Phenotypic characterization of wheat germplasm for heritability and dissection of association among post anthesis traits under variable sowing dates

Background: The world's main crop for producing staple foods is wheat. In South Asia's cotton-wheat cropping system, however, a late cotton harvest causes a delayed wheat planting, which causes significant production losses. Therefore, this study investigated genetic diversity among wheat genotypes for late sowing. Additionally, associations between several yield-related parameters were discovered, along with their direct and indirect implications on the choice of the best genotypes suitable for late planting. Methods: Twenty wheat genotypes/advance lines were evaluated under two sowing times, i.e., normal sowing and late sowing for two consecutive years (2019–2021). Data regarding post anthesis traits were collected. Results: The findings showed that planting dates and genotypes substantially (p