Evaluation of Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Germplasm for Wheat Rust Diseases Resistance and Yield Performance

The most important biotic constraints for wheat production in Ethiopia are Wheat rust diseases, insects, and weeds. Among wheat rust diseases, stem rust and yellow rust are the more limiting factors for yield. A study was undertaken at Kulumsa and Melkasa in alpha lattice design with two replications from July to December 2023 to evaluate the performance of introduced bread wheat materials from CIMMYT for wheat rust diseases and yield. Data were collected for stem rust, yellow rust, and agronomic traits, including grain yield. The ANOVA showed high and significant genotypic variation (p<0.05) on Days to heading (DTH), Hectoliter weight (HLW), Thousand kernels weight (TKW), and Yield (YLD). Then, the result from LSD mean comparision revealed genotypes: EBW222102 YLD=7.7 t ha-1, EBW222106 YLD= 7.61 t ha-1, EBW222108 YLD=7.66 tha-1, EBW222136 YLD= 7.76 t ha-1 to be significantly higher than the check variety Daka YLD= 6.22 t ha-1 (p<0.05) at Kulumsa. Genotypes: EBW222108, EBW222109, EBW222111, EBW222112, EBW222114, EBW222125, EBW222142, and EBW222143 showed resistance to moderate resistance for yellow rust and stem rust across both locations. About eighteen genotypes were susceptible to stem rust diseases with the coefficient of infection YRCI≥30 at Melkasa. Genotypes EBW222111, EBW222126, EBW222129, EBW222134, and EBW222142 delivered high yield, greater than or equal to 2 t ha-1 at Melkasa. Generally, selection for disease resistance and high-yielding genotypes enable the development and release of noble varieties for wheat-producing farmers.