Correlation and path-coefficient analysis of quantitative characters in winter bread wheat varieties

The present study was carried out to investigate the correlation and path coefficient analysis in 35 genotypes of winter bread wheat varieties, which were collected from different countries. Data were recorded for eight quantitative characters- number of productive tillers per plant, plant height, spike length, number of spikelets per spike, number of grains per spike, grain weight per spike, thousand grain weight and grain yield per plant. The highly significant and positive genotypic and phenotypic correlation was found between grain yield per plant and following components: number of productive tillers per plant (rg=0.817, rph=0.843), number of grains per spike (rg=0.448, rph=0.393), grain weight per spike (rg=0.765, rph=0.545), thousand grain weight (rg=0.594, rph=0.402). The number of spikelets per spike correlated positively and significantly with number of grains per spike (rg=0.886, rph=0.487) and grain weight per spike (rg=0.637, rph=0.370). Number of grains per spike had positive and significant phenotypic and genotypic correlations with grain weight per spike (rg=0.748, rph=0.826). Grain weight per spike positively correlated with thousand grains weight (rg=0.622, rph=0.688). The grain weight per spike and number of productive tillers per plant had strongest direct effect on grain yield per plant. The number of grains per spike via grain weight per spike and thousand grains weight via grain weight per spike had the highest positive indirect effect on the grain yield per plant. These relations can be used as selection criteria in breeding study to improve the high yielding cultivars for that region.