PATH COEFFICIENT ANALYSIS FOR LINT YIELD AND ITS CONTRIBUTING VARIABLES IN F2 AND F3 GENERATIONS OF THE EGYPTIAN COTTON CROSS GIZA 83 X GIZA 75

Simple correlation coefficients between all possible pairs of thir­teen characters were calculated for plants of both F2 and 13 generations of an Egyptian cotton hybrid between Giza 83 and Giza 75 (Gossypium barbadense L.). Moreover, path coefficients were studied for lint yield and its contributing characters in both F2 and F3 generations. The results indicated that lint yield/plant (LY/P) was highly and positively correlated with number of harvested bolls/ plant (B/P), boll weight (BW), lint index (LI), Pressley index (P1), number of vegetative branches (NVB), lint percentage (L%, in F2 generation) and days to first open boll (DFB, in F3 generation). The results obtained from path coefficient analysis revealed that the main sources of LY/P variation could be arranged according to their relative importance in F2 generation as follows: B/P, LI X SI (seed index), LI and SI. Whereas, in F3 generation, B/P, B/P through each of BW and PI and the direct effect of BW were the main sources of variation in the same order. Also the results indicated that DFF and DFB were the main contributors to B/P. An increase in B/p.An increase B/p was almost off­set by a decrease of either DFF, DFB or both. Selection to improve lint yield should be directed toward the prolificacy of these characters in the breeding material.