Analysis and Assessment of Yield Ranking Models in Triticale (xTriticosecale Wittm.) in Contrasting Environmental Conditions

The analysis and evaluation of yield is an important stage of the breeding process in cereals. There are various methods for grouping and ranking of the tested genotypes by their yield, which allows for a correct interpretation of the interaction of the environment with the genotype. Triticale as a product of wide hybridization is characterized by certain features, which requires the applicable models for yield evaluation in other cereals to be analyzed in this crop. For this purpose five yield ranking models were assessed in 16 triticale varieties for a three-year period. The three monitored periods were characterized by contrasting agro-climatic conditions of the environment. With the highest efficiency was the model using average standard value formed by values of check varieties in the experiment. With a good performance for yield evaluation are also models in which the yield is adjusted by the variation caused by different environmental conditions – heritability adjusted (HA) model and Hi-model. In spite of this fact, HA-grouping is very similar to the grouping of the varieties by their absolute yield. This is related to the absence of many locations of the study, regardless of the contrasting agro-climatic conditions. On the other hand, the Hi-model enables interpretation of yield and grouping of yield reaction in different varieties without multilocation trials. Despite some of their disadvantages, each of the used models could be applied to the analysis of the yield in periods of different conditions, depending on the specific purpose of the breeding program