Correlation and Path Coefficient Studies on Advanced Bread Wheat Lines in Ethiopia

Grain yield is a complex quantitative trait which is influenced by a number of yield contributing traits. To improve grain yield in wheat, selection of genotypes should not only be based on grain yield alone, and the other grain yield components should also be considered. Twenty-three advanced bread wheat genotypes from the national wheat research breeding program; two released bread wheat varieties in Ethiopia; a total of twenty-five genotypes used in this study. The experiment was conducted in square lattice design with three replication over five locations for two consecutive years, in 2018 and 2019 main cropping seasons. The total experimental unit was 2.5m x 1.2m = 3m2. Overall results from correlations showed a higher genotypic correlation than the corresponding phenotypic correlation for most of the traits. The genotypic correlation between Grain yield and Plant height (rg=0.51**); between grain yield and thousand kernel weight (rg=0.73**); and between grain yield and hectoliter weight (rg= 0.52**) are highly significant at (P<0.01) (table 3). The highest phenotypic correlation found between thousand kernel weight and grain yield (rp=0.68**) followed by the phenotypic correlation between hectoliter weight and grain yield (rp=0.57**) (Table 5). The date of maturity, Plant height, Thousand Kernel Weight, and HectoLiter Weight had a positive direct effect on Grain yield (table 4). In conclusion, to generate a new technology, a variety with improved grain yield, a breeder needs to apply indirect selection for yield components from an early stage, nurseries to sets of advanced yield trials in the breeding program.