The presence and magnitude of the interaction genotype--environment are factors that determine the performance of cultivars in distinct environments of sugarcane production. Methods for testing and interpreting that interaction have been a matter of concern in the agronomic literature, and several methods have been proposed. In this work the feasibility of using a combination of parametric and non-parametric statistical methods was tested for evaluating that interaction. Results of three successive crops in five locations, of Western São Paulo State, Brazil, and in three groups of experiments comprising sugarcane cultivars of similar maturation (early, intermediate and late) characteristics in each, were used as basic data. It was concluded that the method evaluated, besides its simplicity, permitted the identification of cultivars with better stability for the different kinds of environments tested, confirming previous recommendations of the breeders.
Saccharum officinarum; genotype--environment interaction; statistical methods
