Phenotypic Stability Analysis of Yield Components in Cashew ( Anacardium occidentale L.) Using Additive Main Effect and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI) and GGE Biplot Analyses

Perennial poor fruit-set and variability in tree yield are among major problems of cashew nut production. Thus,development of improved stable genotypes would be a sustainable strategy to address this perpetual problem in order to boost incomeand livelihood of many smallholder farmers of this important commodity crop. Here, we have applied additive main effect andmultiplicative interaction (AMMI) and genotype, genotype by environment (GGE) biplot analysis to a 3-year multi-locational trial dataon nine yield component characters of cashew to evaluate phenotypic stability across diverse environments. Variance analysis showedsignificant variability in the cashew genotypes and strong influence of genotype by environment (GxE) on tree yield as none of thegenotypes was stable for any of the yield components across locations. GxE data showed that a substantial portion of the variation wasexplained by the genotype (highly heritable), accounting for between 10% and 87% of the variation, while the environment accountedfor between 0.7% and 37%. Data showed significant higher values of interaction (GxE) than the respective values for environment, andwere mostly captured and could be explained by the first principal component axis (IPCA 1) for all the yield componentcharacters.There was an inverse relationship between stability and yield as the best three yielding genotypes (KT_26, IW_222 andIW_31) were found to be the most unstable. Among the yield component tested, hermaphrodite flowers per panicle, nuts per panicle,nuts per tree, nut weight, and tree fruiting efficiency were identified to be critical components for nut yield. Although there was widevariation between the three environments evaluated, the data effectively identified two mega-environments (ME), and two superiorgenotypes (IW_222 and KT_26) suitable for these two mega-environments. The GxE complex exposes the short-comings of broadrecommendations of common agronomic-husbandry technologies across diverse cashew ecologies as each mega-environment wouldrequire specific adaptable technologies for optimal plant output. Above all, the data presented here underscore the importance ofmulti-locational evaluation of genotypes for varietal development in cashew. KCI Citation Count: 1