16. Study of genetic variability for morphological traits in bread wheat across sowing dates
Abstract
The research was carried out with the objective to estimate genetic variability for morphological traits in wheat. Twenty wheat genotypes along with 2 checks were planted at Cereal Section Research Institute (CCRI) Pirsabak under two sowing dates. Analysis of variance revealed highly significant differences among genotypes for majority of the traits. Mean days to heading ranged from 106 to 113, days to maturity ranged from 145 to 151 days, plant height ranged from 92 to 108 cm, grain yield per hectare ranged from 2117 to 3984 kg ha-1 and biological yield ranged from 8611 to 11250 kg ha-1. Genetic and phenotypic variances were greater than environmental variances for all the traits however; genetic, phenotypic and environmental variances were almost minor (20.10, 24.03 and 2.19) for days to maturity and maximum (3354401.62, 5824977.32 and 908395.70) for biological yield, respectively. However, interaction between genotypes and sowing dates were almost negligible (1.74) for days to maturity and maximum (1562179.99) for biological yield. Regarding coefficients of variation (CV), values ranged from 0.85 to 9.28 for tested traits. According to mean performance, the genotypes viz., PS-23, PS-33, PS-34 and PS-28 showed high performance. However, the genotype Inq-91/FS(f8) was found to be the most stable in performance in both conditions and therefore, these genotypes could be used in future wheat breeding programs to enhance the grain yield in bread wheat.
Keywords: Genetic variability; Grain yield; Genetic and phenotypic variability; Bread wheat
