Stability analysis of yield and aflatoxin accumulation resistance in maize using GGE biplot

Maize ( Zea mays L.) is the most important cereal crop in sub-Saharan Africa. However, its production is constrained by many factors including low yields and aflatoxin contamination. Host resistance to aflatoxin accumulation and productive hybrid varieties are seen as key approaches in addressing these challenges. Sixteen aflatoxin-resistant inbreds obtained from Corn Host Plant Resistance Research Unit (CHPRRU), USDA ARS in Mississippi, USA, CIMMYT, IITA, etc., were crossed as males to six locally adapted inbreds in a North Carolina II design to generate 160 new hybrids and planted together with 9 checks using 13 × 13 lattice with three replications. The new hybrids were evaluated across six environments. Thirty-one of the most promising hybrids were subjected to the GGE biplot analysis to determine their stability for yield and aflatoxin accumulation resistance. Genotype, G10 (ENTRY-5 × Tzi8, G20 (TZEE-15 × CML343, G28 (TZEEI-6 × CML247 and G26 (TZEEI-6 × CML11 were highly stable hybrids for yield while G08 (ENTRY-5 × Ki3, G11 (ENTRY-85 × CML247 and G19 (TZEEI-15 × MP715 were relatively stable for aflatoxin accumulation resistance. This means that it is possible to produce high-yielding aflatoxin-resistant hybrids for consumers in the trial agro-ecologies.