Assessment of productivity of spring and winter wheat sorts from China and Pakistan in high mountain Tajikistan

Wheat is a staple crop and critical for food security in the high mountains of Tajikistan. Despite the local and introduced varieties of wheat, overall yields remain low and crops are vulnerable to diseases and climatic shocks. To improve production, new adapted and disease-resistant crops are crucial. We tested ten spring wheat sorts from Pakistan and seven from China with higher yields, disease resistance, and shorter stems compared to local varieties. Local varieties performed better than foreign varieties in stem length (77% longer), 25% more grains in the main spike, 45% longer main spike, 4% more spikelets in the main spike, and more productive tillers. Foreign cultivars had shorter morphogenic events, 16% higher grain weight in the main spike, 23% higher weight of 1000 grain, and 11% more grains per spikelet. Yield components and morpho-physiological traits for Chinese cultivars were weakly correlated. The main phenotypic traits affecting crop yield components were general and productive tillering. In contrast to Chinese cultivars, the main crop yield component values of local cultivars negatively interacted with most genotypic and phenotypic traits. Foreign cultivars were less susceptible to lodging and diseases; however, their shorter stems made them less attractive to local farmers.