Heterotic Performance and Inbreeding Depression for Yield and Component Traits in Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L. em.Thell.)

Aim: To determine the extent of heterosis, heterobeltiosis and inbreeding depression in bread wheat and identified superior cross combinations for hybrid seed production of wheat at commercial level.

Study Design: The evaluation was carried out in Randomized block design with three replications.

Place and Duration of Study: The experimental material was evaluated during Rabi 2021-22 at RARI, Durgapura.

Methodology: The ten genotypes of wheat viz. Raj 3077, Raj 4079, Raj 3765, PBW 343, PBW

590, DBW 17, HD 2967, HD 3059, WH 1021 and UP 2425 were selected and crossed in half diallel fashion (excluding reciprocals) during Rabi 2018-19 to produce F1’s. During kharif 2019, half of F1’s seed was raised at IARI Regional Station Wellington (Tamil Nadu) to get F2’s seed for

experimentation. The experimental unit comprising 10 parents along with their 45 F1’’s and 45 F2’s were evaluated during Rabi 2021-22 at RARI, Durgapura.

Results: The crosses Raj 4079 x Raj 3765, Raj 3765 x PBW 343, Raj 3765 x WH 1021, Raj 4079 x HD 2967, Raj 3765 x HD 2967 and Raj 4079 x PBW 343 exhibited significant and desired heterobeltiosis over better parent for grain yield per plant and also showed significant and desirable heterobeltiosis for most of other yield attributing characters. For grain yield Raj 3077 x HD 3059, PBW 590 x HD 2967 and HD 2967 x WH 1021 revealed significant and negative inbreeding depression.

Conclusion: Nature and magnitude of heterosis aids in recognizing superior cross combinations to get better transgressive segregants. Six superior hybrids may be exploited commercially for getting benefits of heterosis for grain yield and its other component traits in bread wheat.