DETERMINATION OF RELATIONSHIPS AMONG KERNEL PERCENTAGE AND YIELD CHARACTERISTICS IN SOME TURKISH WALNUT GENOTYPES BY CORRELATION AND PATH ANALYSIS - Safder Bayazit (Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences, 2012)
Experiments were conducted to determine correlations among important fruit and plant characteristics using 12 walnut genotypes (Bilecik, Malatya 1, Şebin, Tokat 1, Kaplan 86, Yalova 1, Yalova 3, Yalova 4, Şen 1, 65/4, 77H1, KR 2). Twelve traits viz., fruit weight, fruit diameter, fruit length, fruit height, shell thickness, kernel weight, shell weight, kernel percentage, shoot length, trunk diameter, tree canopy volume, total number of fruits per tree, and yield per tree were evaluated for correlation and path analysis. Results depicted that kernel percentage and yield were influenced by direct and indirect effects of different characters. Fruit weight and shell weight of walnut were the most important properties that directly reduced the kernel percentage whereas kernel percentage increased as the kernel weight increased. Kernel percentage increased as shell thickness decreased. Total fruit number per tree, fruit height, and kernel percentage were determined as the most important characters that directly affected the yield per tree. Kernel percentage and yield per tree were the most important characters for walnut breeding researches and were positively associated. Fruit and shell weight had negative effect on both the kernel percentage and the yield per tree whereas fruit weight and tree canopy volume had the positive effect on both of kernel percentage and yield per tree. It is suggested that these properties can be used as a criterion for selection in walnut breeding research studies.
Keywords: journal article; walnut; kernel percentage; yield; correlation; path analysis