Evaluation of wheat genotypes (Triticum aestivum L.) for yield and yield characteristics under low land area at Arba Minch, Southern Ethiopia

The objective of this research was to evaluate wheat genotypes for yield and yield characteristics under the low land area of Arba Minch, Southern Ethiopia. A field experiment was conducted with 27 bread wheat genotypes in a randomized complete block design with two replications at Amibara Farm, Arba Minch from March to June 2020. Varieties differed significantly (p<0.01) for the yield related characters and yield. The major findings include identification of varieties with earliest heading and physiological maturity, highest number of effective tillers formed, ear length and spikelets in the ear, grains in ear and spikelet, thousand grains weight, and grain yield. It could be concluded that varieties, Lucy, Fentale-1, Amibara-2, Alidoro, Ogolcha, Daka, Fentale-2, Ga’ambo, Amibara-1 and Werer-2 were high yielding under lowland area at Arba Minch. It is recommended that these varieties should be further tested for identification and selection of high yielding ones for lowland areas in Southern Ethiopia.   Key words: Bread wheat, varieties, yield characteristics, grain yield, lowland, Ethiopia.