Morphological Characterization, Character Association and Genetic Divergence Analysis in Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted in Wheat during Rabi season 2013-14 at Crop Research Centre of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut (U.P.) India. The present investigation entitled, "Morphological characterization, Character association and Genetic divergence analysis in wheat (Triticu;n aestivum L.)" involving 244 genotypes was undertaken to study the genetic variability, heritability, genetic advance, correlation coefficient, path coefficient analysis and genetic divergence. All the 244 wheat genotypes were tested in augmented block design. The characters under study were days to 50 Percent flowering, plant height (em), number of productive tillers per plant, spike length with awn (em), number of spikelets per sp·ike, number of grains per spike, biological yield/plant (g), grain yield/plant (g), harvest index (%),and test weight (g). Analysis of variance showed high significant variance among the genotypes for all the characters, under study, indicating wide spectrum of variability among the genotypes. The highest percentage of PCV and GCV (in percent) observed for grain yield per plant, plant height, grains per spikelet and biological yield per plant. High estimates of heritability in broad sense were recorded for days to maturity, plant height. In general highest genetic advance as percentage of mean was recorded for days to maturity, plant height, days to flowering, biological yield per plant, grain yield per plant. The characters such as days to maturity, plant height, days to flowering, biological yield per plant, grain yield per plant had high heritability coupled with high genetic advance, suggesting that improvement could be brought about by direct selection for these characters in the genotypes. In the character association studies, showed highly significant and positive correlation of grain yield with biological yield per plant, harvest index, test weight, grains per spikelet, spikelets per spike and spike length both at genotypic and phenotypic levels. Path coefficient analysis of grain yield and its contributing characters revealed that biological yield per plant, harvest index, test weight and days to maturity had the highest positive direct effect on ·grain yield. The direct effect of days to flowering, tillers per plant, spike length, spikelets per spike and grain per spikelets showed negative direct effects on ~rain yi.e~d b.ut ~heir correlation with grain yield was significantly positive which may be due to !ugh pos1t1ve md1rect effects via other characters. The results of genetic divergence analysis indicated the presences of h. h t fgenetic diversity among the genotypes were taken up for the study. The 244 wheat 1g amoun o 2 • h h' h · d 'nto sixteen clusters based on Mahalanobis D analys1s. T e 1g est mter genotypes were groupe 1 . . d . c. d b tween cluster IV and X whereas the .lowest mter cluster d1fference custer 1stance was .oun e , / . . was reflected between clusters VII1 and IX. The highest intr~QJJ.i.s.ter .. d,~erence was expressed by the clust~r ~V~ and lowest by the cluster V.