VARIABILITY, HERITABILITY AND ASSOCIATION ANALYSIS IN SCENTED RICE

Abstract

The investigation conducted with fifty rice genotypes comprising both Basmati and aromatic short grain types revealed significant differences among the genotypes for the yield, its components and grain quality characteristics. High estimates of GCV were observed for productive tillers per plant, filled grains per panicle whereas, the estimates for panicle length, days to 50 percent flowering, kernel breadth and kernel elongation ratio were low. The yield components, viz., productive tillers per plant and filled grains per panicle which exhibited high heritability coupled with high genetic advance as percent of mean were under the influence of additive gene action. The remaining traits were mostly under the influence of non additive gene action as they recorded low to moderate estimates of genetic advance. The correlation analysis indicated that grain yield was significantly associated with harvest index, plant height, days to 50 percent flowering, panicle length, number of grains per panicle and filled grains per panicle. The characters, plant height, harvest index, number of grains per panicle at genotypic level exhibited moderate positive direct effects; whereas, days to 50 per cent flowering and 1000-grain weight had low positive direct effects. The study on correlations and path analysis indicated that emphasis should be given for selection of plants possessing higher number of grains per panicle with increased panicle length and optimum plant height so as to maintain higher harvest index to develop high yielding varieties for rainy (kharif) season.