Genotypic and phenotypic correlation and path analysis in napier grass Pennisetum purpureum (K) Schum, germplasm

摘要

The genus Pennisetum is composed of more than 100 species grouped into six sections. This genus is economically important and includes natural colonising species, agricultural weeds, cultivated cereal, several important forage species and a number of ornamental species and numerous grasses. In India 19 species of Pennisetum have been reported (Bor. 1960). The napier grass Pennisetum purpureum (K) Schum is a native of Africa and related to pearl millet. Genetic research on forage crops is meagre inIndia unlike in other food crops. However, in view of the urgent need to increase milk and meat production in India for the growing demand of an ever increasing population, green fodder production needs to be doubled in a short time. A knowledge of association among component traits of economic importance can help in improving the efficiency of selection. Path co-efficient is a standardized partial regression co-efficient and as such measures the direct influence of one variable upon another and permitsthe separation of correlation coefficients into direct and indirect effects.