Analysis on Combining Ability of Metric Traits in Bread Wheat, Triticum Aestivum

Muhammad Aslam Chaudhry Muhammad Sajad and Muhammad Imtiaz Ashraf

Abstract
These studies were conducted in the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad during 2003-04. Combining ability studies were performed in a 5 x 5 complete diallel cross of five wheat genotypes for traits like plant height, flag leaf area, number of tillers per plant, peduncle length, spike density, number of spikelets per spike, spike length, number of grains per spike, 1000-grain weight and grain yield per plant. General combining ability variance was highly significant for all the characters studied except number of spikelets per spike and grain yield per plant where it was significant and non-significant for number of tillers per plant and 1000-grain weight. Specific combining ability variance was highly significant for all the characters except spike density, which was non-significant. Reciprocal effects were highly significant for number of spikelets per spike, number of grains per spike, 1000-grain weight and grain yield per plant, significant for spike density and spike length and non-significant for all other traits. Additive gene effects controlled the expression of all the traits as is evident by greater means squares for general combining ability except peduncle length where an expression of additive gene effects was noted.

Keywords: Triticum aestivum; genotypes; crossbreeding; agronomic characters; Pakistan.

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