Association and Path Analysis of Yield and Its Component Traits for Yield Maximization in Green Gram (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek)

The present investigation was undertaken to estimate the correlation coefficients among thirteen quantitative traits and to study the direct and indirect effects of various yield contributing traits on grain yield by path analysis. Ten genetically diverse genotypes of green gram (Vigna radiata L.) were used as parents in line x tester mating design in addition to their twenty four F2 lines at Educational and Research farm, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Brahmanand P.G. College, Rath (Hamirpur), Uttar Pradesh during zaid, 2019 in a randomized block design with three replications each. The results of association study revealed that grain yield per plant showed highly significant and positive correlation, at both genotypic and phenotypic levels, with number of days to flowering, number of pods per cluster, number of clusters per plant, number of pods per plant and biological yield per plant (g) indicating possibility of simultaneous improvement for these traits. However, yield per plant for parents showed significant negative correlation with primary branches per plant and harvest index at both genotypic and phenotypic levels. In contrast, only clusters per plant, pods per cluster, pods per plant, biological yield per plant, seeds per pod, seed weight per pod and 100 seed weight exhibited significant positive association in F2 generation, indicating existence of linkage. Harvest index had negative association with most of the traits at genotypic as well as phenotypic levels. Path analysis revealed that, biological yield per plant; harvest index and seeds per pod recorded the high direct effect in desirable direction. Their association with grain yield was also significant and positive except with harvest index, indicating true and perfect association between these traits at both genotypic and phenotypic levels. Therefore, direct selection for these characters would help in isolating high yielding genotypes from highly segregating population. Among the traits showing negative direct effects were days to 50% flowering, branches per plant, plant height, pods per plant and seed weight per pod, however, these trait had positive association with yield. Hence, biological yield per plant, harvest index, seeds per pod and clusters per plant may be improved to enhance seed yield per plant and hybridization followed by direct and indirect selection for these traits may be undertaken for breeding high yielding cultivars.