Journal of Biotechnology

& Crop Science

5(6): 76-81, 2016

Correlations and path coefficient analysis in rice recombinant inbred lines

Akanksha Singh, DK Dwivedi, Archana Devi, Preeti Kumari, OP Verma, KN Singh
Received: 17 March 2016 Revised Accepted: 19 May 2016

ABSTRACT

In this study 25 introgression lines developed by involving CSR-27 and MI-48 rice varieties were evaluated under normal
and salinity stress conditions. Observations were recorded for yield and yield contributing traits. The genotypic correlations
were generally similar in nature and higher in magnitude with the corresponding phenotypic correlation coefficients. Data in
salinity condition revealed that grain yield having positive and significant correlation with panicle bearing tillers per plant
and biological yield per plant while in normal condition with biological yield and harvest index. The path coefficient analysis
indicated that biological yield and harvest index had maximum positive direct effect on grain yield at phenotypic level under
salt condition. Biological yield, harvest index, plant height and spikelets per panicle have positive direct effect on grain yield
per plant under controlled condition.

Key Words: Correlation coefficient, Path coefficient, Rice

INTRODUCTION

As the most important human staple food,
approximately 90% of rice is grown and consumed in
Asia. The food security threat that shook many Asian
countries in 2008 still largely looms as resource-poor
farmers face the challenge to produce more rice from
lesser and dwindling resources of water, land and
costly inputs. In many Asian countries where poverty
and rice production are quite interlocked, any effort
to alleviate poverty in these regions needs
intervention by increasing rice production while
keeping the costs of cultivation low and sustainable.
India ranks first in the world in area of rice
cultivation with 43.97 million ha and second in
production with 104.32 million tons (Anonymous
2013). Almost 31% of calories of Indian diet are
supplied through rice. Research efforts focused on
development of high-yielding varieties and adoption
Akanksha Singh, KN Singh, DK Dwivedi ( )
Department of Plant Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering,
N.D. University of Agriculture & Technology, Kumarganj,
Faizabad
Email: ddwivedi2000@gmail.com
Archana Devi, Preeti Kumari, OP Verma
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, N.D. University of
Agriculture & Technology, Kumarganj, Faizabad
of modern production technologies resulted in
enhanced production leading to self-sufficiency in
the country. Along with yield, grain and nutritional
quality has also become a primary consideration in
rice breeding programs not only in India but also in
various rice growing countries across the world.
Salinity is a common abiotic stress that severely
limits crop growth and development, productivity and
causes the continuous loss of arable land, which
results in desertification in arid and semi-arid regions
of the world (Pons et al 2011). Saline soils are
characterized by excess of sodium ions with
dominant anions of chloride and sulfate resulting in
higher electrical conductivity (>4 dS m_1) (Ali et al
2013). The detrimental effects of saline soils on rice
productivity vary considerably, especially when they
often become compounded by mineral deficiencies
(Zn, P) and toxicities (Fe, Al, and organic acids),
submergence (both coastal saline water and river
flooding), deep water and drought. Further, these
stresses do vary in magnitude across locations and
their interactions over space and time make it very
difficult for any cultivar to adapt. We need to breed
new materials that could tolerate salinity stress and

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yield high under normal favorable conditions as well.
This is essential as many of the abiotic stress
conditions are not a regular occurrence and therefore
varieties with abiotic stress tolerance must yield high
under normal favorable conditions. Keeping these
facts RILs were evaluated for some quantitative traits
along with yield. These traits were analyzed to find
out the association among yield and its component
traits.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The experiments were conducted at two sites first at
Student Instructional Farm having normal pH and
second on Main Experimental Station (MES) with
pH-9.7 and E.C-3.3 dsm-1 of N.D. University of
Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Faizabad.
The material for this study consisted of 25 RILs
developed by crossing of CSR-27 MI-48 procured
from the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding,
N.D.U.A. and T. Kumarganj, Faizabad. The seeds of
rice RILS were sown on 1 June 2010 in nursery bed.
After 25 days single seedling per hill were
transplanted with 20 cm row to row and 15 cm plant
to plant spacing in randomized complete block
(RBD) design with three replications under both
conditions. The crop was maintained properly at 120:
60: 60 kg/ha NPK level. Observations were recorded
on randomly selected five plants from each RILs
in each replication. The data were recorded on days to
50% flowering, plant height (cm), panicle bearing
tillers per plants, spikelets per panicle, grains per
panicle, spikelet fertility (%), test weight (g),
biological yield (g), harvest index (%), grain yield per
plant(g) under both conditions., Na+/K+/ratio for RILs
were noted only in salinity situation. Data were
analyzed for analysis of variance (Panse and Sukatme
1967), correlation coefficient (Searle 1961) and path
coefficient analysis (Dewey and Lu 1959).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Analysis of variance: Analysis of variance involving
twenty five genotypes was done for eleven characters
under salt and ten characters under control conditions.
The mean sum of squares due to replication,
treatment and error under salt and control conditions
are present in Table, 1 and 2, respectively. Mean sum
of square due to treatments were highly significant
for all characters under salt and control conditions.

Table 1 Analysis of variance for 11 characters in rice RILs under salt condition.
Characters Mean Sum of Squares
Replications Treatments Errors
d.f. 2 24 48
Days to 50% flowering 0.37 12.55** 2.05
Plant height (cm) 3.07 44.14** 1.00
Panicle bearing tillers per plant 0.92 5.34** 0.61
Spikelet per plant 2.83 47.02** 18.72
Grains per panicle 0.65 47.63** 25.74
Spikelet fertility (%) 1.01 4.71** 1.87
Test weight (g) 0.93 0.98** 0.28
Biological yield (g) 5.61 42.33** 6.61
Harvest index (%) 0.76 11.13** 0.76
Grain yield per plant(g) 0.38 1.38** 0.30
Na+/K+/ratio 0.00 0.12** 0.00

*and ** significant at 5% and 1% level of significance, respectively.

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Table 2 Analysis of variance for 10 characters in rice plant height and biological yield per plant. Biological
RILs under control condition. yield exhibited positive and significant correlation
Characters Mean Sum of Squares with panicle bearing tillers per plant, spikelets per
Replications Treatment Error panicle and spikelets fertility. Spkelets per panicle
s s have positive and significant correlation with days to
d.f. 2 24 48
Days to 50% 1.45 27.22** 2.88 50% flowering, spikelet fertility and grains per
flowering panicle. Plant height showed positive and significant
Plant height (cm) 0.95 40.44 ** 3.36 correlation with days to 50% flowering.
Panicle bearing 2.48 12.43** 6.97
tillers per plant
Spikelet per plant 1.79 325.15** 28.13 Results for correlation under normal condition (Table
Grains per 4) showed that grain yield per plant showed positive
50.65 311.95** 36.85
panicle and significant correlation with biological yield per
Spikelet fertility plant and harvest index. Biological yield recorded
1.32 3.58** .89
(%)
Test weight (g) 0.80 0.04 **
.42 positive and significant correlation with panicle
Biological yield bearing tillers per plant. Grains per panicle exhibited
1.37 118.26** 63.38
(g) positive and significant correlation with panicle
Harvest index
0.96 10.86** 4.50 bearing tillers per plant and spikelets per panicle.
(%)
Grain yield per Spikelets per panicle recorded positive and
0.65 4.36** 1.54
plant(g) significant correlation with panicle bearing tillers per
*and ** significant at 5% and 1% level of plant.
significance, respectively.
Janardanam et al (2002) and Borbora et al (2005)
Correlation coefficient: The grain yield in almost all found significant positive associations between plant
the crops is referred to as super characters, which height and productive tillers, panicle length and
results from multiplicative interactions of several spikelets per panicle, productive tillers and panicle
other component characters that are termed as yield length, spikelets per panicle and grains per panicle in
components. Thus, identification of important yield sixteen hybrids and eight parental cultivars of rice
components and information about their and however, Chand et al (2004) found significant
interrelationship with each other will be very useful positive correlation of grain yield with grains per
for developing efficient breeding strategy for panicle. Nabeela et al (2004) observed that days to
developing high yielding varieties for target 50% flowering were positively correlated with
environment. In this respect the correlation maturity. Borbora et al (2005) observed that grain
coefficient, which provides symmetrical yield per plant showed significant and positive
measurement of degree of association between two association with grain yield per panicle and
variables or characters, help us in understanding the significant negative correlation with plant height,
nature and magnitude of association among yield and panicle number per plant and chaffy grains per
yield components. The genotypic correlations were panicle.
generally similar in nature and higher in magnitude
with the corresponding phenotypic correlation Path coefficient analysis: The path coefficient
coefficients. Data in salinity condition (Table 3) analysis was carried out using phenotypic correlation
revealed that grain yield having positive and coefficients among various characters to estimate the
significant correlation with panicle bearing tillers per direct and indirect effect of eleven characters under
plant and biological yield per plant. Harvest index salt and ten characters under control condition. Path
showed negative and significant association with coefficient analysis is a tool to partition the observed

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correlation coefficient into direct and indirect effects
of yield components which provides clearer picture of
characters associations for formulating efficient
selection strategy. Path analysis differs from simple
correlations in that it points out the causes and their
relative importance whereas, the latter measures
simply the mutual association ignoring the causation.
Wright (1921) developed the concept of path
coefficient as an attempt to analyses statistically the
cause and effect in correlated variables and critically
examined the real contribution of individual
components to the ultimate complex end product like
yield. The path coefficient analysis indicated that
biological yield and harvest index had maximum
positive direct effect on grain yield at phenotypic
level under salt condition (Table 5). Panicle bearing
tillers per plant and plant height had high indirect
effect on grain yield via biological yield. Harvest
index, spikelet fertility, spikelets per panicle, grains
per panicle and test weight have negative indirect
effect via biological yield. Spikelet fertility, test
weight, grains per panicle, spikelets per panicle and
days to 50% flowering having positive indirect effect
on grain yield via harvest index. Biological yield,
plant height and Na+/P+ ratio have negative indirect
effect on grain yield via harvest index in saline
condition.
Biological yield, harvest index, plant height and
spikelets per panicle have positive direct effect on
grain yield per plant under controlled condition
(Table 6). Days to 50% flowering, plant height and
panicle bearing tillers per plant showed positive
indirect effect on grain yield via biological yield.
Harvest index and test weight have negative indirect
effect on grain yield via biological yield. The direct
effects of rest of the characters were too low to be
considered important. Bagali et al (1999) studied
indica japonica double haploid population of 114
homozygous lines in rice and reported a high positive
indirect effect of panicle weight on grain yield
through harvest-index and number of grains per
panicle. Harvest index followed by test weight,
spikelet fertility and number of panicle per plant
exerted maximum positive direct effect on grain yield
per plant at phenotypic level.

Table 3 Estimates of phenotypic correlation coefficient between different characters in rice genotypes under salt condition.

Days Plan
Panicle Spikel Grain
to t Spikelet Test Biologic Na+/ Harvest Grain
bearing ets/ s/
Character 50% heig fertility weight al yield K+ / index yield
tillers/ panicl panicl
floweri ht (%) (g) (g) ratio (%) (g)
plant e e
ng (cm)
Days to 50% 1.00 0.45* 0.10 -0.11 -0.18 0.25* 0.06 -0.02 - 0.11 0.09
*
flowering 0.38**
Plant height (cm) 1.00 -0.08 0.03 -0.02 -0.00 -0.18 0.14 -0.06 -0.23* 0.08
Panicle bearing 1.00 0.20 0.15 -0.05 0.01 0.31** 0.14 0.02 0.44**
tillers/ plant
Spikelets/ panicle 1.00 0.72** 0.24* -0.14 0.25* 0.05 0.16 0.19
Grains/ panicle 1.00 0.35** -0.05 0.17 0.07 0.18 0.05
Spikelet fertility 1.00 0.00 0.26* 0.08 0.22 0.12
(%)
Test weight (g) 1.00 0.15 -0.15 0.20 0.02
Biological yield (g) 1.00 0.05 -0.68** 0.63**
Na+/K+ / plant 1.00 -0.13 0.07
Harvest index (%) 1.00 0.12

*and ** significant at 5% and 1% level of significance, respectively.

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Table 4 Estimates of phenotypic correlation coefficient between different characters in rice.

Character Days to Panicle
Plant Spikelet Spikelet Test Grain
50% bearing Grains/ Biological Harvest
height s/ fertility weight yield
floweri tillers/ panicle yield (g) index (%)
(cm) panicle (%) (g) (g)
ng plant
Days to 50% 1.00
flowering -0.28 0.24 -0.03 -0.04 0.00 0.14 -0.00 -0.30 -0.12
Plant height
(cm) 1.00 0.04 0.19 0.19 -0.03 -0.16 0.22 0.08 0.29
Panicle bearing
tillers/ plant 1.00 0.39* 0.37* -0.10 0.02 0.39* -0.22 0.24
Spikelets/
panicle 1.00 0.98** -0.15 0.15 0.27 -0.09 0.14
Grains/ panicle 1.00 0.01 0.15 0.29 -0.06 0.18
Spikelet fertility
(%) 1.00 -0.04 0.05 0.18 0.16
Test weight (g) 1.00 -0.11 -0.09 -0.17
Biological yield
(g) 1.00 -0.09 0.88**
Harvest index
(%) 1.00 0.36*
*and ** significant at 5% and 1% level of significance, respectively.
Table 5 Direct and indirect effects for different characters on grain yield per plant at phenotypic level in rice RILs under salt
condition.
Characters Day of Plant Panicle Spikele Grains Spikele Test Biologi Na+/K+ Harves Grain
50% height bearin ts per per t weight cal ratio t index yield
floweri (cm) g tiller panicle panicle fertility (g) yield (%) (g)
ng per (%) (g)
plants
Day of 50% flowering -0.0038 0.0017 -0.0004 0.0004 0.0007 0.0010 -0.0003 0.0001 0.0015 -0.0004 0.0901
Plant height (cm) 0.0146 -0.0321 0.0027 -0.0010 0.0007 0.0001 0.0059 -0.0045 0.0022 0.0074 -0.0803
Panicles bearing tiller
per plant -0.0009 0.0007 -0.0080 -0.0016 -0.0012 0.0004 -0.0001 -0.0025 -0.0011 -0.0002 0.4443
Spikelets per panicle 0.0034 -0.0010 -0.0060 -0.0300 -0.0218 -0.0075 0.0043 0.0077 -0.0018 -0.0050 -0.1987
Grains per panicle -0.0024 -0.0003 0.0019 0.0090 0.0124 0.0045 -0.0007 -0.0021 0.0009 0.0023 -0.0501
Spikelet fertility (%) -0.0007 0.0000 -0.0001 0.0007 0.0010 0.0027 0.0000 -0.0007 0.0002 0.0006 -0.1281
Test weight (g) 0.0006 -0.0015 0.0001 -0.0012 -0.0005 0.0001 0.0081 -0.0012 -0.0013 0.0016 0.0225
Biological yield (g) -0.0369 0.1893 0.4247 -0.3452 -0.2317 -0.3595 -0.2023 1.3396 0.0694 -0.9116 0.6389
Na+/K+ ratio 0.0028 0.0005 -0.0011 -0.0004 -0.0005 -0.0006 0.0012 -0.0004 -0.0075 0.0010 -0.0727
Harvest index (%) 0.1134 -0.2378 0.0304 0.1705 0.1908 0.2309 0.2064 -0.6970 -0.1352 1.0243 0.1200
Residual effect= 0.071

Table 6 Direct and indirect effects for different characters on grain yield per plant at phenotypic level in rice RILs under control
condition.
Characters Day of 50% Plant Panicle Spikelets Grains Spikelet Test Biologic Harvest Grain
flowering height bearing per per fertility( weight (g) al yield index yield (g)
(cm) tiller per panicle panicle %) (g) (%)
plants
Day of 50% flowering -0.0265 0.0026 0.0025 -0.0092 -0.0103 -0.0045 0.0007 -0.0042 0.0054 0.0008
Plant height (cm) -0.0191 0.1916 0.0431 -0.0691 -0.0668 -0.0261 0.0077 0.0360 -0.0073 0.2960
Panicles bearing tiller per -0.0048 0.0112 0.0499 0.0005 0.0005 -0.0018 -0.0063 0.0091 0.0006 0.2106
plant
Spikelets per panicle 0.0347 -0.0358 0.0010 0.0994 0.0881 0.0380 -0.0187 0.0071 -0.0203 -0.0481
Grains per panicle -0.0288 0.0257 -0.0007 -0.0654 -0.0737 -0.0362 0.0127 -0.0093 0.0182 -0.0339
Spikelet fertility (%) 0.0175 -0.0140 -0.0038 0.0392 0.0504 0.1025 -0.0024 -0.0021 0.0091 0.0905
Test weight (g) -0.0020 0.0029 -0.0090 -0.0134 -0.0123 -0.0017 0.0715 -0.0124 0.0012 -0.0449
Biological yield (g) 0.1071 0.1263 0.1228 0.0480 0.0845 -0.0134 -0.1163 0.6713 -0.3194 0.5139
Harvest index (%) -0.0773 -0.0145 0.0046 -0.0780 -0.0943 0.0338 0.0062 -0.1818 0.3820 0.0694
Residual effect= 0.085

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