Correlation and path coefficient analysis of some lowland rice cultivars

Abstract

Yield is mostly the prominent objective in most breeding programs. As a quantitative character, it is typically influenced by the environment. Phenotypic expressions which include yield, is also a product of the environment and the genotype. So, association studies and genetic analysis is important in any selection program of a population. This present study therefore, sought to analyze the genetic contribution to the yield, determine the association of some yield components and establish the most prominent parameters for selection in some lowland rice varieties. The investigation involved fifty cultivars in α-lattice design with three replications, conducted at National Cereals Research Institute stations at Badeggi and Edozhigi in 2017. The result indicated that there exists significant variability amongst the genotypes. A national released variety FARO 15 recorded the highest yield across the two lowland ecologies. Association study revealed that some yield components correlated positively with the yield and none of them was significant. Plant height had the highest (2.12) correlation with yield while panicle exertion recorded the highest (3.19) direct contribution to the yield. The implication therefore is that these parameters may be selected for improvement of yield in the lowland rice cultivars. Though the residual effect for the path analysis was a negative value, three of the parameters demonstrated strong direct association with grain yield.