1ANGRAU-Agricultural Research Station, Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh, India
*Corresponding author: drsamuelpatro@gmail.com
The present study was conducted to assess the association and direct and indirect effects of yield and its component traits in foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.). Twenty genotypes were evaluated during kharif, 2019 at Agricultural Research Station, Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh, in a Randomized Block Design with three replications. Mean performance of genotypes show that considerable variation was observed among the genotypes for all the traits studied, indicating the presence of sufficient variability for selection and improvement. Analysis of correlation revealed significant positive association of grain yield with plant height, number of productive tillers per plant and fodder yield, indicating that these traits play a vital role in determining grain yield. Path coefficient analysis revealed that fodder yield exhibited the highest positive direct effect on grain yield, followed by plant height and panicle length, signifying their importance in selection for yield improvement. Traits such as days to maturity and plant height also showed considerable indirect effects through fodder yield. These findings indicate that simultaneous improvement of yield and its related traits can be achieved by selecting for fodder yield, plant height, and panicle length.
⓿ Significant variation was observed among 20 foxtail millet genotypes for yield and yield-contributing traits.
⓿ Significant associations were observed between grain yield and biomass related traits such as number of productive tillers per plant, plant height and fodder yield.
⓿ As usual days to maturity was highly correlated with days to 50% flowering. It was as well significantly and positively correlated with fodder yield indicating that longer the duration higher the biomass production.
⓿ Direct positive effect of fodder yield, plant height and panicle length emphasizes that these traits can be selected for improvement of grain yield in foxtail millet
⓿ The study suggests that simultaneous selection for fodder yield, plant height, and panicle length would enhance grain yield in foxtail millet.
Foxtail millet, Correlation, Association, Path coefficient, Grain yield
