Drought stressed areas devoted to maize (Zea mays L.) production occupy 40% of the maize growing area but
contribute only about 20% to the total maize production in Ethiopia. Unavailability of suitable maize varieties is responsible
for such a yield gap. Taking this problem into account the Melkasa Maize Programme introduced and evaluated 400
experimental maize populations at Melkasa Research Center maize quarantine field. Then, 19 promising maize genotypes
were selected and evaluated at six locations for three years to determine their performance and stability. The combined
analysis of variance showed highly significant (p < 0.01) genotype, environment, genotype x environment, and genotype x
year effects on grain yield. Genotype DTP-1 C6 with regression coefficient close to 1.0 and small deviations from regression,
was fairly stable across environments and had mean yield above the grand mean. Genotypes Banswara 9331 and La Posta
Seq. C5 were more productive where growing conditions were better. Hence, it is suggested that genotype DTP-1 C6 has
potential for future use in the drought-prone areas of the country.