M. Gocheva*, D. Dimova*

Agricultural Academy, Institute of Agriculture, 8400 Karnobat, Bulgaria

(Manuscript received 14 October 2024; accepted for publication 19 December 2024)

Abstract. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between some quantitative traits related to productivity and their direct and indirect effects on yield, in different spring barley genotypes, through the application of correlation and path coefficient analysis. A block method was used in 4 replications, with a harvest plot size of 10 m². The analyzed traits included: plant height (cm), spike length (cm), grain number per spike, grain weight per spike (g), and 1000-grain weight. The analysis revealed that in the group of studied genotypes, grain yield had a well-expressed positive correlation with spike length (r = 0.591) and a negative, well-manifested correlation with plant height (r = -0.474). By applying path analysis, it was established that spike length had the highest positive direct effect on grain yield. The principal component analysis confirmed the results from the correlation and path analyses, indicating that it can be used to illustrate the correlation relationships between different yield components