Studies on Variability, Heritability and Genetic Advance in Some Quantitative Characters in Bread Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L)

Abstract

An experiment was conducted on genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance in wheat population, including 48 F1’s + 48 F2’s + 16 parents in RBD during Rabi 2014-15. Analysis of variance for the design of experiments revealed that mean squares due to treatments were highly significant for all the ten characters studied, while mean squares due to replications were non-significant in both F1 and F2 generations. The highest estimates of phenotypic and genotypic coefficient of variation (>20%) were recorded for grain yield per plant and biological yield per plant only in the F1 generation. Whereas, in F2 generation, moderate estimates (10-20%) of PCV and GCV observed in grain yield per plant and biological yield per plant, whereas the number of effective tillers per plant and plant height in both F1 and F2 generations exhibited moderate PCV and GCV. High estimates of heritability were observed for plant height followed by 1000 grain weight, days to maturity and grain yield per plant in both F1 and F2 generation. Genetic advance in per cent of the men were high for grain yield per plant, biological yield per plant, plant height in both F1 and F2, whereas, the number of effective tillers per plant in F1 only, which in fact demonstrated the presence of additive gene effects indicating the effectiveness of selection for improvement of these traits.