Division of Plant Sciences, Institute of Advanced Studies, Meerut University, Meerut
Online published on 25 January, 2012.
The present investigation was undertaken to study the variability and correlations in paddy (Oryza sativa, Linn.) with 18 strains and 6 varieties sown in a randomized block design with three replications. Each replication consisted of 24 plots having 4 rows, 15 ft. long, spaced 9 inches apart. The simple, geno-typic, phenotypic, partial and multiple correlation coefficients heritability and genetic advance were calculated.
The grain yield was found to have positive and significant correlations with total number of tillers (0.231**), number of spike bearing tillers (0.228**), length of panicle (0.849**), number of grains per spikelet (0.519**) and weight of 1,000 grains (o.648**), whereas days from sowing to flowering (−0.233**) was negatively correlated with the yield. Multiple correlations also had expressed the importance of these characters.
Positive and highly significant associations were observed between number of tillers and number of spike bearing tillers (0.411) and between number of spike bearing tillers and number of grains per spikelet (0.546) and length of panicle and weight of 1,000 grains 0.257. Estimates of partial correlation suggested that the above mentioned four characters are directly positively significantly associated with yield and since there is no antagonistic correlation among them, yield can linearly be advanced by selecting for these characters simultaneously.
