AMMI adjustment for statistical analysis of an international wheat yield trial

Multilocation trials are important for the CIMMYT Bread Wheat Program in producing high-yielding, adapted lines for a wide range of environments. This study investigated procedures for improving predictive success of a yield trial, grouping environments and genotypes into homogeneous subsets, and determining the yield stability of 18 CIMMYT bread wheats evaluated at 25 locations. Additive Main effects and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI) analysis gave more precise estimates of genotypic yields within locations than means across replicates. This precision facilitated formation by cluster analysis of more cohesive groups of genotypes and locations for biological interpretation of interactions than occurred with unadjusted means. Locations were clustered into two subsets for which genotypes with positive interactions manifested in high, stable yields were identified. The analyses highlighted superior selections with both broad and specific adaptation.