AN EVALUATION OF AN EARLY GENERATION YIELD TESTING PROCEDURE IN TRITICUM AESTIVUM

Abstract

The effectiveness of assessing unreplicated F3 lines for yield in a wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cross was determined by the regression and correlation between F3 lines and related F4 bulk means, and between F3 lines and related F5 family means. The correlation and regression coefficients obtained between F3 line and F4 bulk mean yield expressed as a percentage of adjacent control were 0.59** and 0.39**, respectively. The correlation and regression coefficients obtained between F3 line and F5 family mean yield expressed as a percentage of control were 0.56* and 0.39*, respectively. By growing a large sample of the progeny of each F3 genotype adjacent to a control, it was possible to discriminate among F3 lines for heritable quantitative differences.