Significant Phenotypic Correlations Research Articles

Polygenic Variations and Character Association Study of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicon L.) Genotypes for Yield and Quality Attributes

An experiment was conducted in the Vegetable Farm of Bihar Agricultural University in Rabi Season with the objective to study the genetic variability and character association for yield and quality attributes in thirty tomato genotypes. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with three replications. The results indicated significant differences amongst the genotypes for all the characters studied. Yield per plant showed the highest coefficient of variations (56.41 %, 58.93%) at both genotypic and phenotypic level. High genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variation was also noted for average fruit weight (48.33%, 48.98%) and number of fruits/plant (35.14%, 33.55%). Traits like average fruit weight (97.4%, 41.85), number of fruits per plant (91.2%, 25.90), and plant height (95.8%, 69.38) exhibited high heritability coupled with high genetic advance. Genetic advance as percentage of mean ranged from 11.81-111.22% for different characters. The highest genetic advance as percentage of mean (111.2%) was recorded for yield per plant. Fruit yield per plant expressed highly significant and positive genotypic and phenotypic correlations with average fruit weight (0.697, 0.694), equatorial diameter (0.637, 0.596) and polar diameter (0.488, 0.454). The genotypes, Hisar Lalit, Pusa Ruby, Arka Alok, Pant T-7 and Pusa Rohini which have been found to be promising with respect to fruit weight and yield per plant may further be exploited to create new genetic variations by random mutation, somaclonal variation and modern molecular techniques for studying disease resistance, post-harvest and processing qualities.

Comparative Study of Egg Quality Traits of Sasso Chicken Breed under Different Management Systems and Phenotypic Correlation of Egg Parameters in Ethiopia

This study was conducted to evaluate the egg quality traits of Sasso chicken breed under different managements. For the experiment 160 fresh eggs form differently managed Sasso chickens (100 from on-station and 60 from on-farm) were randomly taken. The fresh eggs collected from farmers in Yirgalem were brought to Hawassa University poultry farm for quality measurement and the eggs collected from poultry farm of College of Agriculture in Hawassa University were separately determined. The recorded data was analyzed using SAS (ver. 9.4). Management system difference has a significant influence on more than half of studied external traits such as egg weight, egg length, egg width, shell thickness and egg surface area. The Sasso chickens managed under intensive system had significantly (p<0.05) higher mean egg weight (59.0g), egg length (57.5mm), egg width (42.2mm) and egg surface area (84.7mm2) than the same chicken breed reared under farmers management system. There was a significant difference in albumen weight, albumen height, yolk height, albumen ratio, yolk index, yolk albumen ratio and Hough unit for the eggs collected from the Sasso chickens under different management system. Egg weight has a highly significant and strong positive (p<.0001) phenotypic correlation with egg surface area (0.99), egg length (0.65), egg width (0.72) and shell weight (0.52). Albumen weight has significant correlation with all the studied internal egg quality parameters. It has the negative correlation with yolk ratio (-0.14) and yolk albumen ratio (-0.69). There was a variation for egg quality traits of Sasso chicken in different management systems where the on-station management system is better.

Genetic analysis of tolerance to combined drought and heat stress in tropical maize.

Simultaneous occurrences of heat and drought stresses have a detrimental effect on growth, development and yield of maize. Heat and drought is expected to worsen maize yield losses under climate change. Selecting CDHS tolerant maize hybrids creates great opportunity for sustainable maize improvement in the tropics. The objective of current investigation was to dissect the genetic basis of CDHS tolerance in tropical maize and to determine performance of single cross hybrids under CDHS. Ninety six single-cross hybrids resulted from crossing 12 tassel blast tolerant and 12 tassel blast susceptible lines along with two Striga resistant commercial hybrids, a heat tolerant and a heat susceptible check hybrids were evaluated under FIRR, MDRTS and CDHS using 25x4 alpha lattice design with two replications. The results showed significant genetic variation for FIRR, MDRTS and CDHS tolerance among maize hybrids. The majority of single crosses that showed improved grain yield over their respective standard checks under MDRTS also exhibited improved grain yield over the same checks under CHDS, indicating development of CHDS tolerance hybrids. Significant and positive genotypic and phenotypic correlation of grain yield under MDRTS and CDHS implicated common genetic mechanisms controlling yield under MDRTS and CDHS. Stress tolerance indices YI, GMP, MP, HM and STI were identified as best selecting indices under both stresses. GCA variances were larger than SCA variances in each testing environment for most studied traits indicating the impotence of additive gene action than non-additive gene action to control these traits. Majority of stress indices and SCA effects demonstrated that hybrids HB18, HB41, HB91 and HB95 were high yielder under MDRTS and CDHS. Hybrids HB41, HB91 and HB95 and their parents' scored minimum tassel blast. Parents 19 and 7 were well general combiner for grain yield and early maturity under MDRTS and CDHS indicting their valuable source of genes for hybridization. The current findings revealed that CDHS tolerance hybrids can reduce expected yield losses and maintain maize productivity in CDHS prone areas. Promising hybrids should be tested further under various drought and CHDS for commercialization.

Transforming Agriculture through Nanotechnology: A Comprehensive Overview

Nanotechnology has emerged as a transformative force in agriculture, offering innovative solutions to address critical challenges in food production, sustainability, and resource management. This comprehensive overview explores the multifaceted impact of nanotechnology on agriculture, providing insights into its potential to revolutionize the sector and by elucidating the fundamental principles of nanotechnology and its applicability in agriculture, emphasizing nanomaterials’ unique properties that enable precise manipulation at the molecular and nanoscale levels. It explores diverse applications, including nanoparticle-based nutrient delivery systems, nanoencapsulation for controlled release of agrochemicals, and the development of nanosensors for real-time monitoring of crop health and environmental parameters. Furthermore, this delves into the emerging field of precision farming enabled by nanotechnology, where data-driven decision-making and targeted interventions optimize resource utilization, minimize environmental impacts, and maximize crop yields. It examines the potential of nano pesticides in integrated pest management, highlighting their eco-friendly nature and reduced environmental contamination. Nanotechnology’s role in soil management and remediation is also discussed, showcasing its capacity to improve soil health, remediate contaminated lands, and enhance nutrient availability. The review sheds light on the application of nanofertilizers, which not only enhance nutrient use efficiency but also mitigate nutrient runoff, contributing to sustainable agriculture. While nanotechnology holds immense promise, it is imperative to consider safety and environmental implications. This examines the challenges and regulatory considerations surrounding the use of nanomaterials in agriculture, emphasizing the need for responsible development and rigorous risk assessment.

Variability and Correlation Study on Lowland Green Super Rice in Western Ethiopia

Abstract The success of plant breeding activities entirely depends on the existence of genetic variability with respect to desired traits and selection skills of plant breeders. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the extent of variability, heritability genetic advance, and character association among yield and yield-related traits in lowland GSR. The experiment was conducted using 20 low-land green supper rice genotypes in the Northwestern part of Ethiopia at Pawe agricultural research center for three consecutive years from 2016-2018 main cropping seasons. A randomized complete block design with three replications was used. The results of the analysis of variance for yield and yield-related characters revealed that highly significant mean square due to genotypes observed for all traits studied, Higher phenotypic co-efficient of variation, compared to genotypic co-efficient of variation was recorded for all the traits studied indicating the variation is not only genetic but also influence of growing environment. The highest PCV was recorded for the trait plant height (32.6) followed by panicle length (23.3). Broad sense heritability analysis showed that days to heading (56.3), plant height (49.8), Days to maturity (42.4%), and panicle length (42.3%) were high. High heritability with the high genetic advance in percent of mean was recorded by plant height (49.8 & 33.54) followed by Panicle length (42.3 & 36.55) which confirms their additive gene action and direct selection of these traits depending on phenotypic expression would be effective for yield improvement. The positive and highly significant phenotypic correlation was observed between days to heading and days to maturity (r = 9385***) plant height was positively correlated with thousand-grain weight (0.50436*) and Panicle length (0.48312*). Grain yield showed negative correlation between Days to maturity (-0.044662*), but weak positive correlation was observed for days to heading (r = 0.33472), plant height (r = 0.18729) and panicle length (r = 0.08771). Therefore, the traits recorded high heritability and higher genetic advance; and the traits showed positive correlation and could be considered as suitable traits for selection and improvement to achieve high-yielding green super rice varieties in rain-fed environments.

QTL Mapping of Trichome Traits and Analysis of Candidate Genes in Leaves of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Trichome plays an important role in heat dissipation, cold resistance, water absorption, protection of leaves from mechanical damage, and direct exposure to ultraviolet rays. It also plays an important role in the photosynthesis, transpiration, and respiration of plants. However, the genetic basis of trichome traits is not fully understood in wheat. In this study, wheat DH population (Hanxuan 10 × Lumai 14) was used to map quantitative trait loci (QTL) for trichome traits in different parts of flag leaf at 10 days after anther with growing in Zhao County, Hebei Province, and Taigu County, Shanxi Province, respectively. The results showed that trichome density (TD) was leaf center > leaf tip > leaf base and near vein > middle > edge, respectively, in both environments. The trichome length (TL) was leaf tip > leaf center > leaf base and edge > middle > near vein. Significant phenotypic positive correlations were observed between the trichome-related traits of different parts. A total of 83 QTLs for trichome-related traits were mapped onto 18 chromosomes, and each one accounted for 2.41 to 27.99% of the phenotypic variations. Two QTL hotspots were detected in two marker intervals: AX-95232910~AX-95658735 on 3A and AX-94850949~AX-109507404 on 7D. Six possible candidate genes (TraesCS3A02G406000, TraesCS3A02G414900, TraesCS3A02G440900, TraesCS7D02G145200, TraesCS7D02G149200, and TraesCS7D02G152400) for trichome-related traits of wheat leaves were screened out according to their predicted expression levels in wheat leaves. The expression of these genes may be induced by a variety of abiotic stresses. The results provide the basis for further validation and functional characterization of the candidate genes.

Descriptive Statistics and Genome-Wide Copy Number Analysis of Milk Production Traits of Jiangsu Chinese Holstein Cows.

Milk production traits are the most important quantitative economic traits in dairy cow production; improving the yield and quality of milk is an important way to ensure the production efficiency of the dairy industry. This study carried out a series of in-depth statistical genetics studies and molecular analyses on the Chinese Holstein cows in the Jiangsu Province, such as descriptive statistics and copy number variation analysis. A genetic correlation, phenotypic correlation, and descriptive statistical analysis of five milk production traits (milk yield, milk fat percentage, milk fat yield, milk protein percentage, and milk protein yield) of the dairy cows were analyzed using the SPSS and DMU software. Through quality control, 4173 cows and their genomes were used for genomic study. Then, SNPs were detected using DNA chips, and a copy number variation (CNV) analysis was carried out to locate the quantitative trait loci (QTL) of the milk production traits by Perl program software Penn CNV and hidden Markov model (HMM). The phenotypic means of the milk yield, milk fat percentage, milk fat mass, milk protein percentage, and milk protein mass at the first trimester were lower than those at the other trimesters by 8.821%, 1.031%, 0.930%, 0.003%, and 0.826%, respectively. The five milk production traits showed a significant phenotypic positive correlation (p < 0.01) and a high genetic positive correlation among the three parities. Based on the GGPBovine 100 K SNP data, QTL-detecting research on the fist-parity milk performance of dairy cows was carried out via the CNV. We identified 1731 CNVs and 236 CNVRs in the 29 autosomes of 984 Holstein dairy cows, and 19 CNVRs were significantly associated with the milk production traits (p < 0.05). These CNVRs were analyzed via a bioinformatics analysis; a total of 13 gene ontology (GO) terms and 20 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were significantly enriched (p < 0.05), and these terms and pathways are mainly related to lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and cellular catabolic processes. This study provided a theoretical basis for the molecular-marker-assisted selection of dairy cows by developing descriptive statistics on the milk production traits of dairy cows and by locating the QTL and functional genes that affect the milk production traits of first-born dairy cows. The results describe the basic status of the milk production traits of the Chinese Holstein cows in Jiangsu and locate the QTL and functional genes that affect the milk production traits of the first-born cows, providing a theoretical basis for the molecular-marker-assisted selection of dairy cows.

Estimation of genetic variability and association analysisin sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)

Sesame is well recognized for good quality edible oil due its high PUFA content, antioxidant properties, excellent nutritional and medicinal properties. The present investigation aims at analyzing the variability among promising parents and newly developed genotypes of sesame on the basis of 8 morphological characters. PCV exhibited a bit higher values but maintained a close relation with GCV for all the traits, indicating low G×E interaction. Additive gene action was prominent for the traits like no of capsules/plant, seed yield /plant, and primary branches/plant. Highly significant positive phenotypic correlation coefficient was observed between seed yield and its four attributes namely plant height, branches per plant number of capsules/ plant and 1000 seed weight.

Residual methane emissions in grazing lactating dairy cows

ABSTRACT Residual methane emission (RME) is a trait that has previously been identified as being independent of animal production traits. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of ranking grazing dairy cows by RME on animal productivity and enteric methane (CH4) emissions. Milk production, dry matter intake (DMI), liveweight (LWT) and CH4 were recorded on grazing late lactation dairy cows at Teagasc Moorepark, Ireland. The dairy cows were producing 352 g CH4/day, while consuming 16.6 kg DM. The mean methane yield was 20.79 g CH4/kg DMI. Residual methane emission was calculated as the difference between measured CH4 yield and New Zealand emission factor (21.6 g CH4/kg DMI). These dairy cows were ranked based on their RME and classified into groups. The low RME group produced 15% less CH4 than the high RME group while maintaining milk production and feed conversion efficiency. The low RME group had lower methane yield, and methane intensity. There are no significant phenotypic correlations between RME and animal production traits such as energy corrected milk yield, or LWT. These results indicate that RME has the ability to select and rank low emitting grazing dairy cows while being independent from animal productivity traits.

Host genetics and gut microbiota jointly regulate blood biochemical indicators in chickens

Blood biochemical indicators play a crucial role in assessing an individual’s overall health status and metabolic function. In this study, we measured five blood biochemical indicators, including total cholesterol (CHOL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-CH), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-CH), and blood glucose (BG), as well as 19 growth traits of 206 male chickens. By integrating host whole-genome information and 16S rRNA sequencing of the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum, and feces microbiota, we assessed the contributions of host genetics and gut microbiota to blood biochemical indicators and their interrelationships. Our results demonstrated significant negative phenotypic and genetic correlations (r = − 0.20 ~ − 0.67) between CHOL and LDL-CH with growth traits such as body weight, abdominal fat content, muscle content, and shin circumference. The results of heritability and microbiability indicated that blood biochemical indicators were jointly regulated by host genetics and gut microbiota. Notably, the heritability of HDL-CH was estimated to be 0.24, while the jejunal microbiability for BG and TG reached 0.45 and 0.23. Furthermore, by conducting genome-wide association study (GWAS) with the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs), insertion/deletion (indels), and structural variation (SV), we identified RAP2C, member of the RAS oncogene family (RAP2C), dedicator of cytokinesis 11 (DOCK11), neurotensin (NTS) and BOP1 ribosomal biogenesis factor (BOP1) as regulators of HDL-CH, and glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase domain containing 5 (GDPD5), dihydrodiol dehydrogenase (DHDH), and potassium voltage-gated channel interacting protein 1 (KCNIP1) as candidate genes of BG. Moreover, our findings suggest that cecal RF39 and Clostridia_UCG_014 may be linked to the regulation of CHOL, and jejunal Streptococcaceae may be involved in the regulation of TG. Additionally, microbial GWAS results indicated that the presence of gut microbiota was under host genetic regulation. Our findings provide valuable insights into the complex interaction between host genetics and microbiota in shaping the blood biochemical profile of chickens.Key points• Multiple candidate genes were identified for the regulation of CHOL, HDL-CH, and BG.• RF39, Clostridia_UCG_014, and Streptococcaceae were implicated in CHOL and TG modulation.• The composition of gut microbiota is influenced by host genetics.

Genetic Variability, Correlation and Path Coefficient Analysis of Ash Gourd (Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn.) Genotypes

The present investigation was carried out during kharif season, 2018-2019 on 37 genotypes of ash gourd in Randomized Block Design to study the genetic variability, heritability, genetic advances, correlation and path coefficient. Results revealed high genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) for seediness (44.197 and 44.09), fruit diameter (36.41 and 36.26), average fruits weight (32.308 and 32.27), number of lobes (21.73 and 21.63), peduncle length (25.72 and 25.651), petiole length (22.25 and 22.02), fruit length (25.82 and 25.68), seed width (24.84 and 24.62), number of fruit per plant (21.93 and 21.81), nodes at which first female flower appears (28.54 and 28.48), yield per plant (25.35 and 25.11) and yield per hectare (25.35 and 25.11), respectively. Whereas, high heritability (h2) coupled with genetic advance over mean (GAM) was registered highest in seediness (99.52% and 90.61%) followed by fruit diameter (99.23% and 74.41%), fruit length (98.87% and 52.60%), respectively. Fruit yield per plant showed highly significant positive phenotypic and genotypic correlation coefficients with avg fruit weight (0.708 and 0.709), vine length (0.359 and 0.368), fruit diameter (0.304 and 0.307), seed width (0.337 and 0.342), crop duration (0.370 and 0.356) and cotyledon length (0.295 and 0.305), respectively. The highest positive direct effects on fruit yield was exerted by average fruit weight (1.034) followed by number of fruit/plant (0.738) and vine length (0.062) whereas number of lobes (-0.087) shown highest negative direct effect followed by ovary length (-0.062) and cotyledon width (-0.059).

Genetic analysis for semen quality traits in buffalo bulls.

This study was attempted to estimate the genetic parameters of semen quality traits in buffalo bulls. The study data consisted of 10975 ejaculates from 45 Murrah buffalo bulls (aged 24-72months) used for breeding program during year 2010 to 2020. Semen quality traits (ejaculate volume, concentration of sperm, mass activity, initial and post-thaw motility, number of sperms per ejaculate, motile sperm number and discard rates) were studied. It was observed that average ejaculate volume was 2.82 ± 1.45mL with mean concentration of 1040.12 ± 523.26 million/mL. Higher heritability was observed for number of sperms per ejaculate, number of motile sperm and sperm concentration. Significant phenotypic correlation was obtained between volume and number of sperms per ejaculate as well as volume and number of motile sperms. Likewise, significant phenotypic correlation was evident between sperm concentration with sperm number per ejaculate. Highest phenotypic correlation was obtained between sperm count per ejaculate and motile sperm count. Estimated genetic trends showed significant change in volume and motile sperm number. In conclusion, this study ascertains that genetic parameters of semen traits can be considered during the selection of buffalo bulls in breeding program.

Relationships between Different Growth and Yield Traits in Bottle Guord [Lagenaria siceraria (mol.) Standl] with Path Coefficient Analysis over Seasons under Salt Affected Soil

This study used 23 genotypes of bottle gourd—27 F1 hybrids, 12 Parents (9 lines, and 3 testers)—during two seasons (Y1 and Y2) and pooled analyses to analyze the correlations between fruit production per plant (Kg), growth, and economic features. The observations were evaluated based on qualities that are related to growth and yield. It was discovered that the fruit yield per plant had exhibited a significant and positive phenotypic correlation with the length of the male and female flowers' pedicels, the number of primary branches per plant, the length of the vine, the number of nodes per vine, the internodal length, the duration of picking, the length of the peduncle, the length of the fruit, the average fruit's circumference, the average fruit's weight, the number of fruits per plant. The highest positive direct effect on fruit yield per plant was exerted by number of fruit per plant followed by average fruit weight at phenotypic level. Whereas, higher negative direct effects exerted by days to first fruit harvest. The soil type of experimental site was sandy loam with average fertility level and pH in the range of 7.5-8.5

Comparison of non-linear models and genetic parameter estimation for growth curve traits in the Murciano-Granadina goat breed

In this study, we analyzed 50,238 records of the body weight of the Murciano-Granadina goat breed from birth to 360 days of age. The data were collected from a private dairy farm located in Ghale-Ganj city, which is in the southern part of Kerman province, in the south of Iran. The records were collected between 2016 and 2022. Our goal was to evaluate the suitability of non-linear models for characterizing growth curves from birth to 360 days of age and to estimate genetic parameters for these growth curve traits. Five non-linear mathematical models namely Brody, Negative exponential, von Bertalanffy, Logistic, and Gompertz were compared by using Akaike's information criterion (AIC), root mean square error (RMSE), and Durbin-Watson statistic (DW) to determine the most suitable function for characterizing the growth curve. Among the investigated models, the von Bertalanffy model exhibited the lowest values for both AIC and RMSE. Additionally, we observed positive autocorrelations among residuals for all of the investigated non-linear models, with the lowest value being observed for the von Bertalanffy model. As a result, we selected the von Bertalanffy as the most suitable model for characterizing the growth curve of the Murciano-Granadina goat breed. To estimate genetic parameters for the growth curve traits, including parameters A (estimated mature weight), B (an integration constant related to initial animal weight), K (maturation rate), inflection age (IA), and inflection weight (IW), we utilized a Bayesian multivariate animal model that accounted only for direct additive genetic effects. The posterior means for heritabilities of A, B, K, IA, and IW were significant values of 0.11, 0.13, 0.03, 0.11, and 0.17, respectively. Parameter A had significant and positive genetic and phenotypic correlations with parameters B, IA, and IW. The posterior means for genetic and phenotypic correlations between parameters A and K were negative estimates of − 0.58 and − 0.17, respectively, implying that the kids with slower maturation rates had higher mature weights. Positive and medium estimates were obtained for posterior means of phenotypic (0.04) and genetic (0.29) correlations between parameters B and K. Both posterior means for phenotypic and genetic correlations of B with IA were 0.32 while those of B with IW were 0.51 and 0.50, respectively. We found high and positive genetic (0.51) and phenotypic (0.50) correlations between IA and IW. However, we observed low levels of additive genetic variation for all of the studied growth curve traits. In conclusion, our analysis suggests that the growth curve traits of the Murciano-Granadina goat breed are highly influenced by non-additive genetic and environmental effects. Therefore, it is essential to consider these effects when designing strategies to improve these traits and develop an appropriate breeding scheme that can achieve the desired shape of the growth curve.

Studies on Genetic Variability and Character Association for Quantitative Traits of Garden Pea (Pisum sativum L.)

The field experiment was carried out in randomized block design repeating each genotype into 3 blocks at Agriculture Farm of Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar, Punjab, India during rabi season (November–March) of 2015–16. Variability in the breeding population is essential pre-requisite to improve yield, earliness, disease resistance, lodging resistance etc. and the study of correlation and path analysis help in formulating selection indices for yield improvement. Therefore, a study was carried out undertaken to assess the magnitude of genetic variability and character association in twenty four diverse genotypes of garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) based on eleven quantitative characters. Analysis Of Variance (ANOVA) showed the existence of wide variability among the genotypes for all the characters studied. Closer magnitude of genotypic and phenotypic variation also indicated the presence of considerable genetic variability for all characters. High proportion of GCV accompanied with high heritability (in broad sense) and high genetic gain/genetic advance as percentage of mean were recorded for the characters like days to 50% flowering, plant height, harvesting span, dry matter and pod yield. Significant positive genotypic and phenotypic correlations were observed among pod yield and days to 50% flowering, number of pods plant-1 and number of seeds pod-1. These characters also had positive direct effect on pod yield. Hence, it can be concluded that selection is feasible for improvement of the characters studied under investigation.

Correlation and path coefficient analysis of yield and yield components of some Ethiopian faba bean (Vicia faba L.) accessions

&lt;p&gt;The knowledge of correlation and path coefficient analysis&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;allow crop breeders to practice indirect selection to improve traits like grain yield which are complex in nature. The objectives of the present study were to measure association among yield and yield related traits and to identify important traits for indirect selection to improve faba bean grain yield. Eighty-one faba bean accessions were evaluated following 9 × 9 simple lattice design at one of the Bahir Dar University research sites at Mecha district in 2019 rainy cropping season. The result of correlation analysis revealed that grain yield had highly significant (&lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt; &amp;lt; 0.01) and positive phenotypic and genotypic correlations with plant height, pod length, number of pods per plant, number of branches per plant, biomass yield, 100-seed mass and harvest index indicating the possibility of simultaneous improvement of grain yield with these traits through selection. Path coefficient analysis demonstrated that higher positive direct effects were exerted by biomass yield and harvest index on grain yield both at phenotypic and genotypic levels, as a result, these traits could be used as indirect selection criteria to improve faba bean grain yield.&lt;/p&gt;

Correlation and path coefficient analysis of yield and yield components of some Ethiopian faba bean (Vicia faba L.) accessions

The knowledge of correlation and path coefficient analysis allow crop breeders to practice indirect selection to improve traits like grain yield which are complex in nature. The objectives of the present study were to measure association among yield and yield related traits and to identify important traits for indirect selection to improve faba bean grain yield. Eighty-one faba bean accessions were evaluated following 9 × 9 simple lattice design at one of the Bahir Dar University research sites at Mecha district in 2019 rainy cropping season. The result of correlation analysis revealed that grain yield had highly significant (p &lt; 0.01) and positive phenotypic and genotypic correlations with plant height, pod length, number of pods per plant, number of branches per plant, biomass yield, 100-seed mass and harvest index indicating the possibility of simultaneous improvement of grain yield with these traits through selection. Path coefficient analysis demonstrated that higher positive direct effects were exerted by biomass yield and harvest index on grain yield both at phenotypic and genotypic levels, as a result, these traits could be used as indirect selection criteria to improve faba bean grain yield.

Yield Components and Development in Indeterminate Tomato Landraces: An Agromorphological Approach to Promoting Their Utilization

Nowadays, increments in tomato yield seem to have reached a plateau. Tomato genebank collections have been recognized as a novel source for yield increments. The use of the diversity in Latin America for novel improved varieties is limited by the knowledge gap regarding field-grown tomatoes. As yield has complex, unresolved trade-offs, agromorphological traits become useful for further improvement. In this study, the development of successive clusters was studied in twenty-four Chilean tomato landraces to elucidate the relationships among agromorphological traits of flowers, inflorescences, and fruits. Plants yielded an average of 3297 g m−2, with a variation coefficient of 0.44. Correlation analyses were performed to evaluate the relationships between yield components and plant phenology. Findings suggested a two-level compensation between average fresh fruit weight and the number of fruits, one on a plant basis and the second on a cluster basis. All traits evaluated had significant phenotypic correlations with yield traits. Growing degree days for a cluster to develop had a low negative phenotypic correlation with yield (−0.33***) and a high genetic correlation with the number of clusters (−0.90***). The number of set flowers, as opposed to the number of flowers, was significantly correlated with average fresh fruit weight (−0.17***), supporting the initiation of the trade-off after the fruit set. This study provides new insight into the plant agromorphology of indeterminate plants. In a global climate change context, further study of trade-off relationships is important for identifying genotypes able to sustain their productivity.

DUS descriptors based morphometric characterization to analyze genetic variability in gladiolus

Abstract Present investigation involved phenotypic characterization of 84 gladiolus genotypes based on 18 DUS descriptors to estimate genetic variation and identify desirable genotypes for hybridization. Considerable variability was observed among the genotypes for most of the traits and principal component analysis revealed that the first two principal components explained most of the existing variation (&gt;98%) in the germplasm. Genotypic coefficient of variation exhibited a wide range from 7.80% (androecium length) to 37.11% (duration of flowering) while, phenotypic coefficient of variation ranged from 8.12% (androecium length) to 37.61% (duration of flowering). Strong broad sense heritability estimates (&gt;95%) were observed for the characters viz., bract length, flower width, tepal length, tepal width, style length, time of beginning of flowering and duration of flowering. Seventy four pair wise inter-trait combinations showed significant and positive genotypic and phenotypic correlations among 153 possible trait combinations. Mahalanobis D2 statistic analysis revealed that genotypes of the cluster II and V to be highly distinct and hybridization between them might have better chance to obtain desirable recombinants. Ward’s cluster analysis confirmed that the cv. Victor and cv. Malaviya Shatabdi to be highly diverse for the selected traits. It is concluded that the above genotypes may be utilized in crossing programme to obtain better progenies. Characterized data of gladiolus germplasm would assist the breeders in varietal identification, conservation and their sustainable utilization during breeding programme.

Genetic diversity and gain quantitative characters of maize from index-based selection at two dry lands in Lombok, Indonesia

Abstract. Sudika IW, Soemeinaboedhy IN, Sutresna IW. 2023. Genetic diversity and gain quantitative characters of maize from index-based selection at two dry lands in Lombok, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 24: 11-19. Genetic diversity and gain quantitative characters of maize from index-based selection at dry land is poorly reported. This research aims to study the genetic diversity and gain of several traits quantitative of the index-based selection at two dry lands in Amor-Amor and Pererenan, Lombok, Indonesia. A randomized block design with three replications was applied to design the experiment. The materials used is maize from nine populations, namely eight populations from the selection of index-based and one from the initial population. The data were analyzed for variance at the 5% significance level. The results showed that the genetic diversity of yields was categorized as moderate, and the weight of dry cobs harvested per plant was narrow in both locations. The genetic diversity of fresh stover weight per plant in Pererenan was wider than in Amor-Amor, but still in the same category, which was medium. These three traits had a significant genetic gain in the moderate category for both locations, except for the weight of fresh stover per plant, which was high in Pererenan. The dry seed weight per plant had a moderate genetic diversity and gain with a significant positive phenotypic correlation with yield. Yield and fresh stover per plant can still be increased through index-based selection by using dry seed weight per plant and fresh stover per plant in both locations.