Genetic variation and heritability for quantitative traits in rice (Oryza sativa) under sodic soil

The present investigation was carried out during 2016-17 at NDUA&T, Ayodhya to assess the genetic variation and heritability for quantitative traits in rice (Oryza sativa L.) under sodic soil. The experimental materials of rice comprised of 10 genotypes as lines (females) and three testers (males), viz. Pusa Basmati-1, CSR-10 and N.Usar-2009. Each of three testers was crossed with 10 lines during kharif 2016. The genotypes were grown during kharif 2017 and evaluated along with their parents and one check varieties (Narendra Usar-3) in randomized complete block design with three replications. The experiment was conducted at soil having pH 9.2, EC-2.21 dS/m and ESP 43%. The analysis of variance revealed that all the treatments, viz. parents, parent vs crosses, crosses, lines and testers were highly significant for majority of the yield and its contributing traits. The estimates of phenotypic coefficient of variation were higher than genotypic coefficient of variation for all the traits. Estimate of high heritability (broad sense) coupled with high genetic advance in percent of mean were observed for the characters like grain yield/plant, biological yield/plant, grains/panicle, panicle bearing tillers/plant, spikeley's/panicle, chlorophyll content and flag leaf area indicating the involvement additive gene action. The moderate narrow sense heritability with low genetic advance in percent of mean were observed for panicle length and harvest index indicating presence of non-additive gene action suggesting heterosis breeding may be useful for rice improvement in sodic soil.