Correlation and Path Coefficient Analysis for Yield Attributes in Lentil (Lence culinaris L.)

An investigation was carried out at Genetics and Plant Breeding Research Farm of Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Narendra Nagar (Kumarganj), Faizabad (U. P. ) during rabi, 2011-12 on 96 genotypes with 4 checks varieties in augmented block design to study correlation and path coefficient analysis for yield attributes in lentil (Lence culinaris L. ) on 11 quantitative characters. Results revealed that the seed yield per plant showed highly significant and positive correlation with plant height (0.541**), days to maturity (0.257**), secondary branches per plant (0.552**), pods per plant (0.506**), 100 seed weight (0.530**), biological yield (0.330**), harvest index (0.488**), and positively significant correlated with primary branches per plant (0.197*) and negative correlation with number of seeds pod-1 (-0.123). Significantly inter correlation among traits are useful in breeding programme for improvement of yield and its component traits. The highest positive direct effects on seed yield per plant was exerted by harvest index (0.807) followed by biological yield per plant (0.757), number of secondary branches (0.183) and 100 seed weight (0.107). The inter-relationship among the characters identified above may be utilized in the breeding programme to exploit the yield potential and to develop high yielding varieties with ease and target oriented research.