CHARACTER ASSOCIATION AND DIVERSITY ANALYSIS FOR YIELD AND YIELD CONTRIBUTING CHARACTERS IN FIELD PEA (Pisum sativum L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during December 2016 to March 2017 to study the genetic variability, correlation, path coefficient analysis and genetic diversity for quantitative traits in pea (Pisum sativum L.) with twenty one genotypes in a field experiment conducted at the research farm of Sher-E-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka. Experiment showed significant differences among the genotypes. Phenotypic variance was higher than that of genotypic variance for all the characters. Phenotypic coefficients of variation (PCV) was also close to genotypic coefficients of variation (GCV) for all the characters indicating that environment had influence on the expression of these characters. The high heritability coupled with high genetic advance in percent of mean observed in plant height, primary branches per plant, leaf length, Leaf diameter, flower per plant, pods per plant, pod length, seeds per plant, seed diameter, 100 seed weight and seed yield which would be selected for future breeding program. High heritability coupled with low genetic advance in percent of mean was observed in germination percentage, days of 50% flowering and days to maturity. Plant height, leaf length, leaf diameter, pod length, seed diameter and hundred seed weight showed highly significant and positive correlation with seed yield at both genotypic and phenotypic levels revealed that selection based on these traits would ultimately improve the seed yield. Path coefficient analysis revealed that hundred seed weight had the highest positive direct effect on seed. Hence, thrust has to be given for this character in future breeding program to improve the yield in pea. Multivariate analysis based on 13 agronomic characters indicated that the twenty one genotypes were grouped into five distant clusters. The maximum contributions of characters towards diversity were plant height, leaf length, leaf diameter, pod length, seed diameter, and hundred seed weight. Thus, these traits may be given high emphasis for future hybridization program. The inter cluster distance was the maximum between cluster I and cluster V. The highest intra-cluster distance was found in cluster III. It was concluded G2 (BD-4151), G6 (BD-4171), G7 (BD-4172), G14 (BD-4190), G16 (BD-4205) could be included in the furthest study in view of seed yield for releasing as pea varities.