Genotype by Environment Interaction Analysis of Agronomic Spring Barley Traits in Iceland Using AMMI, Factorial Regression Model and Linear Mixed Model

Spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is the most important cereal in Iceland and its national breeding program aims to select barley genotypes adapted to its environment. A critical step to understand the adaptation of Nordic barley material to a cool maritime climate is to assess the genotype by environment interaction (GxE). In this study, we evaluated the yield and thousand-kernel weight (TKW) of 32 spring barley genotypes in seven Icelandic environments. We applied three methods to analyze GxE: the additive main effects and multiplicative interaction model, a factorial model, and a linear mixed model. For yield, GxE was mainly caused by a better response of six-row genotypes compared to two-row genotypes in high fertility soils. For TKW, GxE showed a pattern along a gradient of daily mean temperatures. This pattern translated into a divergent TKW response between the 2-row and 6-row genotypes, with substantial crossovers along the temperature gradient. This GxE pattern was disentangled using all three methods, illustrating the value of cross-analysis. As yield is the main trait of interest for barley cultivation in Iceland, and few crossovers of genotype performance have been observed between environments, the definition of one mega-environment was recommended for Icelandic cultivation and breeding. We identified promising genetic material for both traits and highlighted the superiority of six-row genotypes for yield.

Automated summary

Spring barley is the most important cereal in Iceland and the national breeding program aims to select genotypes adapted to the environment. Genotype by environment interaction was assessed in seven Icelandic environments, showing different responses for yield and thousand-kernel weight based on fertility and temperature gradients. Promising genetic material was identified for both traits, emphasizing the superiority of six-row genotypes for yield.