Using path analysis it is possible to evaluate the relationships between characters and decompose the correlation into direct and indirect effects. The objective of this study was to estimate genotypic correlations and decompose the direct and indirect effects of yield components on grain yield of wheat cultivars. The experiment was conducted in 2008, in the experimental field of the Cooperativa Central de Pesquisa Agrícola (COODETEC) in Palotina, PR, Brazil. The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design, with three replications. The characteristics evaluated were: ear size, number of spikelets per spike, number of grains per spike, number of spikes per meter, thousand grain weight and grain yield. The results were subjected to analysis of variance and path analysis. The variance analysis showed differences between genotypes, indicating the presence of genetic variability for traits. Indirect selection via number of grains per spike, taking into account the thousand grain weight is the best strategy for obtaining superior genotypes in grain yield.
Direct selection; path analysis; Triticum aestivum L.
