Dependence of Grain Weight of Spring Barley Genotypes on Traits of Individual Stems

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Abstract
The aim of the paper is to evaluate relationships between some plant traits and grain weight per spike of spring barley (Hordeum vulagre L.). Field trials were conducted in 1999, 2001, and 2002 in central Poland. Data were collected on morphological traits of individual plants of two cultivars, Rasbet and Rastik. The data were analyzed using path analysis. Causal relationships studied were similar for both cultivars: grain weight per spike was determined mainly by number of grains per spike (path coefficient was 0.723 for Rasbet and 0.700 for Rastik), whereas the effect of mean kernel weight was weaker (0.487 for Rasbet and 0.510 for Rastik). The only noticeable indirect effect was that of spike length on grain weight per spike via number of grains per spike (0.490 for Rasbet and 0.468 for Rastik); all the indirect effects of shoot length on grain weight per spike were negligible. We concluded that to develop new semi-dwarf and dwarf genotypes, emphasis should be placed on increased number of gra...