ఆగ్రోటెక్నాలజీ

నైరూప్య

Variations in Yield along a Phenological Gradient in Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Sajid Muhammad, Muhammad Afzal, Md Musfeq-Ul Hasan, Ali Muhammad, Fida Mohammad

Future food security will depend on crop adaptations to changing environment. Such adaptations can be made through genetic divergence in plants which is prerequisite for identifying superior plant traits and varieties. It is already known that plant varieties with supreme characteristics can play important roles in the enhancement of yield and production. Here, we practically assessed 36 wheat breeding lines (35 lines with Janbaz as check cultivar) across two planting dates (mid- November and mid-December) to determine the genetic differences and inheritance contributing production traits. For this purpose, heritability (h2), genotype by environment interaction (GEI) and correlation coefficients were studied. Data were recorded on days to heading (DH), flag leaf area (FLA), plant height (PH), days to maturity (DM), spike length (SL), grain yield (GY) and harvest index (HI). Pooled ANOVA showed significant differences among genotypes for all traits studied while GEI interactions were significant for some traits finding a significant gap for genotypes. Genotype DN-84 took less number of DH while, V-09136 had minimum values for DH and DM. Interestingly, maximum FLA, PH and SL were observed for a single genotype NR- 408. High GY and HI were recorded for genotype V-07096 and WRIS-12, respectively. Heritability (h2) estimates for DH, PH, DM, SL, ranged between 60 and 74%, illustrating strong flow of genetic makeup among genotypes, while 37 to 54% for FLA, GY and HI. Correlation coefficients were significant for various traits indicating robust association among genotypes. PCA analysis showed that dates clustered the variables differently but in a similar pattern. Based on our findings, we suggest genotypes V-09136, PR-103, NR-400, V-08BT016 and V-07096 for further investigation. Further, it is suggested to find out optimum time of sowing for each variety whereas, late sowing affect crop production.