Estimation the extent of heterosis in elite wheat cultivars of Pakistan

Abstract

Heterosis has been a popular technique for boosting crop production, and breeders are always interested to find parental lines with improved cross performance among the many hybrid combinations available. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted at Botanical Garden, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam during the Rabi season of 2019-20. A set of six female lines (TD-1, TJ-83, Kiran-95, Khirman, NIA-Amber, and NIA-Sundar) were crossed with three male testers (Benazir, Pakistan-2013, and NIA-Sarang) into line × tester fashion; consequently, 18 F1 hybrids were produced. Eleven agronomical characters were studied for heterosis extent in intraspecific crosses of wheat. Results: The desirable negative heterosis was recorded for maturity and plant height traits, however, positive mid and better parent heterosis was recorded for all other agronomical traits. Considering the heterotic effects for grain yield plant-1, the best parent heterosis was ranged from 41.18% (Kiran-95 × NIA-Sarang) to65.34% (TJ-83 × Benazir). Conclusions: The crosses TD-1 × Benazir, TJ-83 × NIA-Sarang, TD-1 × NIA-Sarang, and Khirman × Pakistan-2013 showed the highest heterosis against a better parent for grain yield and its related parameters, displaying the genetic resources these crosses possess for heterosis breeding.