Studies on Correlation and Path Analysis in Upland Rice Germplasm

A study of genetic variation and interrelationship of grain yield and its component traits in upland direct seeded rice was carried out using thirty one exotic advanced breeding lines. High genotypic coefficient of variation was exhibited for biological yield per plant followed panicles per hill, no of tillers per hill, harvest index, seed yield per plant, and spikelets per panicle. The low magnitude difference between genotypic coefficient of variation and phenotypic coefficient of variation for all traits shows that there is lesser role of environment in expression of these traits. Grain yield per plant had significant positive correlation with flag leaf width, tillers per hill, no of panicles per hill, harvest index, flag leaf length, biological yield per plant, spikelets per panicle, panicle length. Path analysis revealed that the days to maturity was the major contributor of grain yield per plant followed by panicles per hill and plant height. For maximizing the grain yield per plant emphasis should be given for higher panicles per hill, and plant height.