smaller circle in the graph area). Thus, genotypes 15 (1P2227), 22 ('BRS 3042'), and 31 (1P2265) were the closest to the ideal, bringing together high grain yield and stability, and genotype 32 (1P2247) is considered the most undesirable.

Figure 3
The genotypic main effects plus genotype × environment interaction (GGE) biplot view showing the ranking of 36 corn (Zea mays) genotypes for the grain yield trait in five environments.

In the discriminativeness × representativeness biplot (Figure 4), the ability of an environment to discriminate a genotype is highlighted by the size of the vector (dashed line), thus, the longer is the vector, the more discriminating is this environment (Yan et al., 2007YAN, W.; KANG, M.S.; MA, B.; WOODS, S.; CORNELIUS, P.L. GGE biplot vs. AMMI analysis of genotype-by-environment data. Crop Science, v.47, p.643-653, 2007. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2006.06.0374.
https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2006.06.0...
). The representativeness of an environment can be visualized in the angle formed by the dashed line of an environment with the environment-average axis (EAM). Therefore, an environment that shows a smaller angle with the EAM is considered as more representative, and therefore it shows a great potential for genotype selection for the other environments.

Figure 4
GGE biplot “discriminativeness × representativeness” of 36 corn (Zea mays) genotypes evaluated in accordance with the discrimination and representativeness of environments for grain yield.

The concentric circles on the graph help visualize the size of the room vectors, which are proportional to the standard deviation within the respective room. Therefore, the Carlinda and Alta Floresta environments were the most discriminating and most representative environments, which are able to efficiently separate the genotypes, in addition to allowing of the selection of hybrids that are broadly adaptable to other environments. Sinop and Sorriso also showed a satisfactory discrimination, but low representation. According to Yan et al. (2007)YAN, W.; KANG, M.S.; MA, B.; WOODS, S.; CORNELIUS, P.L. GGE biplot vs. AMMI analysis of genotype-by-environment data. Crop Science, v.47, p.643-653, 2007. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2006.06.0374.
https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2006.06.0...
, discriminating but not representative environments are useful to select genotypes adapted to specific conditions, if the target environments can be divided into megaenvironments. Such discrimination can also be used to eliminate unstable genotypes, if the target environment is a single megaenvironment, as is the case of Sinop.

In addition to the possibility of analyzing discrimination and representativeness, in the discriminativeness × representativeness biplot, the vectors of environments allow us to infer the correlation between these environments. The cosine of the angle between two environments approximates the correlation between them. In this sense, if the angle between vectors of two environments is < 90°, both are positively correlated; if the angle is > 90°, there is a negative correlation; and if the angle is 90°, the absence of correlation between the environments is evident (Al-Naggar et al., 2020AL-NAGGAR, A.M.M.; SHAFIK, M.M.; MUSA, R.Y.M. Genetic diversity based on morphological traits of 19 maize genotypes using principal component analysis and GT biplot. Annual Research & Review in Biololgy, v.35, p.68-85, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.9734/arrb/2020/v35i230191.
https://doi.org/10.9734/arrb/2020/v35i23...
). In this sense, the smallest angles observed (< 90°) were between Sorriso and Vilhena, and between Sinop and Alta Floresta. The correlation between these environments indicates that differences for hybrid behaviors in these specific conditions are associated with their genetic variability in particular, and less related to correlations in these environments (Oliveira et al., 2018OLIVEIRA, T.R.A. de; GRAVINA, G. de A.; OLIVEIRA, G.H.F. de; ARAÚJO, K.C.; ARAÚJO, L.C. de; DAHER, R.F.; VIVAS, M.; GRAVINA, L.M.; CRUZ, D.P. da. The GT biplot analysis of green bean traits. Ciência Rural,v.48, e20170757, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-8478cr20170757.
https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-8478cr20170...
). The other pairs of environments showed a negative correlation (> 90°), which indicates that different environmental conditions can influence the behavior of genotypes in these environments, reducing the correlation between genotype and phenotype, which therefore affects the selection of cultivars.

The results obtained here allow of a more reliable selection of more productive hybrids, since it is possible to indicate genotypes both for specific environments and for macroenvironments, as it was the case of Sorriso and Vilhena, which will contribute a greater yield per unit of area.

Conclusions

  1. The most responsive corn (Zea mays) genotypes to the evaluated environments are the following hybrids: 27 (1P2212), 12 (1O2008), 34 (1P2231), 5 (1M1782), 4 (1M1807), 20 (1P2237), 1 (1L1411), 6 (1N1958), 36 (1P2215), 30 (1P2255), 19 (1P2193), 10 (DKB310 VTPRO2), 23 (1P2184), 22 (BRS3042), 31 (1P2265), 15 (1P2227), and 7 (1O2034).

  2. The most unstable genotype is the hybrid 10 (DKB310 VTPRO2).

  3. Because of their lower yield performance the following genotypes are characterized as undesirable hybrids, as follows: 11 (1O2073), 9 (1O2112), 2 (1M1804), 13 (1O2018), 16 (1N1906), 21 (1P2203), 33 (1F640), 18 (DKB390VTPRO2), 28 (1P2273), 29 (1M1752), 35 (1P2267), 17 (1P2216), 25 (1P2214), 8 (1O2106), 26 (1P2188), 14 (1P2224), 3 (1M1810), 24 (1P2175), and 32 (1P2247).

  4. The hybrids 15 (1P2227), 22 (BRS 3042), and 31 (1P2265) show high grain yield, responsiveness, and stability in the evaluated environments.

  5. The hybrid 10 (DKB3910 VTPRO2) is indicated for Sorriso and Vilhena macroenvironments; the hybrids 3 (1M1810) and 8 (1O2106) are indicated for Carlinda; and the hybrid 4 (1M1807) is indicated for Sinop.

Acknowledgments

To Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Capes), for financing, in part, this study (Finance Code 001).

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Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    13 Mar 2023
  • Date of issue
    2023

History

  • Received
    01 Apr 2022
  • Accepted
    28 Sept 2022
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