Journal of Applied Horticulture. 2003: 5(1): 45-48

Selection parameters for genetic improvement in Chenopodium grain yield in sodic soil.

Atul Bhargava; Sudhir Shukla; Katiyar, R S; Deepak Ohri

Division of Genetics and Plant Breeding, National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow - 226 001, India.

Eight exotic genotypes of Chenopodium quinoa were sown on normal and sodic soils in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, during 2000-01 to compare the grain yield potential, variability and genetic association among the different component traits (plant height, stem diameter, primary branches per plant, number of inflorescence per plant, inflorescence length and dry weight of plant) and their direct and indirect effects on yield. High heritability and moderate genetic advance was observed for inflorescence length and grain yield on sodic soil and for stem diameter, primary branches per plant, number of inflorescence per plant, dry weight of plant and inflorescence length on normal soil. Stem diameter and number of inflorescence per plant exhibited high direct path (0.837 and 0.761, respectively) and significant positive association (0.979 and 0.967, respectively) with grain yield on sodic soil, while dry weight of plant showed high correlation (0.889) and direct path (0.972) with grain yield on normal soil. The breeding strategies for genetic improvement in the crop grown on sodic and normal soils are discussed.