Variability studies for quantitative traits in upland rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Abstract

The present experiment comprised with twenty two advanced rice cultures collected from various research institutes and was conducted during Rabi 2015-16 under upland rice ecosystem. The analysis of variance revealed that all the treatments are significant for various characters under studied i.e. days to 50% flowering, plant height, number of productive tillers per plant, number of panicles per square metre plot area, panicle length, number of filled grains per panicle, grain yield per plot, straw yield per plot and harvest index. The higher magnitude of PCV was recorded for number of productive tillers per plant, number of filled grains per panicle, grain yield per plot and harvest index and higher magnitude of GCV was recorded for number of filled grains per panicle. Days to 50% flowering, plant height, number of panicles per square metre plot area, panicle length and number of filled grains per panicle showed high broad sense heritability and moderate for grain yield per plot, straw yield per plot and harvest index. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was recorded for plant height and number of filled grains per panicle indicated the major role of additive gene action in the inheritance of these characters. Thus, these characters may serve as an effective selection parameter during breeding programme in the upland rice ecosystem.

Keywords

• variability
• heritability
• genetic advance
• upland rice