Genetic Diversity and Traits Association in Tetraploid and Hexaploid Wheat Genotypes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan

Abstract

Information regarding the magnitude of variability as well as the correlation among agronomically important traits renders the basis for development of a successful crop improvement program. An experiment containing 16 wheat genotypes (8 durum and 8 spring wheat) was conducted in crop season of year 2015-2016, at The University of Agriculture, Peshawar. The experimental design used was a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The parameters under study were days to heading, days to maturity, flag leaf area, plant height, tillers m-2, spikes m-2, spikelets spike-1, 1000-grain weight, grain yield and harvest index. Among the genotypes for various study traits, statistically significant differences were observed. Except for the flag leaf area and days to maturity, durum vs. spring wheat contrast was significant for all other studied parameters. The flag leaf area of durum wheat was more than that of spring wheat and it took fewer days to initiate heading as well. In contrast, spring wheat genotypes had more average plant height, tillers m-2, spikes m-2, 1000-grain weight, grain yield and harvest index than durum wheat genotypes. Correlation analysis revealed that tillers m-2 and spikes m-2 had significantly positive association with grain yield while grain yield had significantly strong positive association with harvest index in tested germplasm. Durum genotypes DWE3 and DWE7 performed best for yield contributing traits while spring wheat verities, Janbaz, Barsat and Shahkar outperformed others in terms of 1000-grain weight, grain yield, and harvest index, respectively. These genotypes are recommended to be further tested at multi-locations to check for wider adaptability and a possible use in future wheat breeding programs in the area.