Estimation of genetic variability, heritability, and genetic advance in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) genotypes

The current study examined seven genotypes of soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) and a standard check during the 2024 Kharif cropping cycle in order to evaluate genetic gain, genetic variability, and heritability on fourteen agronomic criteria, as well as yield-related ones. The study, which was conducted at the ‘School of Agricultural Sciences, G.H. Raisoni University, Saikheda, Madhya Pradesh’, used a Randomized Block Design (RBD) that was reproduced three times. All traits analysed varied significantly (p<0.01) among genotypes, confirming pronounced genetic divergence. The variables that were analyzed included the height of the plant, the number of primary and secondary branches, 50% pod development, number of nodes, number of pods each plant, number of pods each cluster, flowering as well as maturation intervals, seed yield per plant, 100-seed mass, and number of seeds per pod. For pods per cluster, seed weight, and major branches, the genetic as well as phenotypic coefficients of variation (GCV & PCV) were highest. A significant additive genetic effect was confirmed by the broad-sense heritability of most characteristics over 60%, with the highest values seen for seed yield per plant (85.73%), plant height (94.64%), and pods per cluster (87.28%). Significant findings were also found for 100-seed weight (28.3%), pods/plant (37.3%), and seed output per plant (48.8%), which are measures of advancement in genetics expressed as a percentage of the mean (GAM). These features are appropriate for selection in future soybean breeding projects targeted at increasing yield.