Studies on Genetic Divergence and Character Association for Yield Components and Oil Content In Linseed (Linum Usitatissimum L)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted on L1nseed (Ltnum usitaltsstmum L ) during rabt season of 2007-08 in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications at Crop Research Center of Sardar Vallabh Bhal Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut (U P) The expenment was aimed to collect the information on genebc variab1hty, d1rect and Indirect selection parameters and genetic divergence for fifteen characters vtz, plant he1ght (em), primary branches per plant, secondary branches per plant, leaf area (cm2 ), capsules per plant, seeds per capsule, stem diameter(mm), days to maturity, biological yield per plant (g), grain yield per plant (g). biological yield per plot (kg), grain y1eld per plot (kg), 1000- seed wt (g), harvest index (percent) and oil content (percent) by evaluating thirty- one diverse genotypes of linseed The objecbves of present investigations were to study the genetic divergence using 02 statistics, phenotypic and genotypic variability and character association among the different traits. The systematic data were recorder for above-mentioned 15 characters and subjected to different biometncal computations. The result obta1ned on different aspects for d1fferent tra1ts are summarized as under. ANOVA for the experiment revealed highly significant differences among the genotypes for all the characters under study. Most of the characters showed high percentage of phenotypic and genotypic coeffiCtent of vanability. High heritability 1n broad sense esbmates were observed for plant height. pnmary branches, secondary branches. leaf area. capsules per plant, days to maturity, biological yteld per plant, grain yield per plant, 1000- seed weight, harvest index and oil content High genetic advanced in percent of mean was observed for almosl all the characters except seeds per capsule, days to maturity, stem diameter and 011 content In the association studies, highly significant and positive correlations were observed in grain yield per plant with primary branches per plant; secondary branches per plant, leaf area, capsules per plant, stem diameter, biological yield per plant 1000-seed weight and harvest index. Highly segnifiCBnt and negabve associateon between leaf area with biOlogiCal yield per plot, stem diameter w1th biological yield per plot; biological yield per plant with biological yield per plot and grain yield per plot; biological yield per plot with 1000- seed weight and harvest index; seeds per capsule with 1000-seed weight and harvest 1ndex with oil content The results of 0 2 - analysis tndicated the presence of hegh amount of genetic d1versity among the genoty~es studied. The thirty- one genotypes were clustered into e1ght clusters based on Mahalanobis D analysis. The characters, test weight and plant height contributed more than 85% of the total genetic divergence. The characters mentioned above meght be taken as the potent factor for differentiation among the genotypes. Hybridization programme could be taken between the genotypes of cluster II, VII and VIII for obtaming des1rable recombinants for the characters such as plant height, capsules per plant, biological yield per plant. grain yield per plant, harvest index and biological yield per plot. Reciprocal crosses between Ayogi and SVBP 07 might be a good cross combination.