Skewness and kurtosis studies for yield and nutritional traits in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) F₂ population

Improvement programs for rice are nowadays not only oriented towards increasing the grain yield but also towards improving its nutritional qualities. In the current study, the variability and distribution pattern of certain yield and nutritional features have been assessed in F₂ progenies obtained through crossing between lines CO54 and Chinkinkar. The population under assessment has been evaluated for 17 quantitative traits including grain yield-related parameters, grain morphological features and grain nutritional composition. Wide variation among F₂ segregants has been established concerning all traits which shows successful creation of valuable recombinants via the combination of CO54 and Chinkinkar lines. High variances have been obtained especially for number of total and filled grains per panicle and plant height, which means that there is considerable genetic variation in respect of these traits. Analysis of distribution patterns revealed both positive and negative skewness which suggests involvement of additive and non-additive gene action in inheritance. Majority of traits showed platykurtic distribution and, hence, they can be classified as polygenic ones possessing rather broad genetic base. There has also been identified considerable variation for iron, zinc and protein contents in grain which demonstrates the value of this population in bio-fortification breeding.