Evaluation of multi-environment adaptability of flour quality traits in spring wheat varieties and screening of high-quality genotypes using AMMI and GGE models.

Authors

Na Sun, Qiannan Huang, Hui Yang, Zhihui Zhang, Wei Wang, Xuehui Zhang, Lin Ma, Dengsilamu Tuerxunbai, Hui Zou, Jialiken Madiyaer, Hongwei Geng

Published in

Frontiers in plant science. Volume 17. Pages 1874719. Epub Jul 10, 2026.

Abstract

To clarify the regulatory effects of genotype (G), natural environment (E, defined as site × year), and genotype-by-environment interaction (G × E) on the core quality traits of spring wheat and to screen high-quality, stable cultivars and rational water and nitrogen management strategies for the Ili River Valley in Xinjiang, we conducted field experiments across three typical ecological sites over two consecutive growing years. Eight spring wheat varieties belonging to four quality types (strong gluten, medium-strong gluten, medium gluten, and weak gluten) were tested under nine water-nitrogen combined management treatments (three irrigation levels × three nitrogen levels). Six core processing quality traits, including water absorption, dough stability time, and grain protein content, were measured. In accordance with revised statistical criteria, phenotypic data from all water and nitrogen management treatments were averaged for each natural environment to eliminate artificial management interference. The AMMI model, GGE biplot analysis, and multivariate comprehensive evaluation were adopted to systematically dissect trait variation, genotypic stability, and environmental adaptability. The results showed that the six quality traits were synergistically regulated by genotype, natural environment, and G × E interaction with distinct trait-specific responses. Dough extensograph area and extension resistance exhibited strong genetic dominance, with genotypic variation dominating phenotypic variation. In contrast, grain protein content was more sensitive to natural environmental fluctuation, showing relatively higher environmental dependency. Spatially, the Gongliu site presented the most favorable ecological conditions and superior comprehensive wheat quality performance among the three experimental environments. Appropriate water and nitrogen management significantly optimized spring wheat quality performance, and the optimal water-nitrogen combination for the coordinated improvement of multiple quality traits was determined. Comprehensive evaluation based on revised AMMI and GGE models demonstrated that Neimai 17 possessed the best comprehensive quality performance and wide environmental adaptability, while Hechun 137 and Xinchun 37 also exhibited stable and excellent quality characteristics across diverse natural environments. This study systematically clarifies the G × E regulatory patterns of spring wheat quality traits in arid ecological conditions, establishes an effective multi-model fusion screening system for high-quality and stable wheat cultivars, and provides a theoretical basis and technical support for germplasm improvement, regional variety layout, and green and high-efficiency production of specialized spring wheat in the Ili River Valley and similar northwest arid regions of China.

PMID:
42500483
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 25 Jul 2026.

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