GENETICS AND ASSOCIATION OF YIELD CONTRIBUTING CHARACTERS FOR ACHENE YIELD IN SUNFLOWER (Helianthus annuus L.)

Seed yield in sunflower is a quantitatively inherited character highly affected by environmental factors. These factors are related among themselves and with yield either favorably or unfavorably. In this study, data collected from eight (8) sunflower hybrids i.e. W-001, W-002, W-003, W-004, W-005, W-006, Hissun-33 and SF-187 were analyzed for correlations between yield and yield contributing factors. Majority of characters showed significantly positive correlations either both at genotypic or phenotypic level, however stem girth showed positive non-significant correlation with seed yield. While number of rows per head, number of achenes per head, head diameter and 100 achene weight considered as variables significantly influencing seed yield in sunflower. Overall, this study identified the potential traits whose genetic improvement could lead to the genetic improvement in overall yield in Sunflower.