Genotype experiments: fitting a stability variance model with R
Published at June 6, 2019 · 8 min read
Yield stability is a fundamental aspect for the selection of crop genotypes. The definition of stability is rather complex (see, for example, Annichiarico, 2002); in simple terms, the yield is stable when it does not change much from one environment to the other. It is an important trait, that helps farmers to maintain a good income in most years.
Agronomists and plant breeders are continuosly concerned with the assessment of genotype stability; this is accomplished by planning genotype experiments, where a number of genotypes is compared on randomised complete block designs, with three to five replicates. These experiments are repeated in several years and/or several locations, in order to measure how the environment influences yield level and the ranking of genotypes.
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