Genetic Analysis of Agronomic Traits in Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.): Insights from Generation mean Analysis and Heritability Estimates | ||||
Journal of Plant Production | ||||
Article 6, Volume 16, Issue 7, July 2025, Page 421-427 PDF (870.67 K) | ||||
Document Type: Original Article | ||||
DOI: 10.21608/jpp.2025.404258.1490 | ||||
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Authors | ||||
M. M. M. Yassin ![]() | ||||
1Wheat Research Department, Field Crops Research Institute (FCRI), Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Egypt | ||||
2Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research institute, Agricultural Research Center, Egypt | ||||
Abstract | ||||
This study investigated the genetic inheritance of key agronomic traits in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) using generation mean analysis. Four wheat crosses (Line 1 × Misr 1, Line 1 × Sakha 95, Sakha 94 × Misr 1, and Sakha 94 × Sakha 95) were evaluated over four seasons at Sakha Agricultural Research Station, Egypt. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications was used to assess five populations (P1, P2, F1, F2, and F3) of the four crosses. The evaluated traits included plant height, number of spikes per plant, average coefficient of infection (ACI), kernels per spike, 100-kernel weight, and grain yield. F1 plants exhibited significant heterosis for most traits, with plant height increasing by 12–18% over the taller parent. F2 and F3 showed a decline in traits such as grain yield and plant height due to genetic segregation. Grain yield in F1 was 15–20% higher than the best parent but dropped by 10–25% in F3. Scaling tests revealed significant epistatic interactions, particularly for plant height, spikes per plant, and kernel weight, confirming the involvement of non-allelic interactions. Broad-sense heritability was high (>75%) for most traits, while narrow-sense heritability was moderate (30–50%), indicating contributions from both additive and non-additive gene effects. The highest genetic advance was observed for ACI (28.59%), suggesting effective selection for yellow rust resistance. These findings provide critical insights for wheat breeding, emphasizing the need for delayed selection to stabilize yield-related traits in later generations due to significant epistatic interactions. | ||||
Keywords | ||||
Wheat; Gene Effects; Heritability; Scaling Test; Grain Yield; Yellow Rust; Epistasis | ||||
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