Fifty-eight genotypes of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), being 32 local genotypes, 20 genotypes from EMBRAPA and six commercial cultivars were evaluated in Alegre/ES, through the influence of eight characters of agronomic importance to grain production by unit area. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with three replications in the wet period of 2008/09 crop year. This study aimed to estimate the path coefficients between the primary and secondary characters on grain yield. The primary characters were set up by the number of seeds per pod (NSV), weight of one hundred grains (P100), number of pods per plant (NVP) and number of seeds per plant (NSP) and the secondary traits were number of days from germination to flowering (FL), number of days between emergence and harvest maturity (MC), plant height (EP), height of the first pod (PIV). The analysis of the path coefficient showed that the primary character with more direct effect on yield (PROD) was NVP (1.0011), associated with high correlation (0.754). Variables P100 and NSV showed high indirect effect on NVP of 0.8848 and 0.6369, respectively. It was observed an increase in P100 and NVP in plants with short cycle and growing season and first pod height taller, and that the height of the first pod did not significantly influence productivity.
Beans; Plant breeding; Crop yield
