Productive aptitude of thirteen elite lines of flour wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) at the Patacamaya Experimental Station

Abstract

Wheat is the most cultivated cereal within the agricultural system with an estimated production in 2022 of 794 million tons and in our country it is the main source of food with a yield ranging from 1.1 t ha^-1 in the last ten years (2013-2022). The present study aims to identify elite lines with outstanding agronomic characteristics for the yield component under agro-meteorological conditions of the Central Highlands of Bolivia, and to identify correlations between agronomic, phenological, physiological, yield and quality variables in the thirteen elite lines of flour wheat. Thirteen elite lines and two controls (Tepoca-T89 and INIAF-Totora-2014) were evaluated under a completely randomized block design. The genotypes were sown with a sowing density of 120 kg ha^-1, with a fertilization of 87,452 kg ha^-1 of 46-00-00 and 45.999 kg ha^-1 of 18-46-00, for broadleaf weed control herbicide metsulfuron-methyl was applied in three doses of 8-9-10 g ha^-1 and irrigations according to the need of the crop. The variables recorded were: phenological, agronomic, physiological, yield and quality according to the phenological stages of the crop. To analyse and interpret the data, descriptive statistical analysis, variance, mean test, multivariate, principal components, yield ranking were carried out. In conclusion, for these characteristics the genotypes L-13, Tepoca-T89, INIAF-Totora-2014 with yields of: 2 374, 2 066,  1 969 kg ha^-1 stand out as the most promising. Therefore, it is possible to grow wheat by taking preventive and adaptive measures to ensure the viability of production in this region of the Central Highlands of Bolivia.