GENETIC VARIABILITY, CORRELATION, PATH AND PCA FOR YIELD AND ITS COMPONENT TRAITS IN PAN INDIA ELITE CULTIVARS OF RICE (ORYZA SATIVA L.)

The experiment was carried out at the Agricultural Research Farm, SAGR, LPU, Jalandhar (Punjab).Fifty pan India elite cultivars of rice (Oryza sativa L.), which were gathered from different states of India for investigation.Analysis of variance showed significant variation among the genotypes for all ten quantitative traits under evaluation, indicated presence of variation in the populations.The genotypes showed high variability for most traits, reflecting high potential for selection to enhance yield.The investigation recorded high Genetic Coefficient of Variation (GCV) and Phenotypic Coefficient of Variation (PCV) for biological yield, which was trailed by harvest index, seed yield per plant, and test weight, implying large genetic variation for these traits and thus effective direct selection.The traits had high heritability and genetic advance, showing that they are regulated by additive gene effects, making them ideal for selection.Correlation analysis indicated seed yield per plants had moderate positive correlations with biological yield and harvest index.The phenological traits had negative and significant associations with seed yield per plant, indicated desirability of earliness.The same traits also had maximum direct effects on seed yield at both genotypic and phenotypic levels.Principal component analysis resulted in three principal components, which accounted for 55% of the total variation.These traits pinpointed yield-related characteristics, including biological yield, harvest index, and test weight, that are utilized to separate genotypes by their potential for yield.