Study of Genetic Component of Variability for Yield and its Attributing Traits in Gamma ray induced Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Mutant Genotypes

Current study was performed on 34 stable mutant genotypes along with two checks, viz., HD 2967 and GW 322, which were evaluated for 17 traits in a randomized block design at the agricultural research farm of RVSKVV, Gwalior (M.P.) during the rabi season of 2023-24 to estimate genetic component of variability included PCV, GCV, heritability, and genetic advance among various traits of bread wheat mutant genotypes. An analysis of variance showed a highly significant (p<0.01) difference among the tested mutant genotypes for all considered traits. The PCV values were higher than GCV values for all the traits included in this study. High PCV and GCV were observed for biological yield per plot, and grain yield per plot, suggesting the possibility of improving these grain yield components and total grain yield through selection. Yield contributing traits such as grain weight per spike, 1000 grain weight, grain number per spike, biological yield per plot, and grain yield per plot have high heritability coupled with high genetic advance as a percent of mean, signifying that these characters show additive gene action in their expression. Whereas flag leaf area, number of tillers per meters, and spike length had moderately high heritability and moderate genetic advance as a percent of mean. The magnitude of the genetic variability for the productive traits implied that direct selection for yield components and improvement in total grain yield is feasible through selection.