Abstract
Wheat is the most important cereal crop in Ethiopia ranking third in terms of area after teff and maize and second in terms of production after maize. Six local wheat varieties cultivated in South Gondar, one of the 11 zones found in Amhara region, were collected from the local farmers to study their variability, heritability and trait associations using 12 agro-morphological traits. The studied genotypes were grown in main rain season of 2014/2015 at Farta district in a complete randomized block design with three replications. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed the presence of highly significant difference that revealed the presence of high genetic variability of wheat in the study area. The highest yield was recorded from the local variety Ferno with 1957 kg/ha followed by Chekole (1588.33 kg) and Canada Sendie (1580.7 kg). Higher value of genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) were recorded in most of the studied traits indicating the selection may be effective from these traits and phenotypic expression would be good indication of the genotypic potential. Broad sense heritability estimates were very high for most traits signifying the possibility of success in the selection. Correlation study revealed that the number of tillers per plant, number of seeds per plant and harvest index had positive and highly significant correlation with grain yield. The present investigation confirms the presence of high genetic variability in the study area which deserves conservation and formulation of breeding strategy for improving the productivity of wheat in the country. Key words: Local wheat varieties, agro-morphological traits, genetic variability, correlation.
Highlights
Wheat is one of the most important cereals world-wide and it is grown in many areas (Briggle and Curtis, 1987)
Mean square of genotypes for all the studied characters, except number of fertile tillers per plant, have highly significant (P < 0.0001) differences among the studied local wheat varieties (Table 2) indicating the existence of sufficient genetic variability within different genotypes to be exploited in the breeding programs that was reflected in the broad ranges observed for each traits
Significant variation was recorded in all traits except for tillers per plant and numbers of spikelets/m2 that could indicate the presence of high wheat genetic variability in the study area
Summary
Wheat is one of the most important cereals world-wide and it is grown in many areas (Briggle and Curtis, 1987) It has been described as the ‘King of Cereals’ because of the acreage it occupies, high productivity and the prominent position it holds in the international food grain trade (Food and Agriculture Organization [FAO], 2004). Wheat is a temperate crop, even currently, it is becoming the most important cereals grown on a large scale in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world (Onwueme and Sinha, 1999). This makes it the most suitable and commonly cultivated crop in South Gondar highland areas. According to South Gondar Agriculture and Rural Development Office, wheat has been the leading cultivated crop in the zone for longer years
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