Genotypic and Phenotypic Variability in Barley Under Rainfed Conditions

Genotypic and phenotypic variability in a varietal collection of barley has been studied under rainfed conditions. Plant height, number of tillers, number of ears, number of grains per plant, and grain yield per plant showed a wide range of variability. The genotypic coefficient of variation was higher in the case of number of ears per plant, number of grains per plant, and grain yield per plant than for other characters. High heritability values (broad sense) were obtained for plant height, number of tillers, number of grains per plant, 100 seed weight, and grain yield per plant, whereas ear length and number of ears per plant gave lower estimates of this value. High heritability seemed to be associated with high genetic gain, which may be attributed to considerable additive gene effects.