Assessment of genotype × environment interaction in horsegram genotypes across Telangana using AMMI and GGE biplot analysis

Horsegram, a hardy and climate-resilient pulse crop belonging to the family Fabaceae, is widely recognised for its adaptability to adverse environmental conditions. However, its productivity remains limited by significant genotype × environment interaction (GEI) effects. The present study was undertaken to assess the magnitude and pattern of GEI and to identify high-yielding genotypes with stable performance for yield and yield-attributing traits under the agro-climatic conditions of Telangana. Eight genotypes were evaluated in a randomised block design with three replications across three late kharif seasons (2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24). The analysis revealed highly significant GEI effects for all the traits studied, indicating differential genotype performance across the three environments. The Additive Main effects and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI) biplot effectively captured different interaction patterns and identified environment E1 (2021-22) as the most representative and least interactive environment for yield performance. The “which-won-where” pattern of the Genotype Plus Genotype × Environment (GGE) biplot revealed distinct mega-environments, with genotype PHG-202 performing best under the environments E1(2021-22) and E2 (2022-23), whereas PHG-196 showed superior adaptability to E3 (2023-24). Furthermore, the Average Environment Coordinate (AEC) view indicated that E1 was both highly discriminative and representative. GGE ranking analysis revealed that genotype PHG-112 was positioned closest to the ideal genotype, indicating high mean yield coupled with superior stability across environments. The integrated analysis using AMMI and GGE biplots identified PHG-112, PHG-196 and PHG-202 as high-yielding and stable genotypes with broad adaptability across the tested environments, highlighting their potential for cultivation across a wide range of agro-climatic conditions and their usefulness in future horsegram improvement programmes.