Correlation and path coefficient analysis in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under different growing conditions

Abstract

The bread wheat genotypes consisting of 10 lines and 4 testers along with their fourty cross combinations were evaluated in three replicated trials under early, late and very late sown conditions. The Experiment assessed the effects of different traits on grain yield and their association under different sowing conditions in bread wheat. In the present findings the significant phenotypic and genotypic correlation of grain yield per plant were found positive for the biological yield per plant, harvest index, number of tillers per plant, number of ears per plant, 1000 grain weight, ear weight, ear length, sedimentation value, protein content and wet gluten content in all the environments. while it also manifested the highly significant and negative correlation with starch content. The path coefficient analysis of different characters revealed that highest positive direct effect on grain yield per plant was exerted by biological yield per plant followed by harvest index, canopy temperature and hectoliter weight in all the environments. Days to maturity and number of spikelets per ear had shown positive direct effect on grain yield in late sown conditions. While number of tillers per plant, sedimentation value and starch content was found to have positive direct effect on grain yield in early and very late sown conditions.