Phenotypic plasticity of upland rice lines cultivated in Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Abstract

The evaluation of breeding lines for prior recommendation in different environments is a step that requires a high level of investment. This evaluation is extremely important, especially when the objective of breeding is to select lines with high homeostasis, adaptability associated with high yield, and stability. Thus, this paper aimed to study the phenotypic plasticity of thirteen upland rice lines for grain yield in multiple environments of Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The experiments were installed in nine different environments corresponding to the combination of locations and agricultural years. Thirteen elite lines were used, originating from a partnership among UFLA (Federal University of Lavras), Epamig (Agricultural Research Company of Minas Gerais) and Embrapa (Brazilian Company of Agricultural Research) Rice and Beans. The experiments were conducted in a complete randomized block design with three replicates. Culture treatments used for conducting were the same as those recommended for culture. The evaluated character was grain yield (kg.ha-1). Adaptability and stability were estimated by the methods Wricke, Annicchiarico, and Lin and Binns. All experiments showed average productivities above average in the state of Minas Gerais. The methods by Anniccchiarico and Lin Binns were efficient for the lines identification with phenotypic plasticity, emphasis on the lines CMG 2097, CMG 1896 and CMG 2089, which obtained superior average performance with productivities higher than 5 t.ha-1. Thus, these lines are promising for the Minas Gerais state recommendation, as well as in similar environments under low fertility natural soil, ferralsol (latosols), with tropical semi-humid and tropical altitude.