Methods for Comparing the Yield Stability of Cropping Systems

The stability of yield is an important characteristic to be considered when judging the value of a cropping system relative to others. In the context of agricultural research, the analysis of yield stability has been largely confined to multienvironment trials of crop cultivars. This review emphasizes that methods for comparing the stability of cultivars can also be used for comparing different agronomic treatments in general, of which cultivars are but a special case. Throughout the paper, different agronomic treatments are referred to as cropping systems. Some of the methods useful for stability analysis of cropping systems are discussed and a brief review of applications of these methods is given. The paper puts different stability measures into a unifying mixed model perspective.