Unraveling the Genetic Architecture of Dendrocalamus stocksii (Munro): Insights from Morphological Trait Variability, Correlation, and Path Analysis

Abstract Bamboo, often pointed to as "green gold”, is the focus of this study on Dendrocalamus stocksii, a thornless bamboo species native to India’s Western Ghats, assessing its genetic variability, trait correlations, and path analysis potential for culm yield. Conducted in January 2024, the research involved eight plantations from two districts in Maharashtra, evaluated using a randomized block design with three replications. Recognized by the National Bamboo Mission, D. stocksii has gained importance due to its ecological and economic benefits. By comparing Analysis of variance revealed significant differences in most morphological parameters except basal length. The liner difference between phenotypic and genotypic variance revealed that environmental aspects contributed little in determining most traits. For a clump height of 88% is the highest broad sense heritability, with moderate heritability of 33% for basal length. Genetic gain values were modest for all traits, with clump height, clump diameter, and culm length showing moderate genetic gain percentages. Strong correlations between genotypic and phenotypic traits suggested that genetic factors played a more significant role than environmental factors. Positive and highly significant correlations were found between traits such as clump height and the count of culms per clump (rg = 0.634**), and between the culm length at the base and the number of culms per clump (rg = 0.866**). However, a significant negative genetic correlation was noted between the diameter of the culm at the base and culm height (rg = -0.599**). Path analysis identified clump height, fifth internodal diameter, and length as key factors influencing the number of culms per clump. These results suggest the importance of selecting traits like internodal length, diameter, and clump height for higher yield.