Studies on Genetic Variability, Character Association and Stability of Bread Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.) in Different Temperature Regimes

Abstract

The present investigation entitled, "Studies on Genetic Variability, Character Association and Stability of Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in different temperature regimes" involving twenty elite lines/genotypes was undertaken to study the genetic variability, heritability, genetic advance, correlation coefficient, path coefficient analysis, genetic divergence and stability. Twenty genotypes were planted in randomized block design with three replications in three different micro-environments [25th November, 2012 (E1), 24th December, 2012 (E2), 15th January, 2013 (E3)] during Rabi 2012-13 at the crop research center of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, (U.P.). Data were recorded for characters days to maturity, days to 50% flowering, chlorophyll content, plant height, peduncle length, tillers per plant, spike length, seeds per spikelet, spikelets per spike, 1 000-grain weight, biological yield per plant, harvest index and grain yield per plant. The analysis of variance revealed significant differences among all the genotypes for all the characters studied. The heritability estimates founded minimum heritability 11 .014% and maximum heritability 99.310% in all the three environments. Highest genetic advance recorded for grain yield per plant, peduncle length, biological yield per plant, plant height and spike length in E1, harvest index and biological yield in the E2, harvest index, grain yield per plant, peduncle length and seeds per spikelet in E3. Correlation coefficient of tillers per plant, biological yield per plant and harvest index were highly significant with grain yield over three different microenvironments. The path coefficient study indicated that biological yield per plant and harvest index contributed directly to grain yield. Tillers per plant contributed to grain yield indirectly. The genotypes K-910-4, AAI-13, K-307, NW-1014, HUW-648, AAI-16, HUW-658, HD-2733 and K-9162 (E1); SVPW-1, HD-2733, K-910-4, K-512, AAI-11, AAI-13, AAI-16 and K-307 (E2); NW-6007, K- 612, AAI-13, NW-4035, NW-1014 and K-9162 (E3) and K-612, AAI-13, AAI-16 and NW-1014, AAI- 11, NW-4035, NW-4081, NW-6007, HD-2733 and K-9162 (pooled analysis) can be used in hybridization of wheat for improving grain yield . The genotypes K-612, HUW-648, K-307, AAI- 11, AAI-12, AAI-16, NW-4035, HUW-658, NW-1014, K-9162 and HD-2733 were observed to be stable. The variety K-9162 had high mean grain yield and early maturity (118 days) a~herefore, ca re ommended for late planting conditions of Western UP.