Morpho-genetic studies on indigenous wheat genotypes at agro-climatic conditions of Haripur

This study was carried out at the research fields of The University of Haripur, during 2014-15 to evaluate three high yielding genotypes on the basis of their morphological characters using randomized complete block (RCB) design in three replications. Data were documented on ten traits viz., days to maturity (days), plant height (cm), flag leaf area (cm), days to flowering initiation (days), stem girth (mm), number of tillers plant (#), spike length (cm), spikelet’s spike (#), seeds spike (#) and 1000-seed weight (g). Highly significant differences were detected among the tested wheat genotypes for all the studied traits. Data for days to maturity ranged from 166 to 171 days, for plant height 82.3 to 103.6 cm, for flag leaf area 67.8 to 88.2 cm, for days to flower initiation 104 to 114.7 days, for stem girth 4.8 to 5.2 mm, for number of tillers plant 12 to 15.6 tillers, for spike length 11.9 to 12.0 cm, for spikelets spike 19.4 to 22.3 spikelets, for seeds spike 50.3 to 58.2 seeds and for 1000-seed weight 38.2 to 53.8 g. Generally, high heritability was estimated for the studied traits which varied from 57 % to 99 %. Days to flower initiation exhibited highest heritability value, whereas, minimum heritability was recorded for number of tillers plant. Based on the results of the current study, genotype Pirsabak-08 could be recommended for general cultivation in the agro-climatic conditions of Haripur.


Introduction
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and its products are the main components of our daily diet.It's a source of staple food for many countries worldwide and enjoys special status due to its nutritional benefits.It consists of approximately 55% carbohydrates and 20% of food calories ingested altogether, which makes it the major contributor of calories in the world's diet [1].Likewise in Pakistan, wheat occupies around 9.039 million hectares of agricultural land with an annual outcome of 25.2856 million tons, makes Pakistan the 7 th largest producer in the world.It shares about 13.7% to the value added in agriculture and 3% to GDP of the country [2].However, wheat production is not progressing with a reasonable pace due to many biotic and abiotic factors [3].Hence, it has been a growing concern in wheat breeders to develop high yielding varieties with desirable genetic makeup to oppress the utilization burden of ever increasing population High heritability coupled with genetic advance for important traits in wheat help the breeders in their selection programs and guide them to proceed in the right direction [6].Although, research material comprised of high yielding varieties however, their relative performance in Haripur is unknown.Keeping in view the above mentioned facts, this research was initiated with the intentions to; i) evaluate wheat genotypes for morphological characters in the agroclimatic conditions of Haripur ii) to select promising genotype based on its performance for general cultivation in Haripur iii) to estimate heritability of various traits to improve grain yield in future breeding programs.

Materials and methods
Present experiment was carried out at the experimental farms of The University of Haripur, during crop season of 2014-15.Research material comprised of three high yielding genotypes viz., Pirsabak-05, Pirsabak-08 and Pirsabak-13.Genotypes were planted in RCB design with three replications in three rows per each genotype.Data were recorded on days to maturity, plant height, flag leaf area, days to flowering initiation, stem girth, number of tillers plant - 1 , spike length, number of spikelet's spike -1 , number of seeds spike -1 and 1000-seed weight.Analyses of variance for the said traits were done following procedure of Steel and Torrie [7].Heritability in broad sense was estimated by calculating genetic and environmental variance components using the following formulas.  (  ) Broad sense heritability (h 2 ) was estimated using following formula:

Results and discussion
Variance and mean performance Analysis of variance revealed that genotypes had considerable differences for all the studied traits (Table 2) indicating the presence of sufficient amount of variation among genotypes for these parameters.The broad spectrum of ranges for various traits also vindicated the diverse nature of genotypes.) was observed in Pirsabak-08, whereas, small flag leaf area (67.8 cm 2 ) was observed for genotype Pirsabak-13.Genotype Prisabak-05 took maximum days to flowering (114 days), whereas, least days to flower initiation (104 days) were displayed by genotype Pirsabak-13.On the other hand, maximum stem girth (5.2 mm) was observed in Pirsabak-08, whereas, minimum stem girth (4.8 mm) was displayed by Pirsabak-13.Productive tillers are the key selection trait, which could directly raise the grain yield in wheat [6].Plants with more tillers are the ultimate attraction for the breeders in irrigated condition.However, plants having few tillers could effectively cope in drought conditions and hence are well-suited for rain-fed areas.Mean value for number of tillers plant -1 varied from 12 to 12.7 tillers (Table 1).Genotype Pirsabak-13 exhibited maximum number of tillers plant -1 (12.7 tillers), whereas, least number of tillers plant -1 (12 tillers) was observed for genotype Pirsabak-08.Spike length is an important component of yield which contributes towards the grain.Long spikes offer more room for grains and hence, will ultimately produce large number of seeds which is significantly reflected in yield.Spike length varied from 11.9 to 12 cm.Maximum spike length (12 cm) was observed in Pirsabak-13, whereas, short length spikes (11.9 cm) were displayed by Pirsabak-08 (Table 1).Spikelets spike -1 is important because it directly affects the yield.Genotypes with high number of spikelets spike [4].Selection is the basis of any breeding program.Effective selection increases the chances of success.Heritability, a measure of the phenotypic variance attributable to genetic causes, has predictive function of breeding crops [5].
Our results are in line with the findings reported earlier by Cheema et al.Mean values for plant height ranged from 82.34 to 103 cm.Genotype Pirsabak-08 had the tallest plants (103 cm), whereas, short plant height (82 cm) was displayed by Pirsabak-05 (Table 1).Flag leaf area is the main photosynthetic spot during the grain filling stage, providing 41 to 43 % of dry matter to the seed which eventually results an enhanced grain weight [12].Average flag leaf area ranged from 67.8 to 88.2 cm 2 (Table.1).Maximum flag leaf area (88.2 cm 2

Table 2 . Means Square value, Variance components and heritability (h 2 ) for different parameters
EMS=Error Mean Square; Vg= Genotypic variance; Vp= Phenotype variance; h 2 = HeritabilityConclusionsResults revealed considerable genetic diversity among genotypes for the studied traits.All attributes manifested significant differences for genotypes having high broad sense heritability.Hence, genotypes having high heritability could be used in perfecting various important plant attributes in future cultivar development program.Overall, genotype Pirsabak-08 dominated other genotypes in various traits and could be considered for general cultivation in the agro-climatic conditions of Haripur.