Winter Wheats as Donors of Higher Productivity Traits

Abstract

With the growing population pressure and expected 20% increase in per capita availability of wheat, India now
faces a challenge of producing extra 40 million tonnes, which requires a growth rate of 1.8% per year as against
the current I%. Research efforts are in progress to increase yield levels by developing hybrid wheats, breeding
cultiv,irs with durable resistance to newly emerged diseases and pests. introgressing the higher yielding alien genes
in the background of present cultivars, etc. but nothing scems to bring in the desired impetus since national average
of production has been stalemating for the last few years. At this juncture, it has been envisaged to derive the
genes offering promise of higher yields and robust disease resistance from various sources on a hit and trial basis
and the winter wheats are the most revealing in this context. Winter wheats have already served this cause by donating
Nori" 10 dwarfing gene to spring wheat cultivars which harbingered green revolution in the late sixties. Pacc of
highcr productivity of wheat was further maintained through nineties and till date by Veery cultivars adapted for
spring cultivation also tind their origin in winter wheat sources. Therefore why not to tap the available winter wheat
germplasm again through attempting winter x spring crosses for identifying cultivars with signiticantly higher yield
potential as compared to the present ones. Growing winter wheats in a crossing block in Indian plains during normal
wheat scason (rubi) is an arduous task involving huge investments for artificial fulfillment of vernalisation, a
prerequisitc for flowering. However, the winter wheats sown in the month of October