Assessment of Flue Cured Virginia tobacco genotype performance in the light soil tobacco growing regions based on GGE biplot and AMMI analysis

Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco is a major commercial crop grown as a rainfed crop in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka states during rabi and kharif seasons, respectively. The tobacco leaf yield is often affected by aberrant weather conditions leading to significant reduction in leaf yield and quality. To identify yielding and stable FCV genotypes, two groups of genotypes were evaluated, consisting of 9 light-cast and 7 medium-cast FCV tobacco types, along with three checks, over a period of three years in the rabi season. The stability analysis was carried out using AMMI and GGE analysis and identified three breeding lines (KB 32, KB 50, and KB 67) in respect of stable leaf yield and quality grade index. These lines were selected on the bases of yield stability indices and genotype stability index for cured leaf yield. They were further evaluated at four locations during 2021 representing the southern light soils, northern light soils and Karnataka light soils regions of FCV tobacco growing regions of the country. The superior performance of genotype KB 67 for high leaf yield was advanced for further large-scale testing in SLS areas of Andhra Pradesh.