Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2020; 9(4): 1717-1719

E-ISSN: 2278-4136
P-ISSN: 2349-8234
www.phytojournal.com Correlation and path analysis in safflower
JPP 2020; 9(4): 1717-1719
Received: 10-05-2020 (Carthamus tinctorius L.) genotypes
Accepted: 12-06-2020

Vinod Kumar Pattar Vinod Kumar Pattar and Rajesh Patil

Department of Genetics and
Plant Breeding, College of
Abstract
Agriculture, Dharwad
University of Agricultural
In order to evaluate the association among yield components and their direct and indirect influence on
Sciences, Dharwad, Karnataka, grain yield of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.), an experiment was carried out in a complete
India randomized block design with three replications using 11 genotypes at ARS Annigeri during 2012-13.
The phenotypic correlation among the traits and their path coefficients were estimated. Positive and
Rajesh Patil significant correlations were observed between grain yield and number of capitula per plant and 100 seed
Department of Genetics and weight. Plant height, number of seeds per capitulum and oil content exhibited significant negative
Plant Breeding, College of correlation with seed yield. Positive direct effects were exhibited for number of capitula per plant and
Agriculture, Dharwad 100 seed weight. Negative direct effects were observed for plant height, number of seeds per capitulum
University of Agricultural and oil content. Therefore, improvement of the seed yield will be efficient via selection for number of
Sciences, Dharwad, Karnataka, capitula per plant and 100 seed weight.
India
Keywords: Carthamus tinctorius L., correlation, path

Introduction
Safflower, a multipurpose crop, has been grown for centuries in India for the orange-red dye
(carthamin) extracted from its brilliantly coloured flowers and is cultivated mainly for its seed,
which gives edible oil. Traditionally, this crop was grown for its flowers, fabric dyes, food
colouring and for medicinal purposes (Harlan 1992; Weiss, 2000) [8, 24]. However, it is
currently grown as an oilseed crop worldwide. Safflower has some agronomic advantages such
as drought resistance and adaptation to arid and semi-arid climatic conditions (Weiss, 2000) [24].
Safflower is being grown in over 60 countries, among which India, China, Mexico, USA,
Ethiopia, Argentina and Australia are the major growing countries. China mostly grows
safflower for medicinal purposes. India is the largest producer of safflower (2.0 lakh tonnes) in
the world with highest acreage (4.3 lakh hectares) but with an average productivity of only 465
kg/ha. Poor crop management under input-starved conditions is the most important reason for
such low per hectare yields. It is mainly grown in Maharashtra, Karnataka and parts of Andhra
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar, etc. Maharashtra and Karnataka are the two most
important safflower growing states accounting for 72 and 23 per cent of area and 63 and 35 per
cent of production, respectively (Nimbkar, 2020) [16].
The success of safflower as a commercial oil seed crop in traditional areas and its expansion to
new areas will largely depend on the extent of improvement made in both its yield and oil
content. Yield components not only directly affect the yield, but also indirectly by affecting
other yield components in negative or positive ways. Beyyavas et al. (2011) [3] demonstrated
that correlation coefficients were positive and significant between seed yield and number of
capitula per plant and between 1000 seed weight and oil yield. Omidi et al. (2009) [17] showed
that seed yield per plant was significantly correlated with seed yield per plot, biomass, number
of capitula, 100-seed weight, number of secondary branches and oil yield per plant. Roopa and
Ravikumar (2008) [20] showed a positive correlation between seed yield per plant and number
of capitula per plant, number of branches per plant and test weight.
Path analysis is used in most cases to establish the cause and effect association, because simple
correlation analysis will not provide the real relationship between response and predictor
variables. Path analysis developed by Wright (1921) [25] as a statistical tool, allows studying
Corresponding Author:
complex relationships between traits and determines the causal relationships between predictor
Vinod Kumar Pattar and response variables. This technique is useful in determining the direct influence of one
Department of Genetics and variable on another and also separates the correlation coefficient into direct effect (path
Plant Breeding, College of coefficient) and indirect effects (effects exerted through other independent variables). Burhan
Agriculture, Dharwad (2007) [4] indicated that safflower seed yield was determined by capitula diameter, capitula per
University of Agricultural
Sciences, Dharwad, Karnataka, plant and seeds per capitula and these traits had highly positive significant direct effects on
India seed yield. Hajghani et al. (2009) [7] indicated that there was a strong positive direct effect of the
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Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry http://www.phytojournal.com

number of capitula per plant on seed yield. The objective of Pavithra et al., (2016) [18], Dambal and Patil (2016) [5],
the study reported here was to evaluate safflower yield Semahegn and Tesfaye (2016) [21], Pushpavalli and Kumar
components and their interrelationship by path coefficient (2017) [19] and Mohamed and Elmogtaba (2018). On the other
analysis. hand, significant negative correlation was observed between
seed yield and plant height, number of seeds per capitulum
Material and Methods and oil content. Similar findings were obtained by
The present investigation for correlation and path analysis in Lakshyadeep et al. (2005) [11], Alizadeh and Carpetain (2006)
[2]
to the morphological traits of safflower (C. tinctorius L.) was , Omidi et al. (2009) [17], Mohammadi et al. (2012) [15] and
conducted in Agricultural Research Station, Annigeri, UAS, Hoshang et al. (2013) [9]. The days to 50 per cent flowering,
Dharwad under rain fed conditions during rabi 2012-13. The capitulum diameter and hull content exhibited non-significant
experimental material consisted of 11 genotypes of safflower. association with seed yield. These results indicate that,
These genotypes were planted in the field based on the selection of genotypes with high number of capitula per plant,
randomized complete block design with three replications. higher 100 seed weight, optimum plant height and lower oil
Each genotype was grown in five rows of four meters length content will help in increasing the seed yield.
with a spacing of 45 cm between rows and 20 cm between
plants within a row. Recommended agronomic and plant Path coefficient analysis for seed yield per plant
protection practices were followed to ensure good crop stand. Among the different characters studied for the direct as well
The mean data were recorded on nine yield contributing as indirect contribution towards seed yield (Table 2), the
characters viz., days to 50 per cent flowering, plant height, positive direct effect of 100 seed weight was more
number of capitula per plant, capitulum diameter, number of pronounced followed by number of capitula per plant as
seeds per capitulum, 100 seed weight, hull content, oil content observed in earlier studies of Karimi et al., (2014) [10],
and seed yield per plant by taking five plants randomly in Dambal and Patil (2016) [5], Pavithra et al., (2016) [18],
each plot. Phenotypic correlations were computed as Pushpavalli and Kumar (2017) [19] and Mohamed and El Fadl
suggested by Weber and Moorthy (1952) [23]. Path coefficient (2018) [14]. Therefore, considering these traits as selection
analysis was carried out for traits which showed significant criteria in improving seed yield of safflower would be worthy.
phenotypic correlation coefficients with seed yield to know Several other characters viz., plant height, number of seeds
the direct and indirect effects as suggested by Wright (1921) per capitulum and oil content contribute indirectly through
[25]
and illustrated by Dewey and Lu (1959) [6]. number of capitula per plant and 100 seed weight. Significant
negative direct effects were observed for plant height, number
Results and Discussion of seeds per capitulum and oil content. Lucy Kumari and
Correlation analysis for seed yield per plant Ravikumar (2010) [20], Moghaddasi and Omidi (2010) [13] and
The simple correlation coefficients determined between the Ahmadzadeh et al. (2012) [1] reported similar results. Thus
characteristics investigated are presented in Table 1. Strong from the knowledge of direct influence of principal yield
positive correlation between seed yield per plant and number traits, the characters like number of capitula per plant and 100
of capitula per plant, number of branches per plant and test seed weight appear to be principal traits governing seed yield
weight is evident. There was a strong positive association of in safflower and should be given due importance in any
number of capitula per plant with test weight and with seed safflower improvement programme.
yield. Similar results were obtained by Tariq et al., (2014) [22],

Table 1: Phenotypic correlation among nine characters in eleven safflower genotypes (Carthamus tinctorius L.) at Annigeri during rabi 2012-13
Days to 50% Plant Number of Head Number of seeds 100 seed Hull Oil Seed yield
flowering height capitula per plant diameter per capitulum weight content content per plant
Days to 50% flowering 1 0.49* -0.04 -0.19 -0.07 -0.13 0.09 0.09 -0.3
Plant height 1 -0.07 0 0.15 0.15 0.19 0.46* -0.38*
Number of capitula per plant 1 -0.03 -0.36* 0.31 -0.1 0.03 0.35*
Capitulum diameter 1 0.33 0.19 0.04 -0.15 0.25
Number of seeds per capitulum 1 0.03 0.14 0.29 -0.36*
100 seed weight 1 0.77* -0.29 0.56*
Hull content 1 -0.18 0.22
Oil content 1 -0.70*
Seed yield per plant 1

Table 2: Direct and indirect effects of different characters on seed yield at phenotypic level in eleven safflower genotypes (Carthamus tinctorius
L.) at Annigeri during rabi 2012-13
Indirect effect
Direct Correlation with
Number of capitula Number of seeds 100 seed weight
effect Plant height (cm) Oil content seed yield
per plant per capitulum (g)
Plant height (cm) -0.42 - -0.06 -0.07 0.09 0.08 -0.38*
Number of capitula per plant 0.08 0.03 - 0.11 0.2 -0.07 0.35*
Number of seeds per capitulum -0.31 -0.06 -0.02 - 0.02 0.01 -0.36*
100 seed weight (g) 0.63 -0.07 0.04 -0.01 - -0.03 0.56*
Oil content -0.65 -0.03 -0.02 0.01 -0.01 - -0.70*
Residual effect: 0.44

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