Assessment of Genetic Association Using Correlation and Path Analysis in Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.]

Abstract

Cowpea green pod yield is a complex trait influenced by several interrelated growth, flowering, pod, and seed characteristics. The present study assessed genetic associations among green pod yield and its component traits through correlation and path coefficient analyses. Nineteen cowpea genotypes were evaluated during the kharif season of 2025 at the School of Agricultural Sciences, Jaipur National University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, using a randomised complete block design with three replications. Observations were recorded for fourteen quantitative traits. Genotypic and phenotypic correlation analyses showed that green pod yield per plant was positively associated with the number of primary branches per plant, number of clusters per plant, number of pods per plant, pod length, green pod weight, 100-seed weight, number of seeds per pod, and green pod yield per plot. Days to first flowering, days to 50% flowering, and days to first pod emergence were negatively associated with green pod yield per plant. At the genotypic level, green pod yield per plot, pod length, number of pods per plant, plant height, and days to first flowering showed positive direct effects. At the phenotypic level, green pod weight, number of clusters per plant, number of pods per cluster, green pod yield per plot, and number of pods per plant had notable positive direct effects. These findings indicate that selection combining earliness with favourable pod number, pod size, pod weight, and seed number may support improvement of green pod yield in cowpea under the study conditions.