Agro-morphologic Traits as Selection Parameters for Improvement of Upland Rice

Fifty-seven upland rice genotypes were studied to estimate the degree of character association by correlation and path analysis on basis of 14 agro-morphological characters. Genotypic correlation cocfficients were higher as compared to the phenotypic correlation coerficients. The grain yield was significantly and positively correlated with flag leaflength and area, grain number/panicle, spikelet fertility, 1000-grain weight, biological yield and harvest Index. In addition to high correlation to grain yield, the characters having positive direct effect on grain yield were grain number/panicle, harvest index, 1000-grain weight biological yield and flag leaf length, thus utilization of these traits as selection parameters and strengthening the predictive value of phenotypic selection for yield improvement in upland rice.