Blackgram is the fourth most important pulse crop in India, holding a distinct place in the country’s agricultural system. Blackgram production faces several constraints that hinder yield improvement and stability; to address these challenges, systematic evaluation of genetic parameters such as variability, heritability, and genetic advance is essential to identify traits with strong breeding potential. The present study was carried out during rabi 2021–22 at the Agricultural Research Station, Amadalavalasa, with the aim of assessing genetic variability, genotypic and phenotypic correlations, and path coefficient analysis among sixteen advanced blackgram lines for six yield-related traits, using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). Analysis of variance demonstrated significant differences among the genotypes for all traits under evaluation. High genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation (GCV and PCV) were observed for days to maturity and seed yield. Days to maturity, number of branches per plant, and seed yield also showed high heritability coupled with high genetic advance as a percentage of mean, suggesting the predominance of additive gene action. Correlation studies revealed that days to maturity, number of pods per plant, and test weight were significantly and positively associated with seed yield per plant. Path coefficient analysis further indicated that days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, and number of pods per plant exerted strong positive direct effects on seed yield per plant, whereas number of branches per plant exhibited a pronounced negative direct effect. However, branches per plant and pods per plant contributed positively to yield through substantial indirect effects via days to maturity. Overall, days to maturity emerged as a key trait, as it consistently exhibited high GCV and PCV, high heritability with high genetic advance, a significant positive association with seed yield, and a strong positive direct effect. These results suggest that selection based on days to maturity would be effective for genetic improvement in blackgram, largely due to the contribution of additive gene action.

Blackgram, Correlation, Heritability, Variability and Path Studies

The present study revealed that phenotypic variances were consistently higher than genotypic variances, indicating a considerable influence of environmental factors on trait expression. Traits with high heritability coupled with high genetic advance suggest the predominance of additive gene action, thereby ensuring greater effectiveness of selection in subsequent generations. Among all morphological and yield attributes, seed yield emerged as the most important trait. Improvement in seed yield of mungbean can be achieved by selecting component traits such as days to maturity, number of pods per plant, and test weight, which exhibited positive direct effects on yield. Among the sixteen advanced lines evaluated during rabi 2020–21, the entries PBG 276 (10.70 q/ha), GBG 92 (10.01 q/ha), and PBG 275 (9.92 q/ha) recorded significantly higher yields compared to the check variety LBG 787 (7.26 q/ha). These results highlight the potential of these genotypes for future breeding programmes aimed at yield improvement in black gram.

G. Sreenivas, L. Suryanarayana, K. Madhukumar, M. Srinivasa Rao and P.V. Satyanarayana (2022). Assessment of Genetic Parameters and Inter-relationships among Advanced Breeding Lines of Black Gram for Yield attributes. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 14(3): 1728-1735.