STUDIES ON GENETIC VRIABILITY PARAMETERS, CHARACTER ASSOCIATION AND PATH ANALYSIS AMONG YIELD AND YIELD CONTRIBUTING TRAITS IN SUGARCANE (SACCHARUM OFFICINARUM L.)

Abstract

An investigation was carried out to study the genetic variability, association among the yield component traits, their direct and indirect effects on the yield. All the genotypes showed considerable amount of variation in their mean performances with respect to the characters studied, indicates presence of sufficient variability and scope for further selection and breeding superior and desirable genotypes Genotypic coefficient of variation played a major role for the expression of the traits and ranged from 3.08 (purity) to 27.44 (single cane yield). Heritability in narrow sense ranged from 44.00 (purity) to 89.00 (single cane yield). High genetic advance was observed for the trait, cane yield (63.61) coupled with high heritability (89), indicating the preponderance of the non-additive gene action; suggesting that hybridization breeding will be effective. No. of Internodes (0.603, 0.542) ,Girth of internodes (0.780, 0.671) and single cane yield (0.847,0.793) were positively associated with cane yield/Ha at both genotypic and phenotypic levels respectively, indicating improvement in these traits will increase the cane yield. Number of internodes( 1.00, 0.14, intermodal length ( 0.71, 0.05) and single cane yield (0.831,0.681) had positive direct effect on yield at both genotypic and phenotypic levels respectively, indicating importance of these characters and which can be strategically used to improve the yield of sugarcane.