Genotype by environment and genotype by yield*trait interactions in sugar beet: analyzing yield stability and determining key traits association

Abstract

The genotype by environment interaction significantly influences plant yield, making it imperative to understand its nature for the creation of breeding programs to enhance crop production. However, this is not the only obstacle in the yield improvement process. Breeders also face the significant challenge of unfavorable and negative correlations among key traits. In this study, the stability of root yield and white sugar yield, and the association between the key traits of root yield, sugar content, nitrogen, sodium, and potassium were examined in 20 sugar beet genotypes. The study was conducted using a randomized complete block design with four replications over two consecutive years across five locations. The combined analysis of variance results revealed significant main effects of year, location, and genotype on both root yield and white sugar yield. Notably, two-way and three-way interactions between these main effects on root yield and white sugar yield resulted in a significant difference. The additive main effect and multiplicative interaction analysis revealed that the first five interaction principal components significantly impacted both the root yield and white sugar yield. The linear mixed model results for root yield and white sugar yield indicated that the genotype effect and the genotype by environment interaction were significant. The weighted average absolute scores of the best linear unbiased predictions biplot demonstrated that genotypes 20, 4, 7, 2, 16, 3, 6, 1, 14, and 15 were superior in terms of root yield. For white sugar yield, genotypes 4, 16, 3, 7, 5, 1, 10, 20, 2, and 6 stood out. These genotypes were not only stable but also had a yield value higher than the total average. All key traits, which include sugar content, sodium, potassium, and alpha amino nitrogen, demonstrated a negative correlation with root yield. Based on the genotype by yield*trait analysis results, genotypes 20, 19, and 16 demonstrated optimal performance when considering the combination of root yield with sugar content, sodium, alpha amino nitrogen, and potassium. The multi-trait stability study, genotype 13 ranked first, and genotypes 10, 8, and 9 were identified as the most ideal stable genotypes across all traits. According to the multi-trait stability index, genotype 13 emerged as the top-ranking genotype. Additionally, genotypes 10, 8, and 9 were recognized as the most stable genotypes.