Studies on Variability, Heritability and Genetic Advance in Some Quantitative Characters in Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

An experiment was conducted on genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance in wheat population including 48 F1’s + 48 F2’s + 16 parents in RBD during Rabi 2014-15. Analysis of variance for the design of experiments revealed that mean squares due to treatments were highly significant for all the ten characters studied, while mean squares due to replications were non-significant in both F1 and F2 generations. The high estimates of phenotypic and genotypic coefficient of variation (>20%) were recorded for grain yield per plant and biological yield per plant only in F1 generation. Whereas, in F2 generation moderate estimates (10-20%) of PCV and GCV observed in grain yield per plant and biological yield per plant, whereas number of effective tillers per plant and plant height in both F1 and F2 generations exhibited moderate PCV and GCV. High estimates of heritability was observed for plant height followed by 1000 grain weight, days to maturity and grain yield per plant in both F1 and F2 generation. Genetic advance in per cent of mean were high for grain yield per plant, biological yield per plant, plant height in both F1 and F2, whereas, number of effective tillers per plant in F1 only, which in fact demonstrated the presence of additive gene effects indicating effectiveness of selection for improvement of these traits.