Study on genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance for yield and other related traits in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

The study was conducted to estimate the genetic variability, heritability and the expected genetic advance upon selection of all studied characters of F1 hybrids populations. In this we studied about eleven characters of the rice crop. The high estimates of variability (>20%) were recorded for the characters panicle bearing tillers per plant and grain yield per plant. The characters exhibit low estimates of genetic variability ( 75%)for the characters viz., days to 50% flowering, plant height, panicle length, flag leaf area, spikelet per panicle, spikelet fertility, 1000- grain weight, biological yield per plant, and grain yield per plant. There is only harvest index showed moderate (75-50%)h2b while none of the character found low broad sense heritability. The genetic advance in percent of mean was to be very high for panicle bearing tillers per plant and grain yield per plant while non of the trait found low genetic advance in study. Thus selection for these traits among these genotypes would be effective in all cases.