Department of Plant Breeding, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
Online published on 25 January, 2012.
Correlations and path-coefficients, estimated in sixty varieties of groundnut forming three morphological groups, viz., spreading, semi-spreading and erect types, varied from one group to the other. Mature pods in semi-spreading and erect groups, and in the total germplasm; 100-kernel weight in spreading group, erect group and in the total germplasm; seeds per pod in erect types; secondary branches in the total germplasm, and shelling per cent in semi-spreading group showed significant positive correlations with pod yield. Among the yield components, number of mature pods manifested highly negative correlation with 100-kernel weight and highly positive association with shelling per cent.
In path analysis, significantly more direct contribution to pod yield was made by the number of mature pods in semi-spreading and erect types; 100-kernel weight in spreading types and in the total germ plasm. In general secondary branches and shelling per cent showed indirect effects towards pod yield. It was observed that the individual contribution by various component traits to pod yield varied from one group to the other.
