Stability analysis of yield and yield contributing traits in post rainy sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (l.) moench) mutant lines

Abstract

An investigation is carried out with with 18 M7 generation sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) mutant lines derived from parent Parbhani Moti along with four checks namely Parbhani Moti, Parbhani Super Moti, CSV 29-R and KR-196 to ascertain the nature and extent of Genotype x Environment interaction and to estimate the stability for grain yield and its attributing traits. The field experiment was conducted using a randomized block design with two replications across four distinct environments during the rabi season of 2022. The environments included Parbhani (E1), Aurangabad (E2), Nanded (E3) and Golegaon (E4). The genetic stability analysis, conducted using Eberhart and Russel's (1966) method, revealed significant genotype differences for most traits, except for days to maturity and 100 seed weight across four environments. Pooled analysis showed highly significant environmental and genotype-environment interactions for most traits, validating the experimental setup. Notably, PME 5-36 exhibited the highest mean grain yield and panicle width, followed by other promising mutants like PME 5-21 and PME 5-32. Environmental index analysis identified Aurangabad (E2) as the most favorable for key yield traits, while Golegaon (E4) was the least favorable. Overall, six mutants, PME 5-36, PME 5-21, PME 5-32, PME 5-26, PME 5-65 and PME 5-24 demonstrated stable performance and adaptability across environments.