Correlation and Path Coefficient Analyses of Some Breeding Lines of The Man-Made Crop, Triticale (X.TRITICOSECALE WITTMAK)

Abstract

No information exists on association among traits in triticale genotypes is concerned in Ethiopia. Forty-nine triticale (X. triticosecaleWittmak) genotypes were evaluated for 13 traits in simple lattice design at Kulumsa and Assasa to study the association among grain yield and 12 yield-related traits. Grain yield showed positive and significant phenotypic correlation with biological yield, harvest index, and hectoliter weight at both locations. Path coefficient analysis showed biological yield, thousand kernel weight and number of kernels/spike exerted positive direct effect on grain yield at both phenotypic and genotypic levelsat each site and over the two locations.. Exceptions were genotypic path at Kulumsa, where only biological yield showed positive direct effect and at Assasa where number of kernels found to have negative direct effect. Among these characters biological yield showed the highest direct effect except for the genotypic path combined over the two locations. The indirect effects these characters had with other traits were either positive but negligible or negative for most instances. Therefore, the direct effect is the cause of the correlations among the traits. Overall, inattempts to improve the grain yield of these lines