Unveiling Genetic Insights into Yield and Grain Quality in Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) through Integrative Trait Analysis in North Gondar, Ethiopia

In this study, 49 bread wheat genotypes were evaluated across two locations, Dabat and Debark, in Ethiopia during the 2022/2023 cropping season, employing a 7 × 7 simple lattice design. Seventeen quantitative traits were analyzed to determine genotypic and phenotypic correlations, path coefficients, and principal components. Grain yield exhibited strong positive correlations (p ≤ 0.01) with harvest index, hectoliter weight, starch content, thousand kernel weight, number of kernels per spike, days to maturity, grain-filling period, and number of spikelets per spike. The genotypic correlations were more pronounced than the phenotypic correlations, indicating inherent genetic associations. Path analysis identified the grain-filling period (0.975) and biomass yield (0.373) as significant direct contributors to grain yield at the genotypic level, whereas the harvest index (0.787) and grain protein content (0.610) were pivotal at the phenotypic level. Principal component analysis accounted for 79% of the total variation. These traits represent promising targets for yield enhancement in Ethiopian bread wheat breeding programs.