GENETIC VARIABILITY, CORRELATION AND PATH CO-EFFICIENT ANALYSIS OF YIELD AND YIELD CONTRIBUTING CHARACTERS IN MUNGBEAN (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted in the experiment field of SAU and Genetics and Plant Breeding laboratory of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh during the period of 6 December 2015 to 5 March 2016. The experiment was conducted in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. There were great deal of significant variations for many characters among the genotypes. 30 Mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilezek) genotypes were tested for genetic variability and correlation co-efficient and path analysis among 11 yield contributing traits i.e., plant height, pods per plant, pod length, seed per pod, primary and secondary branches, thousand seed weight and grain yield etc. Considering genetic parameter high genotypic co-efficient of variation (GCV) was observed for seed primary branches, number of pod per plant, thousand seed weight and seed yield whereas days of first flowering, days of 50% flowering, days to 80% maturity and number of seed per pod showed low GCV. In all cases phenotypic variance was higher than genotypic variances. High heritability with high genetic advance in percent of mean was observed in primary branches, number of pod per plant, thousand seed weight and seed yield indicating that these trait was under additive gene control and seletion for genetic improvement for these trait would be effective. High heritability with low genetic advance with percent of mean was observed for days to first flowering, days to 50% flowering, days to 80% maturity, number of seed per pod, secondary branches and pod length which indicated that non-additive gene effects were involved for the expression of this character and selection of this character might not be rewarding. The result obtained from the study showed that seed yield per plant had highest significant positive correlation with plant height, primary branches, number of pod per plant, pod length and thousand seed weight which indicated that these characters are important and can be used for direct selection for yield. Based on genotypic correlation analysis characters like pods per plant, pod length and on phenotypic basis, grain yield and seed per pod could be the best criteria in any breeding program for increasing yield in mungbean genotypes. Considering group distance and other agronomic performance the inter genotypic crosses between G15 and G27; G15 and G11; G23 and G21; G1 and G15; G4 and G29; G15 and G29; G4 and G16 may be suggested for future hybridization program.