Genetic Parameters, Character Association and Path Analyses in F₃ Populations of Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek]

Abstract

The study evaluated genetic parameters, character associations, and path coefficients in F₃ populations of mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] grown during kharif 2022 at SKN College of Agriculture, Jobner. Four F₃ populations and their five parents were assessed in a randomised block design with three replications. Twelve traits were recorded, and genetic variability, heritability, genetic advance, correlation coefficients, and path coefficients were estimated. Analysis of variance detected significant genotypic differences for all traits except primary branches per plant. Plant height showed high broad-sense heritability together with high genetic advance, indicating the potential importance of additive gene effects for selection. Seed yield per plant had significant positive genotypic and phenotypic correlations with pods per plant, pod length, 100-seed weight, and chlorophyll content. Path coefficient analysis showed that 100-seed weight, plant height, and pods per plant exerted major positive direct effects on seed yield per plant, whereas pod length, pods per cluster, and chlorophyll content showed negative direct effects. The residual effects were 0.1716 at the genotypic level and 0.1971 at the phenotypic level, indicating that the traits included in the analysis accounted for most of the variation in seed yield. These results support selection based on 100-seed weight, plant height, and pods per plant for improving seed yield in the evaluated breeding material.