Stability of baking quality in bread wheat using several statistical parameters.

Stability of quality in bread wheat was investigated for the first time with the alveograph test, a rheological test providing four technological traits. Assessment of stability was reliable because a large set of varieties (ten) were grown over a wide range of environments (14). Varieties and environments were representative of French agricultural practices. A procedure to evaluate stability of quality is proposed. Stability was measured by ecovalence, which was then modelled to determine response to environments for each genotype. A joint regression model was compared to a biadditive model with two multiplicative terms. The regression model explained a very much smaller part of ecovalence than the biadditive model. The latter made it possible to pool cultivars for genotypexenvironment interactions and to characterize varieties for their responsiveness to environments. Two check varieties for stability and instability were identified.