Analysis of the genotype × environment interactions and assessment of the adaptability potential in barley under the conditions of the Northern Trans-Urals

Background. Crop yield is a compound and complex character in breeding programs. A stable high yield is determined by the genotype, environmental impacts, and their interaction. A comprehensive assessment of cultivars based on their adaptability, plasticity and stability makes it possible to select among the studied assortment the most promising, potentially high-yielding and environmentally flexible plant forms adaptable to a wide range of environmental conditions. Materials and methods . Evaluation of 146 accessions representing two-row (subsp. distichon L.) and six-row (subsp. vulgare ) barleys ( Hordeum vulgare L.) was performed in 2015–2017 to measure the adaptability, stability, plasticity and homeostasis of barley yield. Experimental data were statistically processed using the methods of the two-way ANOVA and correlation analysis. Results and conclusion . It was established that barley yield formation was almost equally determined by the genotype (34.3%), environmental conditions (31.9%), and genotype × environment interactions (33,7%), showing that the tested barleys were relatively well adaptable to climate changes in the Northern Trans-Urals. Barley yield was more closely associated with grain weight per plant (r = 0.72) and the number of productive stems per area unit (r = 0.63), and to a lesser extent with seed germination rate in the field (r = 0.39) and 1000 grain weight (r = 0.37). Strong correlations were observed for the yield with the adaptability coefficient (r = 0.94), environmental plasticity index (r = 1.00), and compensatory capacity (r = 0.96). Cvs. ‘Abyssinian 14’ (k-23504, var. pallidum ) and ‘Kharkovsky 70’ (k-23683, var. nutans ) exhibited a set of adaptive and productive properties.