Vol. 9, Issue 2, Part G (2025)

Wheat plays a crucial role in global food security, particularly in India, where it is the second most cultivated cereal. Enhancing wheat productivity requires a thorough understanding of the relationships among yield-contributing traits. This study assessed 67 wheat genotypes (27 F₁s, 27 F₂s, 9 lines, 3 testers, and 1 check) developed using a Line × Tester mating design. The experiment, conducted at BRDPG College, Deoria, followed a randomized block design with three replications, evaluating 14 agronomic traits. Except for number of effective tillers per plant, which was 0.51 in F₁ and 0.83 in F₂, and grain weight per spike, which was 0.70 in F₁ and 0.77 in F₂, the mean squares resulting from the treatments were very significant for every trait studied. The high estimates of phenotypic coefficient of variation (>35%) are found for harvest index (37.10) and no. of grain per spike (35.29) in F₁. And high estimates of phenotypic coefficient of variation (>35%) are found for no. of grain per spike (38.48) in F₂. The high estimate of heritability in broad sense (>90%) was recorded for characters like- grain weight per spike (97.59), harvest index (%) (96.15), number of grain per spike (95.85), number of effective tiller per plant (95.59), peduncle length (93.53), test weight (92.59), grain yield per plant (92.19) and flag leaf area (cm2) (90.19) in F₁ and a similar pattern was also noted inF₂. The high estimates of Genetic Advance as percent of Mean were found in the characters like harvest index and no. of grain per spike in F₁ and F₂. High heritability and genetic advance for key traits like harvest index and grain number indicate strong potential for yield improvement.