Understanding the Genetic Architecture of Yield and Associated Traits in Soybean (Glycine max L.): Implications for Crop Improvement

The experiment consisting of 22 soybean cultivar/varieties were laid out in a Research farm (Genetics and Plant Breeding) AKS University Sherganj, Satna, Madhya Pradesh during Kharif, 2022. The 14 characters were studied viz. days to 50% germination, days to 50% flowering, plant height (cm), days to maturity, number of primary branches per plant, number of clusters per plant, number of pods per clusters, number of pods per plants, pod length (cm), number of seed per pods, 100 seed weight (g), biological yield (gm), harvest index (%) and seed yield per plant (g). The magnitude of GCV ranged from days to 50% flowering (5.989) to the number of clusters per plant (31.701) and the magnitude of PCV ranged from days to 50% flowering (6.782) to number of clusters per plants (31.956). In general, higher estimates (h2b) >80% were observed for all the characters except days to 50% germination, harvest index, seed yield per plant (g) and days to 50% flowering. The heritability value ranged from days to 50% germination (69.9%) to number of clusters per plant (98.4%). The expected genetic advance in percent of mean @ 5% ranged from days to 50% flowering (10.896%) to the number of clusters per plants (64.78%). High estimates of expected genetic advance were found for number of clusters per plants followed by number of pods per plant, pod length (cm), number of primary branches per plants, seed yield per plant (g), biological yield (gm) and number of seed per pods at 5% level. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as a percent of mean at 5% observed for number of clusters per plant followed by a number of pods per plants, pod length (cm), number of seed /pods and biological yield (gm) indicating that these characters could be prominently governed by additive gene action.