Hybrid performance and grain yield stability for advanced provitamin A and quality protein maize hybrids evaluated in Ethiopia

Maize is an important staple crop in Ethiopia, but there is a limited number of pro-vitamin A (PVA) and quality protein maize (QPM) varieties under commercial production compared with normal maize varieties in the country. Therefore, developing nutritionally enriched maize varieties is helpful to mitigate malnutrition problems among communities whose diets are more dominated with maize. This study was carried out to determine genotype by environment (G × E) interaction and grain yield stability of introduced and locally developed PVA and QPM hybrids and identify promising hybrids for further evaluation to promote release. Forty-four hybrids, including 20 PVA and 18 QPM hybrids with six checks (One PVA, two QPM, three normal maize) were evaluated using a row-column design (22-rows and six columns) with three replications at six locations in Ethiopia in 2022. The effects of genotype, environment and G × E interaction were highly significant for grain yield. Based on additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI), genotype plus genotype by environment (GGE) biplot analysis and yield stability index (YSI), the most stable PVA and QPM hybrids were identified, but none of them had high or comparable grain yield potential compared with normal checks. Among top ten hybrids, entry 15 (3XM2100055) was the highest yielding QPM hybrid which had comparable yield performance with the best normal maize checks (BH549 and BH546) and out yielded to QPM (BQPY545 and BHQP548) and PVA (BHA5211) checks, and this hybrid was well adapted to ArsiNegele, Bako and Jima environments. The GGE analysis delineated the six testing environments into three mega environments. Ambo and ArsiNegele were the most discriminating and representative environments therefore, these environments are the most suitable to select genetically well adapted PVA and QPM hybrids.