ESTIMATES OF GENETIC VARIABILITY AMONG SELECTED WHEAT (TRITICUM AESTIVUM L.) GENOTYPES
Abstract
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a vital cereal crop that supports global food security, yet its production in Nigeria remains constrained by climate variability, soil degradation, and biotic stresses. Limited genetic diversity among locally available wheat genotypes further affects breeding efforts aimed at improving yield and resilience. This study evaluated the genetic variability of ten wheat genotypes sourced from the Lake Chad Research Institute, Maiduguri, under field conditions at the Experimental Field of the Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko. Data were collected on key morphological and yield traits, including emergence percentage, plant height, number of tillers, flag leaf length, spike length, spikelets per spike, seeds per spike, grain weight, and grain yield. Analysis of variance revealed significant (P ≤ 0.05) variability for most traits, except days to heading, spikelets per spike, and days to maturity. The mean performance revealed among all genotypes, G8 consistently outperformed others, producing the highest number of spikes per plant (6.33), spikelets per spike (7.33), seeds per spike (20.44), and grain yield (6.27 g). Phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) ranged from 7.93% (grain weight) to 36.74% (spikelets per spike), while genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) ranged from 2.62% (days to heading) to 35.67% (flag leaf length). High broad-sense heritability (>60%) was recorded for traits such as flag leaf length (95.54%), grain weight, and grain yield, alongside high genetic advance as a percentage of the mean (GAM) for emergence percentage, spike length, seeds per spike, and grain yield. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed a strong positive association (r = 0.88**) between seeds per spike and grain yield, indicating its potential as a key selection criterion in breeding programs. These findings show the presence of substantial genetic variability among the evaluated wheat genotypes, offering valuable opportunities for breeding high-yielding, stress-tolerant varieties.
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