C Ghio, J Díaz, D Henriquez, D Costilla and S Ostengo
Estación Experimental Agroindustrial Obispo Colombres – T4101XAC – Las Talitas, Tucumán, Argentina; ceghio@eeaoc.org.ar
The Sugarcane Breeding Program (SCBP) of Estación Experimental Agroindustrial Obispo Colombres (EEAOC) focuses on the development of cultivars with broad adaptation to different environments in the sugarcane-growing area of Tucumán, Argentina. Different biometric approaches, both parametric and non-parametric, allow for a combined analysis of the performance and stability of a cultivar. This study aimed to analyze, through two statistical approaches, the productive performance and stability of TUC 03-12, a cultivar developed and released by the SCBP-EEAOC, and currently the second-most planted in Tucumán. Yield data were obtained from a multi-environment trial conducted at five sites through two crop cycles (plant cane and first ratoon) where TUC 03-12 was used as a control. Two analysis methodologies were used: sites regression model (SREG, multivariate parametric test) and the “Relative Consistency Performance” method (non-parametric test). The SREG Biplot showed the superior performance in cane yield of TUC 03-12 at both crop ages, with greater environmental stability in the first ratoon compared to plant cane (as it was located closer to the average vector of the evaluated environments). This behavior is confirmed with the non-parametric method, which classifies TUC 03-12 as a «consistently superior» cultivar at the first ratoon. Both methods proved useful in inferring the outstanding performance of TUC 03-12 and its adaptability to the diverse environments in the sugarcane-growing region of Tucumán.