Author(s):
Variability among genotypes and the association of yield and yield related traits are among the prominent criteria for crop improvement. The current study carried out with the intention to determine association between clean coffee yield and yield related traits and to study the association among yield related traits. A total of 26 coffee genotype were involved in the study. The experiment was conducted at Haru and Mugi sub-centres and set up in RCBD with three replications. Around 23 quantitative traits were recoded and analysed using R-software. From the combined analysis, significant difference among genotypes was observed in Number of Node per Primary Branch (NNPB) in all fruit traits and resistance to coffee leaf rust. Due to high GxE effects, non-significant difference was observed among genotypes in many traits. Including in yield, the GxE was significantly different in all bean traits, growth traits except NNPB, leaf traits except leaf length and from fruit traits except fruit width. Because of discrepancy performance, it is difficult to recommend common genotypes for two locations; thus, it is better to divide ecologies some similar to Mugi and other similar to Haru in edaphic and climate condition and focus generating technology separately for individual location. Number of Bearing Primary Branch (NPB) (gr=0.99**) Average Length of Primary Branch (ALPB) (gr=0.99**), NNPB (gr=0.99**) exhibited strong positive genotypic correlation with yield at Haru. Plant height, NPB, total node number and diameter of main stem had shown positive genotypic correlation with yield at both locations. Also, most of these traits showed positive association with each other. Bean thickness (0.99**) showed strong positive correlation with yield at Haru, but most fruit and bean traits were negatively correlated with yield at Mugi. Generally, one has to be cognizant to select genotypes with thick girth and tall in height possessing high node number from which high number primary branch emanate and wider canopy diameter having high number of bearing primary branch during yield improvement via selection.
