This study was aimed to determine the types and levels of variability, heritability, genetic progress, relationships between yield and the features that contribute to it, and some key indicators of terminal heat stress tolerance. Twenty different wheat genotypes were planted in the fields over the course of six different treatments spaced 10 days interval following a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. A high degree of significant variation was observed for all the characters studied. Estimates of the genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) revealed that the phenotypic coefficient of variation was higher than the genotypic coefficient of variation, which indicates a large effect of environment on the expression of the characters studied. The highest estimates of PCV and GCV were observed for grain yield/plant followed by the number of tillers/plant. Heritability estimates revealed that characters like pollen fertility and sterility exhibited the highest heritability followed by days to maturity. The genetic advance was higher for grains/plants followed by plant height. Grain yield showed significant and positive phenotypic and genotypic correlations with grains/plant and 100-grain weight. Phenotypic path analysis revealed a significant direct positive effect of 100-grain weight on grain yield. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the first five components having greater than one Eigenvalue contributed to 83.41% variability. The heat stress tolerance indices revealed that Bijoy and BARI Gom-25 had the lowest tolerance index (TOL), stress susceptibility index (SSI) values and highest yield susceptibility index (YSI) values which show more tolerance and less susceptibility to terminal heat stress and produce moderate grain yield under terminal heat stress. Balaka and Shughat had the highest mean productivity (MP), geometric mean productivity (GMP), and stress tolerance index (STI) values and produce high yields under terminal heat stress conditions.
Key words: Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), terminal heat stress, genetic variability, correlation and path analysis.
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