CORRELATION IN SAFFLOWER TO DETERMINE SELECTION CRITERIA

Abstract

To detect the traits that correlate to yield to rely on them as selection criteria for high yield in safflower ; seeds of maise cultivar planted in Fields of Crops Sci. Dept. – College of Agriculture – Univ. of Baghdad during2007. Samples data were recorded for traits: Yield, Seeds weight, No. of seeds/plant, no. of full capsules /plant, No. of seeds /capsules, no. of branches, Height of first branch, and root weight. Main sample splited to three samples according to yield value. Data recorded for these three groups for above traits. Data were analyzed, and correlation coefficient and R2 were estimated. Results of statistical analysis show that correlation coefficients values for main sample differ from that of three subsamples, and between yield and the traits of other groups and within groups. The trait; no. of seeds per plant was significant correlated and affected the yield also no. of full capsules by positive and highly significant 0.96 and 0.63 with yield and contributed 92% and 39% in variance of yield . In high yield group, the no. of seeds/ plant contributed in yield variance by 79% for its positive and highly significant correlation 0.89 with yield, and no. of full capsules which contributed in variance of yield 23% for its positive and highly significant correlation 0.48 with yield. The correlation in moderate yield group, the yield correlated with no. of seeds/plant 0.54 and no. of seeds / capsules 0.30 which contributed in variance of yield 29% and 9%. Group three , the trait that reduced the yield were height of first branch and root weight. The traits were posses direct effect in yield no. of seed per plant and height of first branch . We can conclude: 1) when the sample size was large the correlation become more obvious. 2) The more correlated trait with high yield beside no. of seeds/ plant and no. of full capsules was height of first branch. Hence we can rely these traits as selection criteria in