Journal of Environmental Biology

Heterosis analysis for yield and its component traits in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) over different environments

P. Kumar¹*, H. Singh¹, C. Lal¹ and R. Choudhary² 

¹Division of Plant Breeding and Genetics, SKNAU, RARI, Jaipur- 302 018, India

²Seed Testing Laboratory, Jaipur-302 018, India

*Corresponding Author Email : pawanchoudhary2@gmail.com

Received: 13.06.2020                                                                   Revised: 15.11.2020                                                    Accepted: 15.12.2020

Abstract

Aim: The experiment was conducted to estimate the heterosis (%) over mid parent (MP), and better parent (BP) for quantitative and qualitative traits in bread wheat to identify parental line for commercial hybrid production in wheat as well as pure lines among the heterotic F₁ progenies for further amelioration of grain yield in bread wheat under different environments that can exhibit tolerance to terminal heat stress.

Methodology: Ten diverse varieties of bread wheat were crossed in half diallel fashion excluding reciprocals. In Rabi 2016-17 ten parents along with their 45 F₁’s and 45 F₂’s progenies were evaluated in three environments with three replications. Row to row and plant to plant distance was 30 cm and 10 cm, respectively.

Results: Among all the crosses, 49 crosses showed significant positive heterosis and 29 crosses heterobeltiosis in all the environments, however, six crosses showed significant consistent heterosis for grain yield per plant over all three environments, while none of the cross showed consistency in heterobeltiosis over the environment.  Among 45 crosses for grain yield per plant, crosses PBW 343 × Raj 4120 and PBW 502 × PBW 396 in normal, PBW 502 × Raj 4120 and PBW 502 × DBW 88 in late and PBW 396 × DBW 88 in very late sown condition showed desirable heterosis and heterobeltiosis for grain yield and related traits.      

Interpretation: The degree of heterosis is important in deciding the direction of future breeding programmes, provided successful technology for hybrid seed production in wheat; therefore, the present investigation has shown that heterosis can be exploited commercially in Triticum spp. making wheat production a success under terminal heat stress conditions.       

Key words: Genetic variance, Heterosis, Heterobeltiosis, Wheat

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