Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Oct 14:15:1456062.
doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1456062. eCollection 2024.

The first assessment of grain yield and associated traits in durum wheat across a decade in Nepal

Dhruba Bahadur Thapa  1 , Mahesh Subedi  1 , Manoj Sapkota  2 , Suman Bohara  1 , Keshab Raj Pokhrel  1 , Laxman Aryal  1 , Basistha Acharya  1 , Santosh Tripathi  1 , Chhotelal Chaudhary  1 , Bramanti Mahato  1 , Krishna Timsina  1 , Velu Govindan  3 , Arun Kumar Joshi  3
Affiliations

The first assessment of grain yield and associated traits in durum wheat across a decade in Nepal

Dhruba Bahadur Thapa et al. Front Plant Sci. .

Abstract

Rapid urbanization and evolving dietary preferences have heightened the demand for durum wheat and its derivatives in developing nations like Nepal. This study represents the first comprehensive exploration and evaluation of durum wheat genotypes in Nepal, addressing the escalating need for high-yielding varieties. The primary objective was to identify stable and prolific durum wheat lines for release, enhancing Nepal's durum wheat breeding program. Utilizing genotypes from CIMMYT's disease screening and yield nurseries from 2011/12 to 2020/21, a total of 132 genotypes, including international checks, underwent evaluation over ten years under the Alpha Lattice design. Results revealed significant variation among genotypes for grain yield and other traits, identifying high-yielding and stable lines suitable for Nepal. Heritability analysis highlighted moderate heritability for grain number per spike, thousand-grain weight, and grain yield. Cluster analysis identified distinct clusters with high grain yield and desirable agronomic traits. Disease incidence facilitated the selection of resistant lines, with DWK38 emerging as the highest grain yielder (4416.04 kg/ha). Overall, durum wheat lines from CIMMYT exhibited robust performance in Nepal, enabling the identification of superior lines with potential benefits for farmers and consumers. The study's implications include developing and releasing superior durum lines in Nepal, providing farmers with profitable alternatives amidst evolving food habits. In conclusion, the findings from this study provide a valuable foundation for future durum wheat breeding efforts in Nepal, guiding the selection of genotypes that are well-suited to the diverse environmental challenges of the region.

Keywords: breeding; cluster analysis; durum wheat; genetic variation; yield.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Location and duration of the trials conducted in this study. (A) Map showing the location of the research stations where the trials were conducted. (B) Timeline graph showing the time periods of trials conducted.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Phenotypic correlation between grain yield and other phenological and yield attributing traits of 132 durum wheat genotypes tested from 2011/12 to 2020/21 in Nepal. (A) Heatmap representing phenotypic correlation matrix of all the studied traits. The significance levels below the correlation coefficient are *: p < 0.05, **: p < 0.01 and ***: p < 0.001. (B) Correlation network representing highly associated traits after correlation analysis.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Clustering of all durum wheat genotypes from 1st to 10th DWAVT based on BLUP values.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. ABD . (2014). Annual Report, (2013/14) (Khumaltar, Lalitpur, Nepal: Agriculture Botany Division, NARC; ).
    1. Abecassis J., Cuq B., Boggini G., Namoune H. (2012). “Other traditional durum-derived products,” in Durum Wheat Chemistry and Technology (AACC International, St. Paul, MN: ), 177–199.
    1. Allard R. W. (1999). Principles of plant breeding (Hoboken, New Jersey, USA: John Wiley & Sons; ).
    1. Başçıftçi Z. B., Kınacı G., Kınacı E. (2013). Genetic variability and heritability association with spike yield and related characters in durum wheat (Triticum durum (L.) Desf.). J. Food Agric. Environ. 11, 781–784.
    1. Beres B. L., Rahmani E., Clarke J. M., Grassini P., Pozniak C. J., Geddes C. M., et al. (2020). A systematic review of durum wheat: Enhancing production systems by exploring genotype, environment, and management (G× E× M) synergies. Front. Plant Sci. 11, 568657. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2020.568657 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources