STUDIES ON VARIABILITY AND CHARACTER ASSOCIATION UNDER RAINFED CONDITIONS IN PEARL MILLET (PENNISETUM GLAUCUM L.) HYBRIDS
Y. KUMAR*, R.A.S. LAMBA, H.P. YADAV, R. KUMAR AND DEV VART
Regional Research Station, Bawal (Haryana), India
CCS Haryana Agricultural University,
1Project Coordinator (AICPMIP), Mandor, Jodhpur
(Email: yogenderkgulia@gmail.com)
(Received: 21 February 2014; Accepted: 27 March 2014)
SUMMARY
A set of 26 pearl millet hybrids were evaluated in randomized block design (RBD) with three replications during kharif 2012 at CCS HAU, Regional Research Station, Bawal under rainfed conditions. The objectives of the investigation were to estimate the genetic parameters, correlation and path coefficient analysis for yield and its component traits viz., days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, plant height (cm), ear length (cm), ear girth (cm), 1000-seed weight (g), productive tillers per plant, plant population per plot, dry fodder yield (kg/plot) and grain yield (kg/plot). Significant differences were observed among the hybrids for all the characters studied. Phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation were recorded highest in dry fodder yield followed by productive tillers per plant, grain yield and 1000-seed weight. Estimates of heritability in broad sense ranged from 26 per cent for plant population to 99 per cent for 1000-seed weight, while grain yield showed 75 per cent heritability. Moderate to high heritability coupled with high genetic advance as per cent of mean was observed for 1000-seed weight, grain yield, dry fodder yield, plant height, productive tillers per plant and ear length indicating the importance of these traits in selection and crop improvement. Correlation studies revealed that the traits namely, plant height, ear length, productive tillers per plant and dry fodder yield exhibited significant positive phenotypic correlation with grain yield. Dry fodder yield, productive tillers per plant and ear length showed highest positive direct effect on grain yield at phenotypic level. Hence, main emphasis should be given to these traits in breeding programme for development of high yielding pearl millet hybrids under rainfed conditions.
Key words : Genetic variability, correlation coefficient, path analysis, pearl millet.