Selection of promising genotypes from a diverse genetic pool and their utilization for hybridization is an important strategy for wheat crop improvement. The data from ten parents and their F₁ progenies using line × tester mating scheme were analyzed to assess the effects of combining ability for yield and its cognate characters using randomized complete block design with three replications. Data were taken for grain yield and its associated characters like plant height, peduncle and spike length, flag leaf area, per plant tillers, spikelets spike⁻¹, grains spike⁻¹, spike density, thousand-grain weight and grain yield plant⁻¹. Analysis of variance was used to statistically analyze the data. Line × tester analysis was used to find out association among traits and to estimate the effects of GCA and SCA. Highly significant differences were found among parents (lines, testers) and their F₁ hybrids for all the parameters under study. Among parents, Line 9796 and tester 107 manifested as best general combiners and exhibited significant GCA effects for almost all the mentioned traits. In the case of F₁ hybrids, 9793 × 118 and Punjab-2011 × 108 were recognized as best specific combiners exhibiting significant SCA effects. A higher value of SCA variance than the variance of GCA revealed the preponderance of non-additive genetic action. The degree of dominance revealed the involvement of both type of gene action for the traits under investigation. The deviations among total variation were mainly due to genotypes. Most of the yield associated traits were highly heritable with more than 80% heritability. These findings were confirmed by genetic gain. Thus, potential homozygous lines can be selected from transgressive segregants to improve yield and these crosses will be beneficial for commercial exploitation to heterosis.

One hundred and five (105) bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes, including five commercial checks, were screened for stripe rust resistance at seedling and adult plant stages. Seedlings grown under controlled conditions were screened for disease resistance after 12 days concerning disease incidence percentage after inoculation. K-means cluster analysis divided the genotypes into five different classes according to the presence of virulence/avirulence profile, i.e., class 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. The same set of genotypes was grown under field conditions for adult plant resistance. Data for disease scoring and different yield and yield-related parameters was recorded. A comparison of breeding lines indicated that all studied traits were negatively affected by disease incidence. Further cluster analysis ranked the genotypes into three distinct groups with Group I and III being the most diverse. Thirteen stripe rust resistance lines were identified using seedling and adult plant resistance strategies. Correlation analysis indicated a negative association between stripe rust incidence and yield and yield-related traits, particularly grains per spike, grain weight per spike, thousand-grain weight, and grain yield per plant. These findings suggested that stripe rust resistance negatively affects yield and yield related traits. The breeding programs aiming at the development of high yielding varieties must also focus on stripe rust resistance.

Stripe rust of wheat, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is one of the most devastating diseases that seriously threatens global wheat security. In the 21st century, Pst biology, epidemiology, and evolutionary pace have been altered far more quickly than expected because of climate variability. Warmer winters, along with erratic rainfall and increasing periods of leaf wetness, are continuously changing the geographic distribution of Pst. This may accelerate the emergence of races adapted to high temperatures and enhanced virulence, enabling their expansion into new agroecosystems. Despite extensive breeding efforts, varietal resistance is increasingly short-lived under the pressure of rapidly evolving lineages of the pathogen. Pst infection can be managed through integrative management practices, including biological control agents (BCAs), cultural and agronomic practices, rotation, and targeted application of fungicides. Varietal resistance, as well as disease management, is discussed in addition to recent advances in understanding pathogen biology, climatic influences, virulence evolution, and host resistance. Furthermore, this review highlights the need for climate-smart disease-resistant varieties breeding, a disease surveillance network, and diversified, eco-friendly control strategies to safeguard wheat production in an era of rapid environmental change.

The regeneration of the high-yielding multilocular types has not been attempted, although successful regeneration and transformation in brassica have been done. Here, we report efficient regeneration and transformation protocols for two B. rapa genotypes; UAF11 and Toria. The B. rapa cv UAF11 is a multilocular, non-shattering, and high-yielding genotype, while Toria is the bilocular type. For UAF11 8 shoots and for Toria 7 shoots, explants were observed on MS supplemented with 3 mg/L BAP + 0.4 mg/L NAA + 0.01 mg/L GA₃ + 5 mg/L AgNO₃ + 0.75 mg/L Potassium Iodide (KI), MS salt supplemented with 1 mg/L IBA and 0.37 mg/L KI produced an equal number of roots (3) in UAF11 and Toria. For the establishment of transformation protocols, Agrobacterium-mediated floral dip transformation was attempted using different induction media, infection time, and flower stages. The induction medium III yielded a maximum of 7.2% transformants on half-opened flowers and 5.2% transformants on fully opened flowers in UAF11 and Toria, respectively, with 15 min of inoculation. This study would provide the basis for the improvement of tissue culture and transformation protocols in multilocular and bilocular Brassica genotypes.

Jamun plant displays enormous diversity throughout Pakistan, which necessitates its screening, evaluation, and validation to document elite genotypes having better traits for the benefit of the fruit industry and farmers. Surveys were made in natural Jamun habitats across Punjab, Pakistan, and genotypes were marked based on visual diversity of trees and fruits. In total, 60 Jamun genotypes were selected for characterization based on phenotypic and genetic markers. Phenotypic characters related to trees, leaf, and flower along with fruit qualitative traits were assessed in situ. Results revealed significant diversity with high (>25%) coefficient of variance values and the first two components of correspondence analysis exhibited 41.71% variation among genotypes. A strong association was observed among traits like upright tree and round fruit shape (0.74), bluish-colored fruit and pinkish pulp (0.85), and elliptic-shaped fruit with low fruit waxiness (−0.72). Leaves of phenotypically characterized plants were brought to Wheat Biotechnology Lab., University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan, where Jamun genotypes were investigated genetically using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers. A total of 132 bands were scored, of which 108 were polymorphic, corresponding to almost 81% polymorphism among collected genotypes. High polymorphism information content values were observed against RAPD (0.389) and ISSR (0.457) markers. Genotypes were compared in relation to genetic markers, which exhibited that almost 86% of genetic variability was attributed to differences among accessions, while 14% of variation was due to differences between collections of different areas. Findings of this study confirmed wide phenotypic and genetic distinctness of Jamun in Pakistan that can aid breeders for marker-assisted selection and germplasm enhancement for future crop improvement programs.