Investigating the Association of Traits Influencing Yield and Micronutrient Content in F2 Generation of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Abstract

Wheat is a key food crop for the world, providing a lot of the energy we need. It gives us about 55% of our carbohydrates and 20% of our calories. Many people eat cereal grains as their main food, but they often lack enough nutrients. This causes malnutrition, which is also called “hidden hunger”. Micronutrient malnutrition arising from Zn and Fe deficiency has emerged as a serious health concern and it afflicts over 3 billion people globally. Zinc and Iron are very important for our health. Bio-fortification circumvents the hidden hunger by improving the micronutrient composition of food grains by either increasing its concentration in edible portions or enhancing its bio-availability. The present investigation was an attempt to decipher the association among traits and their contribution towards yield by correlation and path analysis. Findings showed that the number of grains in each spike and the amount of chlorophyll in the plants were strongly related to how much grain each plant produced in both F2 groups (Rajendra Genhu 4 × HD2967 and Rajendra Genhu 3 × HD2967). On the other hand, grain iron content was inversely related to the yield. The path analysis of both crosses showed that factors like plant height, days to 50 % flowering, days to maturity and chlorophyll content had a positive direct impact on the yield. However, the zinc and iron levels in the grain had a negative direct impact on the yield. These results inferred that number of grains per spike and chlorophyll content could be used in indirect selection for yield improvement.