INHERITANCE OF PLANT HEIGHT, YIELD AND YIELD RELATED TRAITS IN BREAD WHEAT

Abstract

Understanding the inheritance mechanism of yield and yield related traits is a prerequisite for genetic improvement of wheat. A total of 23 wheat genotypes including 14 F₁ hybrids and 9 parents were grown under normal conditions in the field of Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad during crop season 2012-13. Combining ability analysis was used to calculate GCA and SCA effects. Plant height was controlled by non-additive gene action while fertile tillers per plant, spike length, spikelets per spike, number of grains per spike, grain weight per spike and yield per plant showed higher GCA effects than SCA indicating involvement of additive gene action in expression of these traits. Thousand grain weight was controlled by both additive and non-additive gene action. Association among the traits showed that number of fertile tillers per plant, grains per spike and grain weight per spike had more contribution in wheat grain yield.