Abstract

ABBOTT, L.; PISTORALE, S.  and  ANDRES, A.. Seed yield components evaluation using path coefficients in tall wheatgrass populations. Agriscientia [online]. 2009, vol.26, n.2, pp.55-62. ISSN 1668-298X.

Ten populations of Thinopyrum ponticum (tall wheatgrass) were evaluated to determine the relationship between seed yield and its components using the method of path coefficients. The total yield of seeds per plant was the dependent variable and independent variables (components) were: number of spikes per plant, number of spikelets per spike, spike length and weight of 1000 seeds. The direct effect of number of spikes was high in all populations with values between 0.82 and 0.55. The indirect effect of number of spikelets via number of spikes and length of spikes via number of spikes had values from 0.11 to 0.29 and 0.17 to 0.33 respectively for nine of the populations, except one whose values were very low. The coefficient of total determination of the system (R²) values ranged between 70% and 53% and the component that contributed the most was the number of spikes per plant. Only one population showed an R² of 33% apparently due to very low correlation values between the component variables. This methodology should provide information to facilitate selection in a breeding program, oriented toward the obtainment of high performance cultivars in seed production.

Keywords : Genetic improvement; Phenotypic correlations; Interpopulation variability; Thinopyrum ponticum.

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