Genetic Variability, Correlation and Principal Component Analysis for Yield Related Traits in Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.].

Background: Pigeon pea is an economical source of protein cultivated in arid and semi arid tropical areas of the world. Genetic improvement mainly depends upon the amount of genetic variability available in the population. It is necessary for a breeder to understand the extent of genotypic and phenotypic variation among the germplasm to design an effective breeding programme. Methods: Eighty pigeon pea genotypes were evaluated for their variability with regard to yield and yield contributing traits. The experiment was carried out at Regional Research Station, Paiyur during 2021-2022 following randomized block design with two replications. Result: The traits viz., plant height, number of primary branches per plant, number of pods per plant and single plant yield can be improved following simple selection method as they exhibited high variability in combination with high heritability and genetic advance. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed three significant principal components (PCs), which accounted for 81.24% of phenotypic variation among the studied genotypes. The traits days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, number of primary branches per plant, number of pods per plant and hundred seed weight had significantly positive association and positive direct effect with yield. Hence, these traits can be used as good selection criteria for yield improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]