Evaluation of genetic variability for yield and yield contributing traits in advanced breeding lines of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Introduction

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the world's most important staple food crops and serves as the primary food source for more than half of the global population (Roy et al., 2013) [12] . Improving grain yield remains a major objective of rice breeding due to the increasing demand for food. Grain yield is a complex quantitative trait controlled by several component characters and influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Therefore, the assessment of genetic variability is essential for the effective selection of superior genotypes. Johnson et al., (1955) [7] reported that heritability coupled with genetic advance provides a reliable basis for selection.

Materials and Methods

Thirty-four rice genotypes, including three check varieties (Narendra 359, Karma Mahsuri and IGKV R 1244), were evaluated during kharif 2025 in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with two replications at the Research-cum-Instructional Farm, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, IGKV, Raipur. Observations were recorded on twenty-one traits comprising eleven yield and yield-contributing traits and ten grain quality traits. Data for yield and yield-contributing traits were recorded from the mean of five randomly selected plants in each replication, except days to 50% flowering, which was recorded on a plot basis. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted separately for each character under a randomized block design (RBD) as suggested by Panse and Sukhatme (1978) [11] . Genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) were estimated according to Burton and De Vane (1953) [6] . Broad-sense heritability were computed following the method of Allard (1960) [2] and genetic advance as percent of mean were computed using Johnson et al., (1955) [7] .

Results and Discussion

The results of the analysis of variance are presented in Table 1. All the traits included in the study were found to be highly significant at the 1% level of significance. Kondi et al., (2022) investigated forty scented rice genotypes to assess genetic variability. The analysis of variance revealed highly significant differences for all the forty-one characters, indicating the existence of substantial genetic variability among the genotypes. The mean performance and range of the twenty-one studied traits are presented in Table 2. The PCV estimates were consistently higher than the corresponding GCV values for zll the traits, indicating the influence of environmental factors on trait expression. Among the grain quality traits, the highest GCV and PCV were recorded for alkali spreading value, followed by gel consistency, which was in agreement with the findings of Barik et al., (2026). Moderate GCV and PCV were observed for panicle length, 1000-seed weight, biological yield per plant, paddy L/B ratio, brown rice L/B ratio and kernel L/B ratio, corroborating the reports of Meher et al., (2025) [9] , Bhardwaj et al., (2025) [5] and. The traits exhibiting high heritability included days to 50% flowering, panicle length, 1000 seed weight, paddy L/B ratio, brown rice L/B ratio, kernel L/B ratio, milling percentage, hulling percentage, head rice recovery, elongation ratio and alkali spreading value. The predominance of genetic control over these traits suggests that selection based on phenotype would be effective for their improvement. Similar results have been documented by Sao et al., (2024) [14] and Akhil et al., (2025) [1] . High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as percent of mean was recorded for 1000-seed weight, panicle length, paddy L/B ratio, kernel L/B ratio, gel consistency and alkali spreading value, indicating the predominance of additive gene action and the effectiveness of direct selection. Similar findings were reported by Singh et al., (2021) [15] , Awad-Allah et al., (2022) [3] and Naotia et al., (2021). Head rice recovery, brown rice L/B ratio and elongation ratio exhibited high heritability with moderate genetic advance, suggesting the involvement of both additive and non-additive gene effects, which agreed with the findings of Sahu et al., (2024) [15] and Singh et al., (2021) [15] . Note: Max = Maximum, Min = Minimum, GCV (%) = Genotypic Coefficient of Variation, PCV (%) = Phenotypic Coefficient of Variation, h 2 (bs) = Heritability in broad sense, GA as% of mean = Genetic advance as percentage of mean.

Conclusion

The study revealed substantial genetic variability among the rice genotypes. High heritability with high genetic advance for panicle length, 1000-seed weight, paddy L/B ratio, kernel L/B ratio, gel consistency and alkali spreading value indicated their suitability for selection. The genotypes R2875-KH-23-LST-C46-37-1, R2874-KH-23-LST-C44-50-1, R2879-KH-23-LST-C50-40-1, R2888-KH-23-LST-C59-63-1 and R2884-KH-23-LST-C55-22-1 were identified as promising high-yielding genotypes for further evaluation and use in rice breeding programmes.

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