ADAPTABILITY OF THE FLOR DE JUNIO DRY BEAN TYPE TO DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS IN MEXICO

Abstract

The yield response of 14 bred lines and two commercial cultivars of the Flor de Junio bean type was studied in rainfed and irrigated environments of central Mexico with the aim of identifying high yielding lines of low genotype by environment interaction. The trial was established at 15 environments (site/year combination) under a 4x4-lattice design with four replications. At the rainfed environments sowing was done in july after the onset of the rainy season and at those irrigated in November or February depending on the location. Yield data were analyzed per trial and to determine the importance of each factor a combined analysis was conducted. In order to determine the genotype x environment interaction the multivariate AMMI model was used. By means of the combined analysis we found that 70.4 % of the phenotypic variation was due to the environment, 11.8 % to the GxE interaction and in third place the genotypic effect. Lines of high yield average were FJB 08061, FJB 08054 and FJB 08004, with 1800 kg ha-1, a yield slightly superior to the controls that out yielded more than half of the lines in the trial. The yield of line FJB 08004 was relatively high and stable across environments. Other lines displayed specific adaptation; hence their use should be at specific environments. The AMMI analysis allowed for the identification of environments with contrasting responses in Guanajuato, which should be utilized in the evaluation of improved germplasm in order to obtain reliable information at a low cost.