Character Association and Path Coefficient Analysis for Yield Attributing Traits in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Abstract

The present investigation was carried out to estimate the nature and magnitude of variability parameters and characters associations among 19 genotypes of wheat for 12 characters. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Completely Block Design with 3 replications during rabi, 2022-23 at Research Farm of Genetics and plant breeding AKS University, Stana, (M.P). The Analysis of variance indicated that the mean sum of squares due to genotypes were highly significant for all the traits. Seed Yield per Plant also demonstrated considerable genetic variability (GCV: 17.37%, PCV: 18.60%) with high heritability (87.20%) and a genetic advancement of 14.95, confirming its potential for genetic enhancement. Seed yield per plant is strongly correlated with the number of productive tillers (0.808**), biological yield (0.354**), number of seeds per spike (0.357**), and harvest index (0.327*), making these traits vital for breeding programs focused on yield improvement. Days to 50% flowering positively correlates with plant height (0.590**), number of seeds per spike (0.471**), test weight (0.319**), and harvest index (0.330**), but negatively with days to maturity (-0.428**) and biological yield (-0.378**).