A comparison of yield and yield component selection in winter wheat

Summary Three populations of winter wheat were formed by crossing Avrora to Sage, TAM W-101, and Danne. Approximately 10% of the F₂ plants from these crosses were selected for high and low levels of number of tillers per plant, number of kernels per spike, 1000-kernel weight, and grain yield. Forty-eight solid seeded F₃ lines obtained from the selected F₂ plants were then selected for high and low expressions of yield components and grain yield. Realized heritabilities were estimated. Indirect responses of yield to yield component selection and direct response to selection for grain yield were measured. Heritabilities were low for tiller number, number of kernels per spike and kernel weights but were high or intermediate for grain yield when selection occurred in the F₂ generation. When selection was practiced in the F₃ generation, heritabilities for tiller number and yield were low, but were intermediate to high for number of kernels per spike and kernel weight and high heritabilities were found for kernel weight. Selection for kernel weight often increased grain yield; however, direct selection for grain yields was usually as effective.Journal article no. J-4488 of the Oklahoma Agri. Exp. Stn., Stillwater, Oklahoma 74074.     

Genetic response to index selection for grain yield, kernel weight and per cent protein in four wheat crosses

Quantitative genetic theory was used to investigate selection differentials, expected and observed direct and correlated responses to simultaneous improvement of grain yield, kernel weight, and grain protein content in F₃ and F₄ populations of four spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crosses. Selection in the F₃ generation based on the Smith-Hazel index (SH) and yield was found to be superior to the other methods studied in identifying high-yielding lines, but resulted in substantial decrease in grain protein level. Consequently, a 1.0% increase in protein from selection for protein depressed grain yield as much as 536 kg/ha below the population mean, reducing the expected yield gains per generation selection cycle by 250%. The weight-free indices (EW), particularly the index involving only yield and kernel weight (EW3) and its linear approximation (EW4), and the desired gains indices were effective in improving protein content but were less efficient in selecting top-yielding lines. Selection in the opposite direction using truncation of the lowest 10% of the population based on weight-free-index involving yield, kernel weight and protein (EW2) reduced all traits significantly compared with the mean of the unselected population indicating the effectiveness of the unweighted selection index. The observed genetic gains (Ra) from selection based on yield, the SH, EW3 and EW4 indices were slightly lower than the expected advances per cycle (R) in populations from crosses ‘Sinton’בGlenlea’ (C1), ‘Glenlea’בNB505’ (C2), and ‘A2P5’בNB320’ (C6) (Ra/R = 70 to 85%) but were higher in cross ‘NB505’בA2P5’ (C5) (Ra/R = 126 to 143%). It was concluded that weight-free and the desired gains indices can be used to improve wheat grain yield and grain protein simultaneously in F₃ generation selection, as revealed by response to selection measured in the F₄ generation.     

Genetic analysis of flowering and maturity time in high latitude spring wheat

Due to the short growing season in the high northern latitudes, the development of early maturing spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars is important to avoid frost damage which can lower production and quality. We investigated earliness of flowering and maturity, and some associated agronomic traits, using a set of randomly selected high northern latitude adapted spring wheat cultivars (differing in maturity) and their F₁ and F₂ crosses made in a one-way diallel mating design. The parents, and their F₁ and F₂ crosses were evaluated under field conditions over 2 years. Anthesis and maturity times were controlled by both vernalization response and earliness per se genes, mainly acting additively. Non-additive genetic effects were more important in controlling grain fill duration, grain yield and plant height. Additive × additive epistatic effects were detected for all traits studied except time to anthesis. Segregation analyses of the F₂ populations for time to anthesis indicated the presence of different vernalization response genes. Molecular genetic analyses revealed the presence of Vrn-A1 and Vrn-B1 genes in the parental cultivars. Narrow-sense heritability was medium to high (60–86%) for anthesis and maturity times but low to medium (13–55%) for grain fill duration, plant height and grain yield. Selection for early flowering/maturity in early segregating generations would be expected to result in genetic improvement towards earliness in high latitude spring wheats. Incorporation of the vernalization responsive gene Vrn-B1 in combination with vernalization non-responsive gene Vrn-A1 into spring wheats would aid in the development of early maturing cultivars with high grain yield potential for the high latitude wheat growing regions of the northern hemisphere.     

北疆临冬播小麦品种间生育特性及产量比较

为筛选出适合北疆临冬播小麦品种,采用田间试验,比较了18个小麦品种的出苗率、叶面积指数、干物质积累及产量等。结果表明,越冬期4cm最低地温为-7.93℃条件下,春小麦品种平均出苗率（53.23%）显著高于冬小麦品种（34.20%）,宁春系列品种的平均出苗率（60.83%）高于新春系列品种（42.67%）;冬小麦品种的平均生育期较春小麦品种长6d且晚熟,新春系列品种的平均生育期（103d）长于农麦和永良系列品种（88d）及宁春系列品种（92d）。新春48号和新冬41号出苗率分别45.60%和52.00%,基本苗数分别为342.00万和390.00万/hm²,穗数分别为459.00万和365.00万/hm²,穗粒数分别为34.90和33.84;叶面积指数峰值分别为3.96和3.52;总光合势分别为247.00和231.21(m²·d)/m²,干物质积累总量和经济系数均较高;生育期分别为104和106d;产量均显著高于其他品种。综合各项指标,新春48号和新冬41号适合北疆地区临冬播种。     

冬小麦济麦22和春小麦津强8号的产量形成差异分析

为探明冬小麦和春小麦产量形成差异,2016年10月-2017年6月以冬小麦品种济麦22和春小麦品种津强8号为材料,在大田条件下研究了冬小麦和春小麦生育期、叶面积指数、干物质积累及产量构成。结果表明,春小麦出苗比冬小麦延长8d,营养生长期缩短77~78d,灌浆期延长1~2d,全生育期缩短143~144d。拔节期和开花期,春小麦和冬小麦的叶面积指数无显著差异,但灌浆期春小麦叶面积指数比冬小麦叶面积指数增加6.34%~7.67%,不同生育时期春小麦和冬小麦干物质积累量无差异。春小麦收获穗数和千粒重比冬小麦分别增加2.35%~5.29%和4.28%~5.13%,但穗粒数比冬小麦少1.4~2.3,春小麦与冬小麦理论产量和实际产量均无显著差异。综上所述,春小麦可通过增加播量,增加穗数,保持稳定的叶面积指数和干物质积累量,实现小麦稳产,可为区域变革麦-玉种植制度,实现麦-玉周年双机收子粒提供理论支撑。     

内蒙古平原灌区“春麦冬播”种植效应及品种适应性

针对内蒙古春播小麦生育期短、干热风、高温逼熟等因素制约产量提高,且收获后光温资源极大浪费的现状,以及试种冬小麦发现的冬季冻害、春季干旱或“倒春寒”影响返青率及前茬限制等问题,本研究以“春麦冬播”种植模式为切入点,采用不同春化类型小麦品种,通过连续2年的田间试验,系统研究了不同小麦品种越冬出苗、叶片生理、根系性状及产量形成的差异,以期筛选适宜冬播的小麦品种。结果表明:供试的全部春性小麦品种及部分冬性品种可以以种子形式完成春化作用,第2年正常抽穗成熟。冬播条件下春季田间出苗率较春播小麦有所降低,但根系发达,对低温及干旱的适应性强。通过系统聚类筛选出适宜内蒙古平原灌区冬播的3个小麦品种,包括春性品种永良4号、冬性品种宁冬11号和半冬性品种河农7106,其共同特征为越冬出苗率高、抗逆性强、根系发达、产量表现较高,其中永良4号产量可达到与春播相同的水平。     

Winter × spring wheat hybridization - a promising avenue for yield enhancement

Introgression of the winter gene pool into spring wheat is being considered as one of the strategies to break through the yield plateau. However, little information is available on the combining ability of these two important but distinct groups of wheats in Indian conditions. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to determine the combining ability and gene action of yield and yield attributes in winter × spring wheat crosses. Seventy F₁ progenies developed by 14 winter and five spring wheat lines using a line × tester design were evaluated, along with their parents, for yield and yield attributes in a randomized complete block design under field conditions. The mean squares for all the characters studied showed highly significant differences. The mean squares due to female × male interactions were significant for all the characters studied except for grains per ear and grain weight per ear. Additive genetic effects were found to play a key role in controlling the expression of days to heading, plant height and spikelets per ear.‘MV 19’ and ‘Stepniak’/‘Karvuna’ among winter and ‘PBW 65’ among spring wheats were good general combiners for most of the yield attributes studied. The estimates for specific combining ability effects suggested that, although general combining ability (GCA) effects of most winter wheats are either average or poor, their combination can give desirable genotypes with spring wheat parents possessing a high GCA.     

基于动态模拟模型分析冬小麦干物质积累特征对产量的影响

为揭示冬小麦产量形成与干物质积累的定量关系,2009—2011年利用3个田间试验建立了不同播种期、基本苗、底肥用量、追氮时期和用量、冬前灌水量、返青后灌水量和灌水时期等的冬小麦群体,分析了冬小麦干物质积累过程特征对产量及其构成因素的影响机制和定量关系。冬前干物质积累特征用单株干物重和冬前茎蘖数来表示,越冬后特征由基于相对积温(R_GDDi)的Logistic曲线特征来描述。结果表明,群体干物质积累最大速率、干物质积累速率的2个拐点等特征量与产量及其构成因子有紧密的联系,所建立的关系模型均达到极显著水平(P<0.01)。对有关模型进一步用独立样本进行配对t-检验,结果模拟值与实际值差异不显著(P>0.05)。基于相对积温(R_GDDi)的Logistic模型不仅能较好地描述小麦冬后干物质积累过程,而且其曲线特征也能用于分析冬小麦产量及其构成因素的形成规律,以此为基础的产量关系方程可用于冬小麦生产群体调控的理论分析。     

A method of breeding for yield of wheat in semi-arid climates

Summary A method used to breed for higher yielding varieties of spring wheat for the dry prairie area of Canada is described. The procedure was to grow a large population in F₂, and yield test in F₄ (1462 lines), F₅ (443 lines) and F₆ (150 lines) culminating in tests of 47 lines at either three or six locations in F₇ and 20 in F₈. Final yield tests were conducted at 22 locations. The 43 station-years of advanced tests gave 465 yield comparisons between the lines and the check varieties. Yields significantly lower than the best check were recorded in only five comparisons at one station in one year, while in 275 of the 465 comparisons, yields were significantly better than the check variety. Lines yielded up to 181 percent of the check. The largest and most consistent increases were at the originating station or at locations which were similar in soil-climatic conditions. Reference is made to relationships between yield under dry conditions and the tillering and rooting habits of plants. Conclusions drawn were that the inherent yielding ability of spring wheat can be increased and that the procedure being used is effective in breeding for yield in the dry prairie area of western Canada.     

新疆冬小麦品种农艺及产量性状遗传多样性分析

Grain yield is one of the most important goals in wheat breeding, and agronomic or yield-related traits can directly reflect the characteristics of varieties. In order to determine the evolution of genetic diversity in agronomic traits of Xinjiang winter wheat varieties and their adaptabilities to different ecological environments, 134 winter wheat landraces and 54 moderns bred varieties from Xinjiang were selected for agronomic trait investigation. They were planted in three different ecological environments (Urumqi and Yining in Xinjiang province, and Tai’an in Shandong province) for two consecutive growth seasons, and nine agronomic and yield-related traits were surveyed and analyzed. The estimated broad sense heritability of nine agronomic and yield traits was in descending order: plant height > grain width > grain length/width ratio > spike length > spikelet number > thousand- kernel weight > grain number per spike > grain length > fertile spikelet number. Correlation analyses of nine agronomic and yield traits showed that these traits were correlated with each other. It was found that the plant height, spike length and grain length/width ratio of landraces were higher than that in modern bred varieties, but the grain number per spike, thousand kernel weight, grain length and grain width in landraces were less than that in modern bred varieties. However, the correlation coefficient of these nine traits was higher in modern bred varieties than that in landraces. These variations reflected the evolution of Xinjiang winter wheat varieties in agronomic traits in recent years. This study may provide important information for breeders to select the breeding parents in different winter wheat regions.     

Honeycomb selection for yield in early generations of spring wheat

Summary The effectiveness of the honeycomb selection method for yield in spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was evaluated using progenies from two wheat crosses, Glenlea x NB131 and Glenlea x Era. Honeycomb selection was carried out in the F₂ and F₃ generations, grown at the University of Manitoba in the summers of 1980 and 1981, respectively. In both generations, divergent selection was made for both high and low yield. Plants selected in the F₃ generation were entered in an F₄ yield test in the summer of 1982. Results of the experiment showed that honeycomb selection for yield in the F₂ and F₃ generations was effective in identifying parents of high- and low-yielding lines. F₃ plants from highyielding F₂ selections gave higher yields than those from low-yielding F₂ selections by 11.5% and 13.0% for Glenlea x NB131 and Glenlea x Era crosses, respectively. The F₄ yield test showed that high yielding selections from both crosses significantly outyielded by 8.9% low yielding selections and by 14.4% the unselected composite lines. It is concluded that the honeycomb selection method can be used for early generation selection in spring wheat.     

Variation of harvest index in several wheat crosses

Summary Harvest index was studied in F₁ and F₂ generations of eight wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crosses and their reciprocals. The parental varieties involved in the crosses represented a fairly wide range of character expression for plant height, tillering potential, grain yield per plant and harvest index. Differences between reciprocal crosses were not evident for the expression of harvest index of the crosses under study. Means and degrees of dominance of F₁ and F₂ populations suggested partial dominance of high harvest index over low harvest index. The pattern of variation among F₂ segregates was quantitative and the distribution was normal. The gene action governing the expression of harvest index was largely additive. Evidence was obtained for non-additive gene action in some crosses. There was complete absence of high parent heterosis for harvest index in the F₁'s but midparent heterosis was found to be present in all crosses. Estimates of heritability and genetic advance were moderate to high. Usefulness of selecting for harvest index as a measure of yield efficiency particularly in early generations is discussed.     

Ear:stem ratios in breeding populations of wheat: significance for yield improvement

Earlier studies showed that the ratio of the weight of the wheat ear to stem at anthesis (ear:stem ratio) may give a better indication of potential yield than harvest index because it is determined early in the life cycle and is not affected by post anthesis stress. These studies concluded that selection for high ear:stem ratio at anthesis may lead to further improvement in grain yield of wheat. The present work was undertaken in the field to identify lines varying in ear:stem ratio in breeding populations and to study its implications for yield improvement.At anthesis stem length, ear length, tiller number, dry weight of stem and ear and ear:stem ratio were measured in 14 crosses on F₂ single plants and F₂ derived lines grown in the F₃, F₄, and F₅ at three locations in Western Australia over four seasons. In addition, biomass, grain yield and yield components were measured on selected crosses at two locations on F₂ derived lines grown in the F₄ and F₅. There was a considerable range of ear:stem ratio between and within the crosses studied. Although ear:stem ratio was strongly correlated with stem length, there was substantial variation within stem length classes. Ear:stem ratio had a high mean broad sense heritability (82%), whereas HI, grain yield and above ground biomass had lower heritabilities, 68, 55 and 35% respectively. Ear:stem ratio was strongly correlated between generations and sites indicating stability of this character. Ear:stem ratio had a significant positive correlation with grain yield, HI, grains per ear and per m². The correlation of grain yield with HI was equal or slightly higher than that of grain yield with ear:stem ratio.Ear:stem ratio offers promise as a predictor of HI and yield potential where post-anthesis moisture stress can influence HI. Ear:stem ratio measurement is unlikely to be adopted for selection purposes in routine breeding programs, as it is laborious and time consuming. However, ear:stem ratio could be used to identify superior parental genotypes and early generation selections from special crosses in terms of its ability to partition assimilate.     

旱地条件下冬小麦产量和农艺性状对养分投入的响应

以9个旱地冬小麦品种为材料,通过田间试验研究其产量及主要农学性状与养分投入水平的关系。与不施肥对照相比,在低、高水平养分投入条件下小麦籽粒产量分别提高20%和40%,生物量提高17%和35%,单位面积穗数增加11%和25%,穗粒数增加8%和10%。高产品种的生物量、单位面积穗数、穗粒数及其随养分投入增加而提高的幅度显著高于低产品种。千粒重不受养分投入水平的影响。旱地条件下,不同小麦品种的产量、生物量、单位面积穗数和穗粒数均随养分投入水平的提高而显著提高,并且存在品种间差异。高生物量、高单位面积穗数和穗粒数是旱地高产品种的重要特征,它们对养分投入的敏感响应是高产品种养分投入提高后产量提高的主要原因。     

Grain yield, and dry matter and nitrogen accumulation and remobilization in durum wheat as affected by variety and seeding rate

The influence of crop density on the remobilization of dry matter and nitrogen from vegetative plant parts to the developing grain, was investigated in the durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) varieties Creso, Simeto and Svevo cultivated in the field at three seeding rates, 200, 250 and 400 seeds m⁻². Variety × seeding rate interaction was unsignificant for all recorded characters. Grain yield declined in the order Svevo > Simeto > Creso. Yield differences mainly depended on the different number of kernels per unit land and, secondly, on mean kernel weight. Spike components differed among varieties: Svevo and Simeto showed more kernels per spikelet and Creso more spikelets per spike. Grain yield was highest with 400 seeds m⁻² primarily due to the higher number of spikes per unit area, and secondly, to the higher mean kernel weight. Post-heading dry matter accumulation was highest in Svevo and lowest in Creso, but varieties showed a reverse order for dry matter remobilization and contribution of dry matter remobilization to grain yield. The increase of seeding rate increased both the post-heading dry matter accumulation and the dry matter remobilization from vegetative plant parts to grain. Nitrogen uptake of the whole crop and N content of grain was higher in Simeto and Svevo than in Creso. The N concentration of grain did not vary among varieties, but Svevo showed a markedly lower N concentration and N content of culms at maturity, which may be consequence of the high N remobilization efficiency performed by this variety. The N uptake by the crop was highest with 400 seeds m⁻², but the N concentration of culms, leaves and even grain was slightly lower than with the lower seed rates. The post-heading N accumulation was by far higher in Simeto and Svevo than in Creso, whereas remobilization was highest in Svevo and lowest in Simeto. The percentage contribution of N remobilization to grain N was by far higher in Creso than in the other two varieties. Post-heading N accumulation and N remobilization were highest with the highest plant density, but the contribution of N remobilization to N grain content did not differ between seeding rates.     

耕作方式对华北两熟区冬小麦生长发育和产量的影响

为了解华北地区小麦–玉米两熟区不同耕作模式对冬小麦生育进程、群体大小及产量形成的影响,2009–2011年通过田间定位试验比较了免耕(NTS)、旋耕秸秆还田(RTS)、翻耕秸秆还田(CTS)和翻耕秸秆不还田(CT) 4种耕作模式对冬小麦生长发育和产量的影响。结果表明,RTS、CTS和CT处理对冬小麦生育进程、群体大小、籽粒灌浆和产量无显著影响,而NTS处理推迟了小麦生育进程,造成明显的贪青晚熟。在基本苗差异不大的情况下,NTS处理的单株分蘖显著低于其他处理,群体数量和有效穗数不足,降低了干物质积累量,最终产量最低,较CT处理有效穗数低14.4%~16.9%,产量低16.4%~18.3%。虽然NTS处理推迟了冬小麦的生育进程,分蘖少穗数不足导致减产,但其粒灌浆时间较长,千粒重显著高于其他处理。因此,通过增加播种量和选择分蘖能力强的品种等技术保证免耕小麦群体数量,是华北地区冬小麦免耕技术研究应用亟需解决的问题。     

Inheritance of resistance to wheat midge, Sitodiplosis mosellana, in spring wheat

Inheritance of resistance to a wheat midge, Sitodiplosis mosellana (Géhin), was investigated in spring wheats derived from nine resistant winter wheat cultivars. F₁ hybrids were obtained from crosses between resistant winter wheats and susceptible spring wheats, and used to generate doubled haploid populations. These populations segregated in a ratio of 1:1 resistant to susceptible, indicating that a single gene confers the resistance. The F₂ progeny from an intercross among spring wheats derived from the nine resistance sources did not segregate for resistance. Therefore, the same gene confers resistance in all nine sources of resistance, although other genes probably affect expression because the level of resistance varied among lines. Heterozygous plants from five crosses between diverse susceptible and resistant spring wheat parents all showed intermediate levels of response, indicating that resistance is partly dominant. Susceptible plants were reliably discriminated from heterozygous or homozygous resistant ones in laboratory tests, based on the survival and development of wheat midge larvae on one or two spikes. This powerful resistance gene, designated Sm1, is simply inherited and can be incorporated readily into breeding programmes for spring or winter wheat. However, the use of this gene by itself may lead to the evolution of a virulent population, once a resistant cultivar is widely grown.     

Mass selection of wheat for grain filling without transient photosynthesis

Summary Post-anthesis chemical desiccation of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants in the field eliminates transtent photosynthesis by killing all green tissues, thus revealing the plant's capacity for grain filling from stored stem reserves, as the case is for post-anthesis stress such as drought or leaf diseases. This study was conducted to investigate whether mass selection for large kernels under chemical desiccation would lead to the improve ment of grain filling in the absence of transient photosynthesis.Six crosses of common spring wheat were subjected to three cycles of mass selection from F₂ through F₁ when selection was performed for large kernels by sieving grains from plants that were erther chemically desiccated after anthesis, or not (controls). The resulting 36 bulks (six crosses by three selection cycles by two selection environments) were compared with their respective F₂ base populations, when tested with and without chemical desiccation.Selection for large kernels under potential conditions (without chemical desiccation) did not improve kernel weight under potnetial conditions, evidently because these materials were lacking in genetic variation for kernel weight under potential conditions. In four of the crosses, 3rd cycle selection for large kernels under potential conditions decreased kernel weight under chemical desiccation. On the other hand, selection for large kernels under chemical desiccation was effective in improving kernel weight and test weight under chemical desiccation, depending on the cross and the selection cycle, with no genetic shift in mean days to heading or mean plant height. Selection for large kernels under chemical desiccation was also effective in some cases in increasing kernel weight under potential conditions. The results are interpreted to show that selection under potential conditions and under chemical desiccation operate on two different sources for grain filling, namely transient photosynthesis and stem reserve utilization, respectively. In order to expose genetic variability for stem reserve utilization to selection pressure, transient photosynthesis must be eliminated, as done by chemical desiccation in this study.     

秋季玉米秸秆覆盖对丘陵旱地小麦生理特性及水分利用效率的影响

西南丘陵冬春季节干旱频繁,严重影响小麦播种立苗及产量。2012—2013(干旱)和2013—2014年度(湿润),在四川简阳开展田间试验,比较不同玉米秸秆处理方式对旱地小麦生理性状、水分利用效率及产量的影响。试验共设4个处理,分别是无覆盖(CK)、无覆盖+播后和拔节期灌水(T1)、休闲期覆盖(T2)和休闲期+小麦生育期覆盖(T3)。干旱年份T1、T2和T3的产量分别为4151、3926和3603 kg hm–2;较CK增产42.0%、34.3%和23.2%,提高水分利用效率27.2%、29.6%和18.8%。湿润年份处理间产量差异较小。与CK相比,干旱年份灌水和覆盖提高了播种至开花阶段的干物质积累量,有效抑制了花后旗叶、倒二叶的叶绿素降解;覆盖处理有利于保持播前充足的底墒及生育期间较高的土壤含水量;T2处理主要生育时期的根干重、根冠比、根长密度、根质量密度和根表面积密度增加,下层土壤中的根系增多。籽粒产量与各生育阶段干物质积累量、花后旗叶和倒二叶的SPAD及水分利用效率呈显著或极显著正相关。秋季玉米秸秆就地覆盖具有显著的纳雨保墒作用,可提高小麦立苗质量,延缓叶片衰老,进而增产。     

Selection for biomass yield in wheat

Summary Biomass (above ground plant parts) yield may be a useful selection trait for yield improvement in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). This study was conducted to estimate realized heritability of biomass yield and to determine the response to selection for high and low biomass yield in 8 genetically diverse populations of spring wheat under two production systems. Selections were made among the F₃ lines. Progenies of the selected lines were evaluated in replicated field tests in the F₄ generation under high fertility and low fertility production systems at Rampur, Nepal, in 1991. Fertility level had a significant effect on biomass yield, grain yield, effective tiller number, number of kernels per spike, thousand kernel weight, and harvest index. Selection in the F₃ for high and low biomass yield was effective in identifying F₄ lines with high and low biomass yield, respectively. Biomass yield differences between high and low selection groups in the F₄ generation, expressed as percent of the mean of the low selection group and averaged over the eight populations, were 53.9 and 36.5% higher than the mean of the low selection group under the high and the low fertility production systems, respectively. The corresponding figures for grain yield were 48.8 and 34.9% under the high and the low production systems, respectively. Also, selection for high biomass yield resulted in higher effective tiller number, and number of kernels per spike, but lower harvest index. Realized heritability estimates for biomass yield were greater at high fertility (range 0.49 to 0.85) than at low fertility (range 0.22 to 0.44). Biomass yield showed positive genotypic correlations with grain yield, effective tiller number, and number of kernels per spike but a negative correlation with harvest index. The results indicated that selection for high biomass yield should bring about positive improvements in biomass yield, grain yield, effective tiller number, and number of kernels per spike. The correlation between F₃ and F₄ generations suggested that biomass yield in the F₃ generation was a good predictor of biomass yield and grain yield in the F₄ generation. Selection for biomass yield in wheat should be made under the standard production system to obtain a realistic response.