Journal of
Plant Breeding and Crop Science

  • Abbreviation: J. Plant Breed. Crop Sci.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 2006-9758
  • DOI: 10.5897/JPBCS
  • Start Year: 2009
  • Published Articles: 447

Full Length Research Paper

Correlation and path coefficient analysis of yield and quality components of garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.) genotypes in Ethiopia

Legesse Tadesse
  • Legesse Tadesse
  • College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Department of Biology, Dire Dawa University, P.O. Box 1362, Dire Dawa University, Dire Dawa Ethiopia.
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Firew Mekbib
  • Firew Mekbib
  • College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, School of Plant Sciences, Haramaya University, P.O. Box 138, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.
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Adugna Wakjira
  • Adugna Wakjira
  • Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, P. O. Box 2003, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
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Zerihun Tadele
  • Zerihun Tadele
  • Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013 Bern, Switzerland.
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  •  Received: 15 June 2018
  •  Accepted: 21 August 2018
  •  Published: 31 October 2018

Abstract

The improvement for a trait of interest can be achieved by both direct and indirect

selection of characters that are more heritable and easy to select. The aim of this study was to determine the degree and nature of associations among seed yield and seed quality related characters. One hundred eight garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.) genotypes were evaluated for their yield and seed quality related traits using a Randomized Complete Block Design with two replications at Raare of Haramaya University Research Site (HRS) and Kulumsa farmer field (KFF), Ethiopia during Meher season in 2014/2015. Correlation and path coefficient analysis were carried out to study the character association and contribution, respectively, for fourteen agro-morphological and seed quality traits. Character association analysis among yield and yield contributing characters revealed that most genotypic correlation coefficients were higher than the respective phenotypic correlation coefficients. Both phenotypic and genotypic correlations revealed that the majority of examined traits had highly significant positive correlation except for oil content and oleoresin content. Genotypic path coefficient analysis of harvest index, biomass per plant and grain yield per plant had exerted positive direct effect on grain yield per plot. Hence, the improvement in grain yield is efficient, if the selection is based on biomass per plant, grain yield per plant and harvest index at both locations.

Key words: Genotypic correlation, oil content, oleoresin content, phenotypic correlation, selection.