Correlation and path analysis of grain yield and its attributes of traditional rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes

Abstract

The present study was carried out at the Bagusala farm, M. S. Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Paralakhemundi, Odisha in Rabi, 2020 with twenty one genotypes comprising nineteen traditional rice varieties and two checks to examine the nature of associations between yield and yield attributing characters. The characters association at both the genotypic and phenotypic level for grain yield per hill and its component characters revealed that the grain yield per hill exhibited highly significant positive phenotypic association with traits number of filled spikelets per panicle (0.675**), number of spikelets per panicle (0.72**), percentage of filled grain per panicle (0.09**), days to 50% flowering (0.495**), 1000-grain weight (0.493**), straw yield per hill (0.412**) and starch content (0.375**). The characters like plant height, flag leaf area, number of tillers per hill and protein content showed significant to highly significant negative association with grain yield per hill. Path coefficient analysis at phenotypic level showed that the character 1000-grain weight (0.538) exhibited highest positive direct effect on grain yield per plant followed by number of filled spikelets per panicle (0.420), protein content (0.327), number of spikelet per panicle (0.317), number of panicles per hill (0.127), straw yield per hill (0.094), number of tillers per hill (0.02), and days to 50% flowering (0.057). Therefore direct selection for these characters will be rewarding.