Combining Ability and Heterosis Analysis for Grain Yield and Yield Components in Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Abstract

Bread wheat is the primary strategic crop relied upon for human food sustainability. Therefore, this study was conducted to produce superior hybrids with yield characteristics and adaptability to environmental conditions. A semi-reciprocal cross was performed between six bread wheat varieties (IPA 99, IPA 95, Abu Ghraib 3, Fatih, Tahaddi, and Takka 1). These varieties and their hybrids were grown in four environments to study their compatibility, hybrid vigor, and the nature of gene influence in the parents and their hybrids regarding yield characteristics and components. The results showed the presence of additive and non-additive gene influences controlling the traits. The effects of additive genes were more pronounced for plant height, spike length, and number of grains per spike, and less so for the number of stalks per plant. Additive and dominance effects were equal for 1000-grain weight and grain yield per plant. The parents IPA 99 and Taka 1 showed the best overall combination for all traits except the number of stalks per plant. The hybrid (IPA 99 × Abu Ghraib 3) also demonstrated the best results. The IPA 95 × Fatih cross exhibited moderately high performance and specific combination ability and hybrid vigor effects in desirable directions for a wide range of traits. This can be leveraged to develop high-yielding hybrid varieties and to capitalize on hybrid vigor. Heritability in the narrow sense was high for all traits except for the number of branches per plant, which was low. Therefore, superior hybrids in yield traits can be utilized in most environments to increase bread wheat production.