Abstract

Two field experiments were conducted in 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 growing seasons at the experimental farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt. Ten Egyptian bread wheat genotypes were planted in a randomized complete block design with three replications and evaluated for eight characters. The aim was to study the phenotypic and genotypic correlations and genotypic path analysis for grain yield and yield components. Highly significant differences were observed among genotypes for all the eight studied traits. Statistical analysis showed that genotypic correlation coefficients were higher than the corresponding phenotypic correlation coefficients in most of the traits. The results revealed positive association in between number of tillers plant^-1, number of spikelets spike^-1, spike length, number of grains spike^-1 and 1000 grain weight with grain yield plant^-1 at both genotypic and phenotypic levels. However, days to 50% heading and plant height contributed negatively towards grain yield at both levels. Path analysis showed that maximum positive direct effect on grain yield plant^-1was contributed mostly by number of grains spike^-1, followed by number of tillers plant^-1and 1000-grain weights were the major contributors towards grain yield. Since these three characters had high correlation and also high direct effect thus direct selection for these three characters should be of a major concern for a plant breeder. It was, therefore, suggested that number of grains spike^-1, number of tillers plant^-1 and 1000-grain weight should be given emphasis for future wheat yield improvement programs.

Key words: Wheat, variability, phenotypic and genotypic correlation, path coefficients, yield, yield components.