Mostafa Eidi kohnaki - M.Sc. Student in Plant Breeding, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran.
Ghaffar Kiani - Department of Biotechnology and Plant Breeding, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran.
Ghorbanali Nematzadeh - Department of Biotechnology and Plant Breeding, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran.

In order to evaluate the relationship between morphological characters in rice lines two populations at F3 generation were grown in research field of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resource University, Sari, Iran, during 2012. Statistical analysis on important agronomic traits showed that maximum standard deviation belonged to total grain number followed by filled grains per panicle and grain yield. Result of correlation analysis revealedpositive and significant relation of grain yield per plant with panicle length, panicle per plant, total grain number and filled grains per panicle. Path coefficient analysis indicated that filled grains per panicle had highest direct effect on yield followed by panicle length, plant height,and panicle per plant. Panicle per plant had highest indirect effect on grain yield. This studyrevealed that selection based on filled grains per panicle, panicle length and panicle per plant will be highly effective for yield improvement in rice breeding programs.

Rice, Correlation, Path analysis, Yield, Yield component, F3 generation