Performance and yield stability of doubled haploid population of wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) under high temperature regime.

Abstract

Abstract India, the second most populated country and the largest wheat producer worldwide, is vulnerable to global warming especially heat stress. In the present investigation, the doubled haploid population derived from PBW343/IC252478 cross was characterized for various phenotypic and morpho-physiological traits and subjected to stability analysis under heat stress conditions. These lines were planted on a single location i.e., Agricultural farm of Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, India for two successive seasons 2017/2018 and, 2018/2019 under three different sowing dates (Controlled or timely, late and, very late sown conditions). Here, the location preferred for this study was because it represents a hotspot for wheat production and the major constraint for the wheat grower is inclining heat stress. The alpha lattice design was used for the current investigation with three replicates. The overall objective of this study was to identify the ideal double haploid lines for heat-stressed conditions. The results revealed that heat stress had a significant adverse impact on all considered traits contributed to overall yield losses of about 50%. Stability measurements, and genotype × environment interaction (GGE), were useful tools to determine the ideal lines for late sowing (heat stressed condition) and very late sowing condition (terminal heat stress). Therefore, in the ranking of genotypes for both mean yield and stability performance across the six environments, DH 71, DH 150, DH 64, DH 138, DH 98, DH 84, DH 62, DH 104, DH 74, DH 3, DH 104, DH 107 & DH 156 were ranked closest to ideal genotype, these were highly adapted, most stable, heat tolerant and high yielding lines indicating them as the most desirable genotypes out of 167 lines studied. Hence, the physiological traits SPAD index (Soil plant analysis development) and Canopy temperature (CT) can be used effectively to screen out the line for heat tolerance. In addition, the stable wheat genotypes identified could be used in the future wheat breeding programs.