Genetic variability and character association among yellow mosaic disease resistant derivatives of soybean variety JS 335

Soybean is one of the important oilseed crops in the legume family. The success of the breeding program highly depends on the variation present in the material. The present experiment was conducted to assess the genetic variability and character association between grain yield and its component traits. 86 F₂₇ and backcross derived genotypes from the cross of elite soybean variety JS 335 (S) and SL 525 (R) were evaluated in randomized complete block design with three replications at two locations (Ludhiana and Gurdaspur). The analysis of variance, heritability, genetic advance, correlation, and path coefficient analysis were carried out to validate the results. The analysis of variance revealed the presence of sufficient genetic variability in the population. High phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) values over genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) values were observed for all traits indicating the influence of environmental effects on the expression of characters. High PCV and GCV values were recorded for grain yield per plant, number of pods per plant and 100-seed weight. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was observed for grain yield per plant followed by 100-seed weight. The number of pods per plant and 100-seed weight showed a significant positive correlation with grain yield per plant. Path coefficient analysis also revealed that number of pods per plant and 100-seed weight showed high and positive direct effect on grain yield per plant. Thus, number of pods per plant and 100-seed weight were important determinants of grain yield in soybean.