Identification of potential donors of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) for terminal drought tolerance through multi-environments phenotyping and GGE biplot approaches

Linseed is an important oilseed crop valued for its high-quality oil, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, wide industrial and nutritional applications. It is predominantly grown under rainfed conditions, making it highly vulnerable to environmental stresses, particularly drought. Drought stress adversely affects crop growth and productivityby altering various physiological and molecular processes. The present study was planned to identify potential donors for drought tolerance based on yield performance.The tolerant genotypes were selected based on their yield reduction percentage and those exhibiting less than 20% yield reduction over the irrigated ecology were considered for further confirmationunder multi-environments evaluation including artificial drought environments. The selected genotypes were subsequently evaluated across two locations over two consecutive years to assess their stability and adaptability under varying environmental conditions for drought tolerance. The results of preliminary screening and further confirmation through GGE biplot approaches revealed that the genotypes, i.e. BLS-GP-913, BLS-GP-867 and BLS-GP-1210 have high-yielding and stable performance under drought condition.