Correlation analyses of yield and related physiological variables in twelve generations of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.)

Abstract

India has 2.5 million hectares of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.), widely cultivated in many parts of central and peninsular India. It is the second most important wheat species in the country and any further improvement in this, will be helpful to meet out the food requirement of burgeoning population of India [1]. Grain yield, is the end product of interactions of many factors known as yield contributing components. Selection based on this trait is usually not very useful but based on its component characters could be more effective. To make effective selections for higher yield, basic information on major physiological yield contributing characters is essential to ensure efficient selection. In case of aestivum wheat, number of findings based on pure line and segregating populations have been reported but meager information in durum on correlation studies particularly in the segregating populations of this species is available. Therefore, the present study was conducted to collect the information on association of three traits like, peduncle area, flag leaf area and spike area with grain yield in twelve generations of durum wheat.