Assessment of genetic variability, correlation and path coefficient for yield and yield contributing traits in field pea (Pisum sativum L. var. arvense)

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out with ninety genotypes along with four check varieties during Rabi 2016-17 in Augmented Block Design, a wide range of variability for different characters had been observed by comparing the means of various genotypes using least significant differences and revealed that existence of very high degree of variability for all the characters except pod length (cm). The following four most promising genotypes exhibited high mean performance for seed yield/plant were PANT P 266, EC 507770, PANT P 195 and IPFD 13-4. Seed yield per plant exhibited highly significant and positive correlation with plant height, (0.3641), primary branches per plant (0.4189), seeds per pod (0.3034) and pod length (0.370). The magnitude of phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) was higher than the genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) for all the characters, higher estimates of (GCV) was recorded for number of pod length (22.84 %) followed by number of pod per plant (20.96 %). The highest positive and direct effect on seed yield per plant was exerted by biological yield (0.7133) followed by harvest index (0.5588), pods per plant (0.0210). However, negative and direct effect on seed yield per plant was exerted by plant height (-0.0060) and number of seeds per pod (-0.0057).