Identification of Climate-smart Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Germplasm for Highland Wheat Growing Areas of Ethiopia

Abstract

Wheat is one of the most widely cultivated and successful crop species worldwide and is pivotal in the global food system. This study aims to determine high-yielding advanced bread wheat genotypes and releases best-performing genotypes across different wheat-growing areas of Ethiopia as a new variety for end users. The BLUP analysis shows Enawari had the highest grain yield followed by Robe Arsi, ChefeDonsa, Kulumsa, in 2022, and Debre Markos in 2023. Holeta genotypes had the lowest yield in 2021. In 2021, the genotypes in Holeta had the lowest yield, with an average yield of 2.6 t/ha. The study revealed high heritability for all traits, ranging from 71.6% for grain yield t/ha to 98.87% for days to heading. All traits had a broad sense of heritability at all locations, except for thousand kernel weight at 23KU and grain yield at 22CD, 22EW, and 23KU. The study reveals yield, yield component, and disease resistance variations for yellow and stem rusts. The genotypes with the best performance were promoted to the next breeding stage National Performance Trials (NPT) for further study and released as new varieties after further testing. The EBW212574 and EBW202087 genotypes, exhibiting moderate resistance to stem rust, were chosen for national performance trials in 2024 based on their response to yield, yellow rust, and other agronomic traits.