Correlation and Path Analysis for Seed Yield and Components Traits in Mothbean [Vigna aconitifolia (Jacq) Marechal] under Arid Environment

Abstract

Among pulses, the mothbean is an important pulse crop of hot arid regions of India and adapts to extreme ecological niches,particularly extreme drought and hot climatic conditions. Being a pulse crop, it is a cheap source of vegetable protein for balancingthe nutritional deficiency, most commonly cultivated on less productive soils, on which, financially less equipped, a great portion ofpeople have been depending on their livelihood. A field experiment was conducted with 36 genotypes evaluated in a randomizedblock design, three replications during kharif 2020 at Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner, to study thecorrelation and path coefficient analysis for seed yield and its component traits. Each genotype was sown in double rows of 3-meterlength and plant-to-plant distance at 12-15 cm. For each of the 26 traits studied, genotypes differed significantly. Seed yield per plantwas positively correlated with agro-morphological characters such as number of pods per plant and harvest index, as well asphysiological and seed characteristics such as chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, total chlorophyll content, relative water content, bulkdensity, and particle/true density. Days to maturity, pod length, biological yield per plant, harvest index, bulk density, particle density,seedling vigour index at 40°C, and seedling dry weight at 40°C had a positive direct effect on seed yield in mothbean. This suggests astrong hereditary link between seed yield and these traits, indicating that selection for these features may improve mothbean yield.