Unraveling Genetic Variability, Correlation and Path Analysis for Yield and Its Components in Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Abstract

The current study aimed to assess the genetic variability of yield and yield-related traits while examining the direct and indirect effects of trait interactions. Conducted at a research farm in Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India, the experiment involved fourteen parents and their BC1F1 crosses, analyzed using a randomized block design (RBD). Significant differences were observed among the varieties for most traits, indicating a broad range of mean values and diversity. Both phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variance (PCV and GCV) were generally low, with biological yield showing the highest values (26.57 for GCV and 40.48 for PCV). PCV values were slightly higher than GCV values. Traits such as seed per spike, biological yield, flag leaf breadth, days of heading, and days of maturity exhibited relatively high heritability. Notably, grain yield showed high heritability and genetic progress, making it a favourable selection indicator. Several traits, including days of anthesis, days of maturity, and spike length, demonstrated significant positive correlations with yield while also showing significant negative correlations with grain filling period and biological yield. Conversely, these traits showed highly non-significant positive correlations with harvest index, plant height, thousand seeds weight, and chlorophyll content and highly non-significant negative correlations with tiller number and seeds per spike.