Yield performance under two irrigation regimes in a set of doubled haploids derived from wheat parents differing in adaptation to water stress conditions

BC₁F₁ plants of cross HD 2967/Excalibur//HD 2967 were used to generate a doubled haploid population with the objective of introgressing elements of drought tolerance from Australian cultivar Excalibur in HD 2967, widely grown wheat in irrigated conditions of North Western Plains Zone of India. Yield performance of 32 DH lines along with Indian and exotic checks and parental lines was evaluated in irrigated and rainfed conditions for two seasons (2013–14 and 2014–15). GGE biplot analysis revealed that the two environments (irrigated and rainfed) within seasons clustered together while the two seasons differed greatly in overall mean as well as genotypic ranking. Wheat cultivar PBW 644 emerged as most stable entry while high yielding doubles haploids showing seasonal specificity as well as stable ones could be identified. The mean yield advantage shown by DH 984 and DH963 over recipient parent HD 2967 was 11.8% and 10.5% respectively. Strategy for introgression (from less productive but specifically adapted donor), along with rapid fixation facilitated by DH production, followed by evaluation in multiple environments, as pursued in this experiment, proved to be an effective strategy.