Vol. 11, Issue 12 (2022)

Author(s):
Kaveri Chawan, NV Kayande and Swati G Bharad

Abstract:
Wheat is one of the world's most important cereal crops. Wheat contains 8-11 percent protein and also provides dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals to the human diet. However, the current wheat scenario is not favorable due to more susceptible diseases affecting wheat yield and resulting in lower yield. Therefore, heterosis in wheat crops can be used to solve these issues. Heterosis is the superiority of progeny from both parents. In a line x tester mating fashion, four lines of bread wheat were crossed with eight testers to produce 32 F1 hybrids, which were evaluated with parents and one standard check during Rabi 2018–2019. The experiment was carried out in a Randomized Blocks Design with three replications at the Wheat Research Unit by Dr. PDKV Akola. The study revealed the detailed understanding of the extent of useful heterosis observed within the available genetic variability and an idea about the combining ability of the parents for various characters studied. The study would help in determining the breeding strategy for further improvement in wheat.