Background: Lentil is one of the most significant pulse crops, frequently referred to as “poor man’s meat” because of its high protein content and inexpensive price. The present study was assessed for eleven morphological and yield variables to determine genetic variability, correlation and path co-efficients. Methods: The experiment was conducted in a Randomized Complete Block Design using 56 different homogeneous progenies of a spontaneous mutant of lentil variety DPL 62 and four control varieties in triple replica during rabi 2017-18. Result: Significant amount of variability was observed for all the traits. High phenotypic coefficients of variance and genotypic coefficients of variance coupled with high heritability and genetic advance were observed for peduncle length, number of pods per plant, seed width, seed yield per plant suggesting that these traits are genetically controlled by additive gene action. Seed yield per plant exhibited significant positive association with number of branches/plant and number of pods/plant while number of pods/plant revealed highest positive direct effect on seed yield per plant followed by 100-seed weight, number of branches per plant, days to maturity and leaflet breadth. Therefore, selection for these characters will directly lead to improvement in the yielding ability of lentil genotypes.

Wheat is a vital crop, providing calories, nutrients and versatility in the food industry. However, the combination of heat and drought stress, exacerbated by climate change, poses a significant threat to wheat production, leading to potential yield losses. To ensure the sustainability of wheat production it is crucial to prioritize research on developing stress-tolerant wheat genotypes. The current study focused on identifying the traits that are important for developing stress-tolerant wheat varieties under timely sown irrigated, drought stress, heat stress, and combined stress conditions. It addresses the knowledge gap regarding the combined effects of heat and drought stress on wheat physiology and yield, aiming to shed light on the intricate interactions between these stresses. The experiment was conducted at CCS HAU, Hisar, during the Rabi seasons of 2019–2020 and 2020–2021. By evaluating variability parameters, conducting correlation analysis, and path coefficient analysis among 80 diverse wheat genotypes, this research identifies genetic factors contributing to stress tolerance and helps select plants with desirable characteristics. The results showed that traits i.e., malendialdehyde, wax covering on blade, wax covering on sheath and wax covering on spike had high potential for improvement through selection among genotypes for grain yield and its component traits. The study also highlighted the importance of selecting wheat varieties with early maturity to mitigate the risk of yield loss under combined stress conditions. Moreover, the interaction between drought and heat stress can increase oxidative stress, leading to elevated malondialdehyde levels. Selecting varieties with lower malondialdehyde and optimal canopy temperature is important. Understanding the complex response of wheat to heat, drought, and their combined stress is essential for improving crop quality and production potential. Overall, this research contributes to the field of plant breeding by facilitating the development of wheat varieties with high and stable yields in challenging environments.

The present study was carried out during rabi 2017–18, at wheat research farm, Department of genetics and plant breeding, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana to assess the genetic diversity of 64 genotypes of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under late sown conditions based on the morpho-physiological traits. Analysis of variance depicted significant differences for all morpho-physiological traits under heat stress. Mean sum of squares due to genotypes were found significant for all the traits, indicating the presence of sufficient genetic variability among the genotypes. High estimates of phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV), genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) and high heritability coupled with high genetic advance were observed for traits, viz. spike weight, relative stress injury, chlorophyll stability index and GGR28 indicating additive gene action in expression of the traits and simple selection will be effective for the improvement of these traits. Correlation coefficient analysis revealed that increased grain yield under heat stress conditions was significantly contributed by spike weight (0.699), spike length (0.646), harvest index (0.616), spikelets per spike (0.445), number of productive tillers (0.393), grains per spike (0.390), 1000-grain weight (0.364), biological yield (0.360), GGR14 (0.332) and chlorophyll stability index (0.330). Among the traits studied, biological yield per plot (0.8421) and harvest index (0.9686)recorded for highest positive direct effect on grain yield in late sown conditions. The grain yield is indirectly contributedby spike length, spike weight, spikelets per spike, CSI, GGR14 through harvest index and number of productive tillers permeter, spike weight, thousand grain weight, GGR14 through biological yield.

An experiment was conducted to determine variability, correlation, path coefficient and principal component analysis for seed vigour parameters viz. standard germination, seedling density, seedling length, seedling dry weight, seedling vigour index I and II, 1000 grain weight and grain yield plot-1. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a wide range of variation existing in the material studied. The highest phenotypic and genotypic coefficient of variance recorded for seedling vigour index II (21.16 and 20.95, respectively) and, moderate values for seed density, seedling length, seedling dry weight and seedling vigour index I. The maximum value for heritability (broad sense) was found for seedling vigour index II (98.77%) whereas grain yield plot-1 had moderately high heritability (62.09%). Significant positive correlation were reported between standard germination and seedling density, seedling length, seedling dry weight, seedling vigour index I, seedling vigour index II and 1000 grain weight and seedling vigour index I estimated highest direct positive effect on grain yield plot-1, followed by seedling vigour index II, 1000 grain weight and seedling density. The principal component (PC1 and PC2) having Eigen value >1 (significant), accounted 64.70% of total variation. Maximum value was explained by component 1 with 50.5% of total variation.

The present study was carried out for the estimation of heterosis and heterobeltosis in bread wheat during the year 2017-18. A diallel set of 9 x 9 was prepared by crossing nine genotypes in all possible combinations excluding reciprocals. Parents and their F 1 generations were planted in RBD (randomized block design) with three replications. The observations were recorded on five randomly selected plants in parents and F 1 s for thirteen traits. Analysis of variances showed that significant variation is present among all the genotypes for all studied traits. The mean sums of squares due to parents as well as crosses were found highly significant for all thirteen traits, indicating the existence of substantial variation for all the traits among the genotypes as well as crosses. No any cross combination was found that exhibit significant heterosis for all the traits in the present investigation. Cross combinations namely, HD3059 × Raj3765, HD2967 ×WH1184, HD2967 × Raj3765, HD3059 × WH1184 and HD3059 × WH283 were found most promising for the grain yield per plant by showing high per se performance and heterosis over better parent. These crosses could be extensively used for developing superior segregates and better pure lines for different breeding programmes.