Characters Association and Selection Criteria for Irrigated Ecosystem in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Genotypes

Abstract

Grain yield in rice is a complex quantitative trait influenced by various yield determining traits besides environmental factors. Understanding the association of different characters is essential to determine their contribution towards yield. Evaluating both the direction and strength of correlation helps assess how improvement in one trait may lead to enhancements or simultaneous changes in other traits. The current study aimed to determine correlation and path coefficients among the Sixty-five rice accessions for eight traits to establish selection criteria that may aid in developing high yielding genotypes. The correlation analysis revealed that traits such as number of filled grains per plant, spikelet fertility (%), 100 seed weight (g), biological yield per plant (g) and harvest index had positive significant association with the grain yield per plant. Path coefficient analysis unveils that panicle length, panicle number per plant, number of filled grains per panicle, spikelet fertility, 100 seed weight, biological yield per plant and harvest index had maximum positive direct effect on grain yield per plant. Based on the results of this study, selection for higher biological yield, spikelet fertility and harvest index will be beneficial for obtaining higher grain yield in rice crop. These characters play a major role in shaping the single plant yield in rice on which selection pressure has to be applied for enhancing the seed yield.