Study of heterosis analysis in F1 population of bread wheat

Abstract

The study was conducted to evaluate heterotic in bread wheat during crop season 2016-2017. Six parents of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were crossed in a half diallel design and their fifteen the first filial genration (F1s) were evaluated for heterosis for yield traits. The traits included: Days to 50% heading, Days to 75% maturity, Plant height (cm), Tillers plant-1, Peduncle length (cm), Spike length (cm), Spikelets spike-1, Grains spike-1, Grain weight spike-1 (g), Seed index (1000-grain weight, g) and Grain yield plant-1 (g). The analysis of variance due to genotypes, parents, hybrids and parents vs. hybrids were significant for all the characters which showed the presence of the significant amount of variability among parents, their hybrids and among parents vs. hybrids for all characters studied. Heterotic effects, the cross combinations such as WL-711 x Aas-2011 followed by Janbaz x Aas-2011 by expressing maximum desirable negative relative heterosis and heterobeltiosis were found advantageous for days to 50% heading and days to 75% maturity; Janbaz x Aas-2011 exhibited desirable negative heterosis for plant height; Sunco x Marvi-2000 followed by Sunco x Janbaz manifested desirable positive heterosis for tillers plant-1; Sunco x Janbaz for peduncle length, spike length and grain yield plant-1; Janbaz x Marvi-2000 for spikelets spike-1 and grains spike-1; Sunco x Pak-81 for grain weight spike-1 and seed index. The superiority of the above crosses over their better parents indicated their worth for hybrid crop development.