Study of grain yield stability of four cereal crops grown under semi-arid environments

Khelifa Maamri, Ibtissem Lebachiche, Fazia Chabane, Nacira Chourghal, Hemza Belguerri, Fayçal Bahlouli, Ali Guendouz

Abstract: In agriculture, stability is assessed by examining the variance across different environments to analyze genotype-by-environment interactions (GEI). To evaluate the grain yield stability of four cereal crops (durum wheat, bread wheat, barley, and oats) and identify high-yielding and consistent crops, a field experiment was conducted in the semi-arid zone of eastern Algeria over a period of ten cropping seasons (2010-2020). Parametric and nonparametric indices, calculated using the STABILITYSOFT program, were utilized for this purpose. According to the regression coefficient (bi),Tichedrette and Waha genotypes exhibited high stability and adaptability with significant mean grain yield. Wifak and HD1220 bread wheat genotypes demonstrated stability across crop seasons based on various stability indices such as Wricke's ecovalence (Wi2), Shukla's stability variance (σ2i) and GE variance component (θ(i)). Boussalem genotype showed exceptional stability across all stability parameters according to non-parametric indices. The relationships between the different stability statistics consistently separated two distinct categories and the principal component analysis placed Boussalem and Waha genotypes in the dynamic stability group with the highest grain yield. In conclusion, the Boussalem durum wheat genotype emerged as the most stable and well-adapted under semi-arid conditions, combining high grain yield and stability indices.

Keywords: Algeria; cereal; non-parametric; parametric; stability

Citation: Maamri, K., Lebachiche, I., Chabane, F., Chourghal, N., Belguerri, H., Bahlouli, F. & Guendouz, A. (2025). Study of grain yield stability of four cereal crops grown under semi-arid environments. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 31(1), 167–174.

Date published: 2025-02-25