Grain Yield Stability Analysis of Kabuli Chickpea (<i>Cicer Arietinum</i> L) Advanced Genotypes in Bale and East Bale, Southeastern Ethiopia

Chickpea (<i>Cicer arietinum</i> L) production in Ethiopia is highly constrained by diverse biotic and abiotic stresses, and it is full genetic potential has not been exploited yet. Chickpea grain yield is one of the complex quantitative traits influenced by prevailing environmental conditions. As a result, multi-environmental yield trials are indispensable to detect wide adaptable and high yielding cultivars in the breeding program. To this end, a total of 12 advanced chickpea genotypes were evaluated against two standard checks (Arerti and Harbu) across two locations (Sinana and Ginnir) from 2019 to 2021 main cropping season. Pooled analysis of variance for grain yield showed significant differences t (p ≤ 0.01) among the main effects of genotypes and environments and (p ≤ 0.01) for G × E interaction effects. This indicates that either the genotypes differentially responded to the changes in the test environments or the test environments discriminated the genotypes or both. The first two principal components accounted for cumulative of 84.88% interaction effects, indicating that the majority of interaction effects were within two principal components. Additive Main effect and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI) biplot enabled identification of adapted genotypes, G5 (FLIP-09-287C) and G2 (FLIP-09-155C). GGE biplot analysis suggested the presence of one mega environment and enabled identification of high seed yielding and broadly adapted genotypes G5 (FLIP-09-287C). Therefore, FLIP-09-287C can be released as wide adaptable Kabuli type chickpea variety for potential growing areas of Bale and East Bale as well as other similar agro-ecologies.