Estimation of Genetic Parameters in F3 Segregating Spring Wheat Populations for Yield and Yield Related Traits

The knowledge about genetic diversity of wheat genotypes is useful for the development of efficient cultivars adapted to diverse conditions. Various genetic parameters like broad-sense heritability, expected selection response, and correlation analysis were estimated among 12 F3 spring wheat populations derived from eight parents. The 20 wheat genotypes exhibited highly significant differences (P≤ 0.01) for all the studied traits. BT4N-11 × Zam-2004 revealed maximum spikes plant-1, while highest spikelets and grains spike-1 were obtained for BTRF-1 × Zam-2004. BTRF-17 × Kohat-2010 and BT6N-5 × Kohat-2010 revealed maximum grain yield and harvest index plant-1, while BTRF-3 × Zam-2004 and BT4N-11 × Kohat-2010 showed maximum 1000-grain weight and biological yield plant-1 among 12 F3 populations. Moderate to high heritability estimates were obtained for all the studied traits among the evaluated 12 F3 populations. Principal component analysis revealed biological yield per plant (0.483), 1000-grain weight (0.586), and harvest index (0.601) as the major variability contributing traits. Correlation analysis for grain yield, biological yield, and 1000-grain weight exposed positive and significant associations among each other and also with other yield contributing traits. Hence, it is concluded that BT4N-11 × Zam-2004, BT4N-11 × Kohat-2010, BT6N-12 × Zam-2004 and BTRF-17 × Kohat-2010 exhibited high estimates of genetic parameters and multivariate analysis coupled with high mean performance for most of the yield traits among 12 F3 populations and therefore, should be further used as F4 populations for possible selection of desirable lines.