Genotype × Environment Interaction for Wheat Yield Traits Suitable for Selection in Different Seed Priming Conditions

Abstract Different seed priming treatments are widely used in order to improve the nutritional status of wheat, as well as to improve its grain yield and yield- related traits. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of seed priming with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) on the yield related traits, such as, field emergence, plant height, spike length and grain yield per plant of four winter wheat genotypes (Triticum aestivum L.) during two vegetation seasons of 2018/2019 and 2019/2020. The seeds of each wheat genotypes were primed with different concentrations of ZnO NPs (0 mg L−1, 10 mg L−1, 100 mg L−1 and 1000 mg L−1) for 48 h in a dark box by continuous aeration and were sown in soil pots with 60–70% moisture content until full maturity. The additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) models were used to study the genotype environment effects. The results indicated that the plants response to ZnO nanoparticles significantly increased all of the observed traits of the wheat, while its maximum rates reduced the traits of the wheat. The AMMI analysis revealed the very complex nature of the variation observed in the trial and showed the significant effect of the G×E interaction, in which the first main component was significant for all components. Keywords: wheat; zinc oxide nanoparticles; GEI; AMMIAcknowledgments: The authors express their appreciation for providing financial support for this research to the ANTARES project, which received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 739570 and DRAGON GA 810775 (Data Driven Precision Agriculture Services and Skill Acquisition) H2020-WIDESPREAD-05-2017-Twinning and Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Grant No. 451-03-68/2020-14/200032, 200358 and 200011) and FAO Project 2020-2022—Redesigning the exploitation of small grains genetic resources towards increased sustainability of grain-value chain and improved farmers' livelihoods in Serbia and Bulgaria—GRAINEFIT