The objective of this work was to estimate the combining ability of wheat lines using multivariate analysis, in order to identify crossing combinations with superior performance. Eight wheat parental lines were crossed in a complete diallel design without reciprocals. Crosses and advanced generations were obtained in the year 2007 in a full-line sowing system, and the hybrids were evaluated in 2008, in a randomized block design with three replicates. The data were treated using univariate and multivariate analysis of variance, principal component analysis, and partial and multivariate diallel analyses. The cultivar BRS Guamirim was the parental genotype with the best performance for general combining ability for group 1 traits (grain yield, thousand grains weight, spike weight and number of grains per spike), whereas the cultivar Fundacep Raízes was the best for group 2 traits (days from emergence to bloom, days from bloom to maturation, and plant height). 'BRS Guamirim' x 'Fundacep Cristalino' (for group 1 traits) and 'Abalone' x 'Fundacep Cristalino' and 'Abalone' x 'Fundacep Raízes' (for group 2 traits) were the best crossings for specific combining ability.
Triticum aestivum; diallel analysis; principal components; genitor selection
