Direct and Indirect Effects of Yield Contributing Characters on Seed Yield in Green Gram (Vigna radiate L.)

Abstract

The present investigation was carried out to assess the genetic variability parameters, correlation and path analysis in 21 green gram genotypes for 13 quantitative traits at field experimentation center, during kharif 2022 in Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Naini Agricultural Institute, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology and Sciences, Uttar Pradesh in Randomized Block Design in three replications. Analysis of variance indicated high significant differences among the genotypes for all the traits. Green gram (Vigna radiata L.) is one of the important pulse crops because of its short growth duration, adaptation to low water requirement and soil fertility. Variability is a greater need for initiating a breeding program for yield and yield contributing traits. High seed yield per plant was recorded by SM-2029, SPM-2040, PHULEMOONG-95418, CO-8, CO-7. All the traits showed significant variation among the lines. High Genotypic Coefficient of Variance and Phenotypic Coefficient of Variance was recorded for Number of pods per plant, Number of clusters per plant, Number of primary branches and Plant height where Genotypic Coefficient of Variance exhibited at moderate level and Number of pods per plant exhibited highest percentage of broad sense heritability and also high in genetic advance followed by Plant height and Number of primary branches and Number of clusters per plant. The studies on Genotypic Coefficient of Variance   and Phenotypic Coefficient of Variance indicated that the presence of high amount of variation and role of the environment on the expression of these traits. Seed index positively correlated to seed yield per plant at both phenotypic and genotypic levels. Seed index, Biological Yield and Number of Primary branches exhibited high positive direct effect to seed yield per plant at both phenotypic and genotypic path coefficient analysis. Correlation coefficients in most cases were higher than their phenotypic correlation coefficients indicating the association was largely due to genetic reason. At both genotypic and phenotypic levels, significant positive correlations were observed for Seed Index, Days to maturity, Days to 50% pod setting, Plant height, Number of pods per plant and Number of clusters per plant.