Estimation of Genetic Parameters of Variability and Heritability for Yield and Related Traits in Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Abstract

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is an important cereal crop for food, feed and malting, and the exploitation of genetic variability is fundamental to developing high-yielding and stress-adapted cultivars. The present investigation was undertaken to assess the magnitude of genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance for yield and associated traits in barley under normal and sodic soil conditions. A total of 90 barley genotypes along with three checks (NDB1173, RD2907 and HUB113) were evaluated during the rabi seasons of 2024–25 and 2025–26 at Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, using an augmented block design under normal and sodic soil conditions. Ten quantitative traits, namely days to heading, days to maturity, plant height, tillers per plant, spike length, grains per spike, test weight, biological yield per plant, harvest index and grain yield per plant, were evaluated. Analysis of variance revealed highly significant genotypic differences for most traits under both environments, confirming substantial exploitable genetic variability. Under normal conditions, GCV ranged from 2.80% for days to maturity to 42.60% for grain yield, while PCV ranged from 3.07% to 43.17%; under sodic conditions, GCV ranged from 2.50% to 44.11% and PCV from 3.10% to 44.64%. Grain yield exhibited the highest heritability under both normal (97.39%) and sodic (97.65%) conditions. High heritability was also recorded for test weight (95.36% and 94.58%), grains per spike (94.62% and 93.83%) and biological yield (94.65% and 93.04%) under normal and sodic conditions, respectively. Grain yield also recorded the highest genetic advance as a percentage of the mean (GAM), with values of 86.74% under normal and 89.93% under sodic conditions, followed by biological yield (79.38 and 81.34%) and grains per spike (69.05 and 76.32%). High heritability coupled with high GAM for grain yield, biological yield, grains per spike, test weight and tillers per plant indicated a strong genetic component and substantial scope for selection. The study identified grain yield and its associated traits as effective selection criteria for improving productivity and adaptation of barley under both normal and sodic soil environments.