Evaluation of high-yield stability and testing environments for wheat variety trials in the northern winter wheat region

A major goal of breeding is to choose genotypes with high yield and stability, and the ever-existing genotype-by-environmental interaction increases the difficulty of breeding; therefore, scientific and reasonable assessments of the stability and adaptability of varieties and experimental environments are conducive for improving the selection efficiency of crop breeding and making rational use of experimental environmental resources. The objective of the current study was to demonstrate the application efficiency of the existing genotype primary effect and the AMMI model and GGE biplot in analyzing the fertility, stability, and adaptability of 18 varieties at 10 testing sites, and to evaluate the discrimination and representativeness of the testing sites in the regional northern winter wheat trial region in 2023. The results showed that the yield was significantly affected by the interactions among the environment, genotype, and GE. In evaluating varietal adaptability, the AMMI model was insufficient to fully demonstrate the adaptability and differences between varieties. However, the GGE biplot intuitively analyzed the regional adaptability of each tested variety and effectively visualized the interactions among varieties and test sites. This study comprehensively utilized the AMMI model and GGE biplot to evaluate the high-yield stability and test environments for wheat varieties. The results indicated that the ‘BH5318’ ‘Jingdong 38’ ‘CA17100’ ‘Zhongmai 8729’ and ‘GY13028’ varieties exhibited superior yield performances. The ‘Zhongmai 108’ and ‘Hangmai 2090’ varieties exhibited high and stable yields. The ideal representative and discriminative pilot site for this study was located in Luannan, Hebei Province. Comprehensive application of the AMMI model and GGE biplot can improve the reliability of wheat varieties and identify ideal testing sites. This study provides a theoretical basis for the breeding of new varieties and location of pilot sites, and establishes a reference for other crops in this research topic.