Performance Evaluation of Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Varieties under Ethiopian Agro-ecological Conditions

Abstract

The experiment was conducted at four locations over two years, from June, 2023 to December, 2024. The study evaluated the performance of 30 bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties across seven Ethiopian agro-ecological environments during the 2023–2024 cropping season. The objective of the study was to identify high-yielding, stable, and disease-tolerant bread wheat genotypes suitable for sustainable wheat production across diverse Ethiopian agro-ecological environments. The combined analysis of variance revealed that the environment contributed the largest proportion of the total variation (74.51%), followed by genotype×environment interaction (19.77%), whereas genotypic differences accounted for only 5.71% of the variation. Grain yield ranged from 5.45 t ha^-1 for Digalu to 7.51 t ha^-1 for Kulumsa in 2023, with newer wheat varieties consistently outperforming older cultivars. The GGE biplot analysis revealed that the first two principal components explained 71.94% of the genotype×environment interaction (G×E) variation, confirming the reliability of the model for assessing genotype stability and adaptability across environments. Newly released varieties such as Kulumsa, Deka, Honqolo, and Balcha demonstrated superior grain yield and desirable agronomic traits, whereas older varieties such as Digalu, Dashen, and Kubsa showed relatively lower performance. These findings highlight the genetic progress achieved through Ethiopian wheat breeding programs and emphasize the importance of continuous variety evaluation to sustain wheat productivity under changing agro-ecological conditions.