STABILITY OF SEVEN COMMERCIAL VARIETIES OF WHEAT (Triticum aestivum L.) FOR RAINFED CONDITIONS

Abstract

In order to study the phenotypic stability of grain yield of seven wheat varieties (Triticum aestivum L.), recommended for rainfed conditions by the wheat program of the Campo Experimental Valle de México of the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias, ten methodologies were used to analyze the experimental information of 50 field trials performed on these varieties under rainfed conditions, from 1988 to 1996. Recent-released varieties, Batán F96 and Romoga F96, were more stable in general terms, because they showed a linear response and low variability indexes. The varieties Zacatecas VT74, Pavón F76, and Gálvez M87 had a low phenotypic stability, which could be associated, among other factors, to rust susceptibility (Puccinia triticina and P. striformis). Temporalera M87 had a contrasting performance because it showed a high yield, despite being susceptible to rust. Furthermore, it showed a high environmental variation, both between and within. Two multivariate methods allowed to group genotypes with similar stability. It is then necessary to study the phenotypic stability with several methods because they allow adequate genotype selection according to the environmental conditions.