ANALYZING WHEAT VARIETY NAWAB-21 FOR AGRONOMIC, PATHOLOGICAL AND ZINC BIOFORTIFICATION ATTRIBUTES UNDER MULTILOCATIONAL TRIALS

Wheat variety Nawab-21 is one of the elite genotypes of CIMMYT germplasm Harvest plus yield trial (7-HPYT, 2016-17) with high zinc contents and more yield potential as compared to earlier evolved biofortified and non-biofortified wheat varieties. The variety was initially screened out at the Regional Agricultural Research Institute, Bahawalpur, Pakistan in station yield trials, where it gave 5537 kg ha-1grain yield which was 11% higher than the check varieties. In multi-locational yield trials, the variety’s yield potential was recorded as 7007 kg ha-1 in Alipur region. The variety also came-up when tested in National Wheat Disease Screening Nursery’s (NWDSN) for disease (rusts) resistance in both years of national uniform wheat yield trials (NUWYT 2019-20 and 2020-21). Nawab-21 is medium in maturity with head emerging from the flag leaf between 90-95 days and matures within 140-145 days.