CANONICAL CORRELATIONS BETWEEN MORPHOLOGICAL AND PRODUCTION TRAITS IN SPECIAL TYPES OF RICE

ABSTRACT The rich genetic diversity and wide adaptation of rice (Oryza sativa L.) to different environments provide fundamental resources for its conservation and improvement. The analysis of canonical correlations can be used to increase the efficiency of selecting superior genotypes, as several traits are evaluated simultaneously. Thus, this study aimed to compare morphoagronomic traits and estimate the magnitude of the association and interdependence between two groups of traits in genotypes of special types of rice. The experiment was carried out between November 2020 and April 2021 at the Department of Plant Science of the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropédica - RJ. The experimental design consisted of randomized blocks, with four replications. Seventeen genotypes were evaluated, five of them consisting of white rice and eleven special types of rice. Two groups of variables were used to determine the canonical correlations, with group I composed of four morphological traits and group II composed of four yield components. Significant differences (P<0.01) were observed between genotypes for the eight evaluated traits. The first, second, and third pairs showed significant canonical correlations at a 5% probability, demonstrating that these groups are not independent. The selection of superior genotypes for production can be based on choosing plants with higher flag leaf thickness, higher height, and lower flag leaf angle.