Path Coefficient Analysis for Yield and its Contributing Traits in Finger Millet

The experimental material comprised of 140 genetically diverse genotypes of finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.) and it was conducted during kharif 2007 in well prepared plots at the research farm attached to the Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding, Ch. Charan Singh University campus, Meerut. The data on 10 quantitative traits viz. days to 50 % flowering, days to maturity, plant height, no. of tillers/plant, productive tillers/plant, no. of. fingers/ plant, total fingers/plant, biological yield, grain yield and harvest index were collected from a random sample of 10 plants for each genotype. The analysis of variance exhibited significant difference among the genotypes for all the characters indicating substantial degree of variability. Path coefficient analysis indicated that positive genotypic and phenotypic direct effects were observed for productive tillers/plant, biological yield, harvest index and no. of fingers/ear had higher positive direct effect on grain yield. These traits having a positive direct effect on grain yield can be considered as a suitable selection criterion for evolving high yielding Finger millet genotype.