Assessment of phenotypic stability and adaptability of elite field pea (Pisum sativum L) genotypes in Arsi zone, Ethiopia

Field pea is a cool-season legume that thrives in cool, semiarid climates and can be grown in a wide range of soil types, from light sandy to heavy clay. Thirteen field pea genotypes underwent evaluation in seven different environments during the main growing seasons of 2016–2017. The study aimed to identify pea genotypes that are adapted and well-suited for commercial production for Ethiopian farmers and seed producers. The experiment was arranged using a randomized complete block design with four replications. The combined analysis of variance indicated highly significant differences (P < 0.01) for grain yield in all sources of variations (Genotype, Environment, and the interaction of genotype and environment) indicating that seed yield is affected by genotype, environment, and genotype-by-environment interaction. The main effect of the environment explained 67.8 % of the total variation, while the genotype and interaction accounted for 2.3 % and 7.6 %, respectively. The highest average grain yield came from genotype G10, with 3448 kg/ha, followed by genotype G11 with 3371 kg/ha, compared to the other genotypes and with an overall average of 3051 kg/ha across seven environments while the lowest yield was from genotype G7. The GGE biplot of the first two principal components indicated that Component 1 explained 40.23 % and Component 2 explained 33.29 % of the genotype by environment interaction sum of squares. Some genotypes, such as G10, G1, G13 demonstrated significantly higher yields than the average, while others like G7, G2, G3, and G6 had yields lower than the average. Both AMMI and GGE bplot identifies Genotypes G1, G8, and G4 showed the highest stability, with G1 being identified as the most ideal genotype due to its high yield and stability. Conversely, G11 and G3 were considered to be unstable based on their positioning in the graph. The genotypes located at the peaks of the polygon, either lower or higher performance G2, G7, G3, G13, and G10, were considered the vertex genotypes. • An appropriate breeding strategy must take into account genotype and environment interactions. • Evaluating breeding lines in multiple environments and over the years is essential for selecting widely adaptable and stable cultivars. • To identify an ideal genotype, AMMI, and GGE biplot analysis are important graphical tools • Environment E2 (Bekoji) is the best representative environment for discriminating genotypes performance.