ASSESSMENT OF HERITABILITY ESTIMATES FOR SOME YIELD TRAITS IN WINTER WHEAT (TRITICUM AESTIVUM L.)

Abstract

Information about the genetic variability and other associated parameters for different traits is very useful in crop improvement programs. Yield components and some morphological characters were studied in an experiment comprising 42 winter wheat genotypes. The experiment was laid out in RCB design in 2004-05 at the New Development Farm of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agricultural University Peshawar. Mean values, genotypic and phenotypic variances, broad sense heritability and genetic advance were calculated for all the traits. Moderate to very low and high heritabilities were estimated for all the morphological characters except days to 50% physiological maturity. Grain yield exhibited highest heritability value of 92.45% while harvest index and days to 50% physiological maturity showed minimum values 27.55% and 15.42% respectively. High heritability estimates were observed for grain yield and biological yield. Genetically the data revealed highly significant mean squares for all the characters i.e., tiller plant(-1), plant height, days to 50% physiological maturity, grain weight, grain yield, biological yield and harvest index which suggested the presence of genetic difference among the winter wheat genotypes.