Interrelationships among grain yield and related characters of four oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) cultivars under drought stress conditions

Four rapeseed cultivars (Hayola 401, Hayola 308, RGS and Option) were evaluated for some physiological traits under stress (50 % field capacity (FC) and non-stress (irrigated) conditions. The factorial set of treatments was arranged within a randomized complete block design with three replications. The collected data were analyzed using path and factor analyses. These is results showed that based on correlation coefficient, path and factor analysis number of seeds per silique was the best criteria for rapeseed cultivar selection under non-stress conditions and silique length, number of seeds per silique and photosynthesis rate at flowering stage were the best criteria for selection and yield improvement under stress conditions. Our results also indicated that selection based on simple correlation may not be efficient. The results of this study may guide breeders to introduce suitable drought resistant rapeseed cultivars for arid regions.