Character Association Studies in Lowland Rice Cultivars of Bihar

The present investigation was carried out with aim to deduce the association among different characters with grain yield, i.e. their mutual relation with help of correlation analysis as well as to identify the component trait which are directly or indirectly contributing to the yield. The experiment was carried out at Rice Breeding Section, Pusa, Samastipur in kharif, 2018 from June, 26 to December 28. Total of twenty-two lowland rice accessions were sown in Randomized complete Block design Fashion (R.C.B.D.), with three replications. Fifteen characters including grain yield were observed for the experiment and data was collected at respective stages. The correlation coefficient analysis revealed that grain length, root volume, panicle length of main axis, number of panicles per hill, showed positive significant correlation with grain yield per plant. Hence, emphasis should be given to these traits in selection process during yield improvement programs. Grain length, root volume, panicle length of main axis and leaf length showed high direct effect on grain yield per plant. Hence, selection based on these characters would be more effective for yield improvement.