Trait correlation and heritability analysis in diverse upland rice (Oryza sativa) genotypes

This study evaluated agronomic traits' performance, correlation, and heritability in ten rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes grown at the Teaching and Research Farm of Federal University Dutse during the 2024 rainy season. The experiment followed a randomized complete block design with three replications. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences (p < 0.01) among genotypes for most traits, indicating substantial genetic variability. FARO 44 exhibited the highest grain yield per hill (145.3 g), followed by FARO 16 (138.6 g) and FARO 52 (140.7 g), while FARO 47 recorded the lowest yield (103.5 g). Days to heading (DTH) and days to flowering (DTF) showed high broad-sense heritability (99.9%), along with floret per panicle (99.6%) and grain yield per hill (98.5%), suggesting strong genetic influence. However, panicle length (59.4%) and fertility percentage (55.5%) had moderate heritability, implying environmental effects. Correlation analysis revealed a strong positive association between DTH and DTF (r = 0.970**) and between plant height and tillers per hill (r = 0.610**). However, plant height negatively correlated with DTH (r = -0.430*) and DTF (r = -0.405*), while grain yield exhibited weak associations with most traits. These findings highlight the potential for selecting high-yielding genotypes based on traits with strong heritability, particularly floret per panicle and grain yield per hill. The results provide useful insights for breeding programs aimed at improving rice productivity under similar agroecological conditions.