Interrelationship, direct and indirect Effect of different Component Characters on Grain Yield in Amaranth Genotypes (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) under Varied Plant Densities

In grain amaranthus ( Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.) ten genotypes were evaluated  for twelve characters under four plant density levels viz., very high (D 1 ), high (D 2 ), normal (D 3 ) and low plant density (D 4 ) levels to study the relationship of different characters on yield and their direct and indirect effects. The study was conducted at College Orchard, Department of Horticulture, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru College of Agriculture and Research Institute, TNAU, Karaikal during kharif 2007. The results revealed that the correlation and direct effect of component traits on grain yield were, in general, highly influenced by the plant densities both in direction and magnitude. The fresh weight of the inflorescence, length of the primary inflorescence and number of secondary branches per inflorescence recorded strong positive correlation with grain yield as well as strong intercorrelations among themselves, indicating that improvement of grain yield in amaranthus could be achieved by exercising selection for these component traits. The path analysis indicated that fresh weight of the inflorescence, leaf area at 50 per cent flowering, length of the primary inflorescence and number of secondary branches per inflorescence had direct positive effects on grain yield. Therefore, these parameters should be kept in mind for better planning of any improvement programme in amaranth.