Path Coefficient Analysis in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Abstract

Twenty five accessions of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were evaluated at Shambat, Sudan, for two consecutive seasons (1989/90 and 1990/91), using a 5x5 partially balanced lattice design with four replications. Data were collected on number of fertile tillers/plant, 1000-grain weight, number of spikelets/spike, number of grains/spike and grain yield/plant. Direct and indirect effects of the first four characters on grain yield/plant were determined, using the path coefficient analysis. Thousand-grain weight showed the highest positive direct effect (2.432) on grain yield, followed by number of spikelets/spike (0.740), whereas number of grains/spike had the highest negative direct effect (-0.089).

Number of grains/spike gave the highest positive indirect effect (6.223) on grain yield via the number of spikelets/spike. On the other hand, number of spikelets/spike showed the highest negative indirect effect (-0.748) on grain yield through number of grains/spike. It could be concluded that the yield components are interrelated with each other, and they affect grain yield/plant directly or indirectly, positively or negatively, through each other. Thousand- grain weight and number of spikelets/spike were the most important grain yield components.