Genetic variability is derived from data on 14 yield-related traits in 200 genotypes of soybean. Results revealed that there were highly significant differences among genotypes for all the characters. Phenotypic coefficient of variance was greater than genotypic coefficient of variance, which indicates influence of environment in the expression of the characters. The highest PCV and GCV values were observed for seed yield/plant, pod bearing length, biological yield. High heritability was recorded in 100 seed weight, oil content, number of primary branches/plant, protein content, plant height, number of seed/plant, pod bearing length, days to maturity, number of seed/pod and harvest index indicating. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as per cent of mean was observed for 100 seed weight, oil content, number of primary branches/plant, plant height, number of seeds/plant, pod bearing length and harvest index, which indicates presence of additive gene action and selection will be rewarding. In soybean breeding programs, diverse germplasm accessions boost genetic diversity and maintain the rare alleles that make up distinctive germplasm collections. Determining efficient methods to enhance economic features for crop production requires an understanding of the genetic diversity of germplasm sets.

Soybean, heritability, genetic gain, phenotypic coefficient of variation, genotypic coefficient of variation

The analysis of variance revealed significant variation in the genetic materials studied, with a wide range of phenotypic variability. Environmental factors seemed to have a stronger influence, as indicated by higher values of the phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) compared to the genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) for all traits. Several traits, including number of primary branches/plant, plant height, number of seeds/plant, pod bearing length, 100 seed weight, oil content and harvest index, exhibited both high heritability estimates and a substantial genetic advance expressed as a percentage of the mean. This suggests that these traits are predominantly influenced by additive gene action and have a great potential for improvement through selective breeding. Based on their average performance for seed yield per plant, the genotype JS 75-46 (35.62g), CG soya 11-15 (34.79g) and JS 335 (33.61g) were found to be highly productive. Therefore, these genotypes may be utilized in the future to create new cultivars that contain favorable yield-contributing traits.

Krishna Tandekar, Sunil Kumar Nag, Rajeev Shrivastava, Priya Gupta and Khemlata Thakur (2023). Studies on Genetic variability of Metric Traits in Germplasm of Soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill). Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(8): 159-164.