Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important and strategic staple food crops, globally. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify and evaluate adaptable, high- yielding, improved wheat varieties for lowland Tigray Region North Ethiopia. A total of 7 released wheat varieties, including local variety, were tested in a Randomized Complete Block Design at Mehoni Agricultural Research Center during 2016 to 2017 under irrigation. Analysis of variance was performed to contrast the differences within the varieties based on yield and other yield-related traits. The year × variety interaction was highly significant (P<0.01) for days to heading, days to maturity and grain yield, indicating a different performance of bread wheat varieties over the two years; suggesting the importance of the assessment of varieties under different years in order to identify better performing genotypes or varieties for a particular location. The analysis also revealed highly significant difference (P<0.01) among the different varieties for days to heading, plant height and grain yield. Based on the combined result, the variety Lucy (6.41 t ha-1) and Gambo (5.79 t ha-1) showed better performance for grain yield and is recommended for the study area and similar agro-ecologies of Southern Tigray, Ethiopia.

Keywords: Better performing genotypes, days to heading, days to maturity, grain yield, plant height, grain varieties