Assessment of Genetic Variability and Morphological Characterization of Wheat Cultivar under South Eastern Plain of Rajasthan

Background: Wheat is the prime and staple food in the world as well as India and it is grown in peninsular zone of India. The production of wheat was suffered due to biotic and abiotic factors in the country. Therefore, the present study was focused on assessing the genetic variability and morphological characterization among the cultivar under south eastern plain of Rajasthan. Methods: Thirty-two cultivars of wheat were evaluated in RBD with four replications during rabi season 2022-23 at AICRP on Seed (Crops), Agriculture University, Kota, Rajasthan. Result: Significant differences were observed among the cultivars for all traits studied. A wide range of variation was noted for most of these traits. The phenotypic variance for most traits closely matched the corresponding genotypic variance, indicating minimal environmental influence on their expression. High broad-sense heritability (%) combined with substantial genetic advance as a percentage of the mean was observed for traits such as biological yield per plant (g), number of grains per spike, harvest index (%) and grain yield per plant (g), suggesting these traits would respond well to selection. Grain yield per plant (g) showed a significant positive correlation at both phenotypic and genotypic levels with biological yield per plant (g) (0.744; 0.709), test weight (g) (0.436; 0.402) and days to maturity (0.249; 0.230). Biological yield per plant (g) had the strongest direct positive effect on grain yield per plant (g) at both levels (1.478; 1.282), followed by harvest index (%) (0.880; 0.904). These traits are recommended as key selection criteria for improving yield and ensuring stable performance in wheat cultivars.