Abstract:
The knowledge about the
extent of variability among bread wheat
(Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes is a high
value for the genetic improvement programs
and the efficient genetic diversity utilization
of plant materials. The objective of this
research was to assess the morphological
characteristics of 56 common wheat
genotypes which were planted under field
condition and their morphological traits
were recorded. The principal components
(PC) analysis, factor analysis and clustering
procedure were applied to group genotypes
according to similarity on the basis of the
measured traits. Results showed that the
first two PCs explain 41% of the total
variation. The PC and factor analyses
grouped genotypes into four groups while
the cluster analysis grouped them into five
distinct clusters. The cluster I had good
resistance to yellow rust and salinity while
the cluster II, had good resistance to
drought, cold and salinity. The cluster III
had high tolerance to cold stress and low
temperatures but the cluster IV had good
tolerance to drought, brown rust and yellow
rust. Also, cluster V had various properties
including tolerance abiotic stresses,
resistance to biotic stresses, resistant to
lodging and semi-dwarf property. The
results of this research will support efforts
of conservation and utilization of genotypes
in bread wheat breeding programs.
