Study on genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance in Soybean[Glycine max (L.) Merrill]

Soybean, an important legume crop, serves as a good source of protein and oil with tremendous ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen for soil improvement. To study the genetic variability, genotypic, phenotypic and environmental coefficient of variation, broad sense heritability and genetic advance in soybean, a field experiment was conducted during Kharif 2013. The experiment, laid out in a randomized block design (RBD) with three replications, comprised of 24 genotypes and observations on 9 traits of soybean were recorded. In this experiment, analysis of variance indicated that significant variation were present among the different genotypes of the soybean for all the traits under study. The highest genotypic (GCV) and phonotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) were exhibited by the test weight, number of pods per plant, harvest index and plant height. The PCV was found higher than GCV which indicates the important role of environment in the expression of the characters. High heritability and high genetic advance were observed in the test weight, number of pods per plant, harvest index and plant height. The combination of the high heritability and high genetic advance provide the clear image of the trait in the selection process for crop improvement programme.