Evaluation of heterosis for yield and yield related traits in bread wheat (TRiticum aestivum L.)

An experiment was conducted to assess the magnitude of heterosis for grain yield and other traits at Crop Research Centre of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut (U.P.). Twenty four parents viz., C 306, Unnathalna, PBW 226, PBW 502, UP 2382, PBW 550, DBW 16, DBW 17, WH 542, WH 711, HD 2687, WCW 95-3, WCW 95-2, WCW 98–41, PBW 175, UP 2425, Raj 3765, HD 2329, PBW 590 and UP 2338 were used as line and four adopted line viz., WH 1021, PBW 343, Halna and PBW 373 were used as tester. All the parents along with their F₁s, eighty obtained by crossing in line x tester mating design were evaluated during rabi 2008– 2010 for grain yield per plant and other contributing traits. The objective was Out of eighty crosses, five crosses Unnathalna X WH 1021, Raj 3765 X WH 1021, C306 X PBW 373, WCW 95-3 X Halna and WH 542 X Halna did express high heterosis, high mean performance as well as high sca effects for grain yield as well as days to 50% flowering, plant height, tillers per plant, biological yield per plant, grain number per spike, 1000 grain weight. Hence, these crosses could be the most potential crosses for exploitation of the heterosis to have high yield and major yield contributing traits.