PATH COEFFICIENT, EIGENVALUES, AND GENETIC PARAMETERS IN EGYPTIAN RICE (ORYZA SATIVA L.) UNDER AEROBIC CONDITIONS

The genetic parameters, eigenvalues in principal components, correlation, and path coefficient in Egyptian rice (Oryza sativa L.) proceeded to understand the interrelationship among studied traits, which helps develop selection strategies in genetic breeding programs under aerobic conditions. Twelve rice genotypes planted under the aerobic condition in a randomized complete block design included three replications during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The analysis of variance revealed significant differences among studied genotypes, indicating a broad genetic diversity among its genotypes. Eigenvalues used helped to understand the data structure and trait relations and divided the 21 traits into two components. The highly positive phenotypic and genotypic correlations appeared in 16 characteristics, i.e., leaf area index, total chlorophyll, and antioxidant traits, indicating that any improvement of these traits will improve rice grain yield under aerobic conditions. The path structure showed that panicle weight, the number of panicles hill-1, catalase, superoxide dismutase, root length, and flag leaf area had increased grain yield. The current results indicated that Egyptian hybrid1, GZ9399, and Giza179 could recommend for cultivation under aerobic conditions and serve as donors in breeding programs to improve tolerance to drought under aerobic conditions.