Genetic Variability, Correlation and Path Coefficient Studies in Perilla (Perilla frutecens [(L.) Britton]) Landraces of Nagaland

The analysis of variance revealed significant variation for all the character except for petiole length and plant height, indicating significant variability in the material. The highest GCV and PCV were recorded for seed yield per plant, number of inflorescence, number of leaves and test weight indicating the ample variation present for these traits in the present material. In the present study, high estimates of heritability and genetic advance were obtained for seed yield per plant, test weight, number of leaves, length of main inflorescence and number of primary branches. Thus, selection for these traits is likely to accumulate more additive genes leading to further improvement of their performance and these traits may be used as selection criteria in breeding programme. Studies on character associations and their casual relationships revealed that plant height, number of inflorescence per plant and number of primary branches per plant were found to be significantly and positively correlated with seed yield per plant. However, path coefficient analysis revealed that that leaf breadth followed by test weight and oil content contributed high and positive direct effect on seed yield per plant, hence, emphasis should be given on indirect selection of these traits for improvement in seed yield.