Performance of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Lines at Low Altitude in the Tropic

Wheat is one of the most widely produced cereal food crops, in addition to corn and rice. Domestic demand and consumption of wheat in Indonesia are increasing every year. Wheat cultivation is limited to high altitudes due to unsuitable agroclimatic conditions at low altitudes. This is the reason for breeding wheat varieties that are adapted to low-altitude areas. This research aims to obtain information on wheat lines’ performance and yield at low altitudes in the tropics. The research was conducted from December 2022 to March 2023 at the Tajur Tropical Horticulture Study Center of IPB University. Planting used an RCBD with three replications, using 26 evaluated lines and 4 comparison varieties. The results showed that there were significant differences between the genotypes evaluated. The CBF-7. CAMN171 genotype has earlier flowering and harvest age and a higher flag leaf area than the comparison varieties. All wheat lines had some empty seeds that were not significantly different from the comparison varieties. The characters such as plant height, panicle length, flowering age, harvesting age, panicle filling age, and flag leaf area have high heritability values. Long harvesting age tended to have a higher number of seeds, as it was significantly positively correlated.