Vol. 9, Special Issue 11, Part L (2025)

The investigation employed correlation and path coefficient analyses to dissect the complex inter-relationships among various yield-attributing traits and their direct and indirect effects on Seed Yield per Plant (g), the ultimate breeding objective. The correlation analysis established that seed yield exhibits very strong positive associations (0.78) with its primary components: Harvest Index (%), Biological Yield per Plant (g), Number of Pods/Capsules per Plant, Number of Seeds per Pod/Capsule, and 100-Seed Weight (g). These robust correlations confirm the high efficacy of direct selection for any of these traits. Notably, several key traits also showed strong inter-correlations, such as the highest association of harvest index (%) with Number of Pods/Capsules per Plant (0.891). An unexpected finding was the significant negative correlation between Primary Branches per Plant and most yield components, including seed yield per plant (-0.261), suggesting a trade-off mechanism that needs further study. The path coefficient analysis provided a more granular view, revealing the direct causal influences on Seed Yield per Plant. Harvest Index exhibited the highest positive direct effect (+2.5006), immediately followed by biological yield per plant (+2.4963). This confirms their status as the most critical traits for yield improvement. Other components showing substantial positive direct effects were Number of Pods per Cluster (+0.7945) and Number of Clusters per Plant (+0.3085). The influence of traits with negligible direct effects, like Number of Pods per Plant, was mainly channeled through strong indirect effects, particularly via HI and BYPP. In contrast, Days to 50% Flowering showed a strong negative direct effect (-2.4215). The findings unequivocally emphasize the paramount importance of Harvest Index (%) and Biological Yield per Plant (g) as the primary selection indices, with secondary attention to Number of Pods per Cluster and Number of Clusters per Plant, in any breeding program aimed at maximizing Seed Yield per Plant.