Correlation and path coefficient analysis of quality traits in selected rice (Oryza sativa L.) germplasm accessions

Studies on character association and path-coefficient analysis were conducted on forty eight rice genotypes for grain quality traits on grain yield. Analysis of variance revealed considerable variability among the genotypes for all the characters studied. The correlation analysis indicated that grain yield was significantly associated with kernel breadth at genotypic level. Results of path-coefficient analysis revealed kernel length had the highest positive direct effect on grain yield followed by length breadth ratio after cooking, width of milled grain, elongation index and gel consistency. This study revealed that genetic improvement of grain quality in rice is admissible by selecting characters having high positive correlation and positive direct effect on grain yield.