PATH ANALYSIS REVEALS LINKAGE BETWEEN PHOSPHORUSUTILIZATION EFFICIENCY WITH STEM BIOMASS IN RICE

– Eighteen rice genotypes were utilised to decipher the relationship among traits especially phosphorus utilisation efficiency and tissue-specific biomass by using path-coefficient analysis; the first report suggested so far. Characters such as the relative value of root number, root surface area, root volume, ratio between root and shoot length, root and shoot biomass portrayed extensive proliferation leading to enhanced biomass accumulation in shoot and root including greater phosphorus uptake. Meanwhile, path co-efficient analysis unveils that the relative value of root phosphorus concentration followed by shoot phosphorus concentration, shoot dry weight and shoot length possess a higher positive direct effect; whereas, the relative value of total leaf dry weight followed by root phosphorus utilization efficiency, shoot phosphorus utilization efficiency and root phosphorus uptake had a higher negative direct effect on relative stem biomass subsequently providing a silver lining to our outcomes. In total, this study identifies promising low phosphorus associated traits with the true nature of each trait towards relative stem dry weight.