Evaluation of grain yield stability of irrigated barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) promising lines in salinity affected regions of moderate climate of Iran

Salinity stress represents a significant abiotic factor that adversely impacts crop production. Although barley is recognized as a salinity-resistant species, all stages of its growth are susceptible to the detrimental effects of salinity stress. The present study aimed to identify promising irrigated barley lines exhibiting high grain performance and stability under conditions of salinity stress. Eighteen promising barley lines, along with two local checks (the Golshan cultivar and MBS-۹۸-۱۰), were evaluated across three saline regions (Yazd, Isfahan, and Birjand) during the ۲۰۲۱-۲۲ and ۲۰۲۲-۲۳ cropping seasons. The results of the combined analysis of variance for grain yield indicated no significant effects for year, genotype×location, and genotype×year interactions; however, significant effects were observed for location, genotype, year×location, and genotype×year×location interactions. Mean comparison results revealed that genotypes G۸, G۴, G۱۱, G۱۳, and G۱۴ exhibited the highest grain yields relative to the other genotypes. To assess yield stability, both non-parametric parameters (S (۱), S (۲), S (۳), and S (۶)) and parametric parameters (coefficient of variance, Shukla’s stability variance, Wricke’s Ecovalence, and Kang’s rank-sum) were employed. The findings identified genotypes G۴, G۱۳, and G۱۴ as lines with desirable and stable yields, which may not only serve as new cultivars in salinity-affected regions but also contribute to future breeding programs aimed at developing new salt-tolerant barley lines.

Keywords:

Non-parametric stability , Parametric stability , Salinity stress