Yield and Agronomic Performance of CIMMYT Improved Wheat Nurseries in South Western Uganda

Abstract Wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) production levels in Uganda are very low and do not meet the huge national demands. This is partly attributed to the lack of improved and end user acceptable varieties. To meet the demand, most of the wheat is imported, costing Uganda valuable foreign exchange. This import burden could potentially be addressed by increasing access to improved varieties among farmers. This study evaluated the performance of three CIMMYT improved wheat nurseries (18TH STEMRRSN, 15TH HZAN, 41ST SAWSN) alongside two locally grown varieties (Kyehure Mixed and Kacumu) at Kabale University in Southwestern Uganda for three growing seasons between 2024 and 2025. Apart from spike circumference, nurseries had a significant effect on yield and other agronomic traits evaluated ( P ≤ 0.05). The nursery 18TH STEMRRSN had the highest yield of 7.9 t/ha. This yield was 64.8% hgiher than the yield of local varieties, but there was no difference among improved nurseries.The nursery 18TH STEMRRSN had the highest 1,000-grain weight, was stable in terms of yield across the three seasons, was resistant to lodging because of their short height, and had moderate field resistance to wheat stem rust. Therefore, 18TH STEMRRSN has the potential to improve wheat production in Uganda. More studies on improved wheat genotypes across seasons and in different locations in Uganda are necessary before recommendations for widespread adoption are made.