Effectiveness of mechanical mass selection in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Abstract

The efficiency of mechanical mass selection in wheat was tested on genetically heterogeneous and homogeneous populations. The populations were mechanically stratified according to seed size and field-tested for 2 years. Shifts in means and reductions in variances for kernel weight, grain weight per ear, and grain yield per plot were observed in the mass-selected populations of heterogeneous bulks. No such shift in means or reduction in variance was observed in stratified homogeneous populations. Populations selected for high seed size in heterogeneous bulks expressed themselves into higher grain yields per plot. Practical implications of these findings in formulating a wheat improvement program are discussed.