Correlation and Path Coefficient Studies among Yield and Yield Contributing Traits in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

The experiment with forty one genotypes was conducted during Rabi 2005-06 and 2006-07 in RBD with three replications at three different agro-climatic locations of Bihar. The analysis of variance revealed considerable variability among the treatments for ten characters namely days to 50 % flowering, plant height number of secondary branches, number of pods per plant, 100-seed weight, score of wilt infestation, pod borer infestation per cent, total protein, soluble protein and grain yield while number of primary branches and insoluble protein have shown significant difference among genotypes only in E3, E6 and E2, E6 respectively, it reflected the presence of significant variability in the base material. IPC 2003-55 exhibited the highest mean grain yield (1438 kg/ha) across the six location along with the high protein per cent and least infestation of wilt having the plant height (45.6 cm), followed by SAKI 9516 (1384 kg/ha), also exhibited resistance against wilt infestation, DCP 92-3 (1271 kg/ha), with highest protein percentage (20.5%) and moderately resistant to wilt, IPC 2003-45, (1224 kg/ha) and IPC 2003-57 (1169 kg/ha). The magnitude of genotypic correlations were greater than phenotypic correlations in each and every environment, suggesting the significant phenotypic association between characters were primarily due to genetic causes, which might be due to apheliotropic effect rather than linkage between genes effecting different character. Grain yield kg/ha was found to be associated significantly and positively with number of primary branches per plant and number of pods per plant across the six environments along with its high positive direct effect on grain yield of both the character as well as positive indirect effect via wilt infestation and total protein. Suggesting that the true relationship of these characters with grain yield and selection based on these traits might lead to the increase of grain yield.