Performance Evaluation of Ethiopian Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Genotypes in Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Ethiopia is not self-sufficient to meet its increasing wheat demand from domestic production partly due to a lack of improved seeds. Efforts are undertaken to fill the gap through off-season production of wheat using supplemental irrigation and modern cultivars adapted to arid areas. This study was carried out to evaluate the genetic variability and adaptability of 15 Ethiopian bread wheat genotypes at different agroecologies in Wolaita and Dawuro zones, Ethiopia. The field experiment was conducted at three locations using a randomized complete block design with three replications during the 2019/2020 main cropping season. Analysis of variance based on 11 morphological agronomic traits and two major wheat diseases revealed that there were highly significant differences ( P < 0.01 ) among the genotypes for all the traits studied at each location and combined over locations. The top three cultivars viz. Alidoro, Galema, and Honqolo exhibited higher average grain yield (GY) of 4.54 t/ha, 4.36 t/ha, and 4.0 t/ha, respectively, combined over locations. Eight of the traits (72.73%) exhibited moderate (30–60%) to high broad-sense heritability ( h b 2 > 60%) values. High h b 2 associated with high genetic advance as percent of mean was observed for the severity of both stem and yellow rust diseases combined over locations. GY was significantly related to aboveground biomass at all locations. This study depicted that cultivar Alidoro had wider adaptability for grain yield and resistance to wheat rusts.

Genotype-by-environment interaction and stability analysis of grain yield of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes using AMMI and GGE biplot analyses

“…Understanding this interaction can help breeders to develop more adaptable and high-yielding varieties. Similarly, previous studies showed differences among genotypes in terms of the number of days to maturity, number of days to heading, plant height, spike length, number of seeds per spike, thousand seed weight, and grain yield per plots [ 22 , 23 ]. Other studies on bread wheat [ 14 , 83 ] also showed highly significant differences among genotypes, which aligns with the findings of our study.…”

“…However, closing the gap between supply and demand to improve bread wheat production level and self-sufficiency is a primary national goal [ 21 ]. Plant breeders are always trying to improve grain yield, quality, and adaptability to both abiotic and biotic stresses [ [22] , [23] , [24] ].…”

Exploitation of the Genetic Variability of Diverse Metric Traits of Durum Wheat (Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum Desf.) Cultivars for Local Adaptation to Semi-Arid Regions of Algeria

“…This study has revealed varying levels of CV g in durum wheat germplasm, with some traits exhibiting high-to-moderate CV g values, offering opportunities for improvement through selective breeding. Conversely, the CV g estimates were low for other traits, implying limited genetic variability that may hinder traditional selective breeding methods [37]. Additionally, the difference between CV p and CV g values has highlighted the influence of environmental factors on trait variability, particularly for traits like CC, MT, FLA, and yield components, excluding TKW.…”