Assessing the phenotypic variation, heritability and genetic advance in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) candidate lines grown under rainfed semi-arid region of Algeria

Abstract

The genetic improvement of any breeding population largely depends upon the magnitude of genetic variability present. This study was carried out to estimate parameters of the genetic variation among 13 quantitative traits of bread wheat evaluated at INRAA-Setif institute (Algeria) during the 2020–2021 crop season in a rainfed environment. 34 genotypes including four control checks were planted in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Genotypes showed significant variations for almost all the studied traits. Proline content, spikes weight, and grain yield exhibited a high genotypic coefficient of variation along with moderate to high heritability coupled with a high genetic gain, suggesting the implication of additive gene action. The number of spikes, spikes weight, and thousand kernel weight were significantly and positively correlated with grain yield at both phenotypic and genotypic levels. Path analysis results showed that spikes weight is an important route through which most of the measured traits influenced indirectly grain yield. Lines L1, L20, L28, L16, and L18 exhibited a sizeable grain yield advantage, which suggests they are potential candidates for future release and could be incorporated into the wheat breeding programs as parents to improve yield in the rainfed environments of Algeria

Efficiency of index-based selection for potential yield in durum wheat [<em>Triticum turgidum</em> (L.) ssp. <em>turgidum convar. durum</em> (Desf.) Mackey] lines

“…Breeding potential genotypes that have the capacity to produce better yields under a such growth conditions seems to be the most societally acceptable, cheapest and rapidly adopted approach to ameliorate the total production (Lamara et al, 2022). Grain yield is a polygenic complex trait and is highly influenced by the environmental fluctuations.…”

Correlation and Path Analyses in F4 Segregating Populations of Bread Wheat for Grain Yield and Its Attributes

“…According to Lamara et al (2022), due to the robust and positive connection between the features, selection for one trait would directly affect the expression of another; it promotes fast choosing and breeding program progress. Analyzing correlation coefficients can determine which attributes are most strongly related and in which directions.…”

Exploitation of the Genetic Variability of Diverse Metric Traits of Durum Wheat (Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum Desf.) Cultivars for Local Adaptation to Semi-Arid Regions of Algeria

“…Genetic and non-genetic parameters, such as phenotypic (CV p ) and genotypic coefficient of variation (CV g ), along with heritability (h 2 bs ), serve as valuable biometric indicators for assessing the genetic variation and adaptability within a germplasm collection. They provide insights into the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to observed variations in specific traits among individuals [19][20][21].…”