Stability Performance of Some New Yellow Maize Genotypes Across Four Locations

THIS STUDY aimed to investigate the performance and stability across four environments i.e. Gemmeiza, Sakha, Sids and Mallawy of eighteen genotypes of maize and two commercial checks hybrids (SC 155 and SC 3084). Combined analysis of variance of stability across environments indicated that significant genetic variability for all studied traits, as well as the environment indicating differential effect of each environment. Sakha location produced the highest grain yield. Most of the hybrids had a significant deviation mean square from linear regression for grain yield implying that these hybrids were unstable across environments except for seven hybrids Gm 1, Gm 2, Gm 6, Gm 9, Gm 14, Gm 17 and Gm 18 which showed small and insignificant S(2)d(i) estimates, indicating that these hybrids could be considered to be stable hybrids. It could be concluded that the five hybrids; SC Gm 1, SC Gm 5, SC Gm 8, SC Gm 3 and SC Gm 4 can be selected since they produced the highest grain yield, and were earlier than the two check crosses. Moreover they achieved reasonable degree of stability across the four locations Gemmeiza, Sakha, Sids and Mallawy. These hybrids have to undergo progressive evaluations.