Genetic Variability and Phenotypic Correlations Study among Grain Quality Traits and Mineral Elements Concentrations in Colored and Non-Colored Rice ( Oryza sativa L.)

Twenty-four rice genotypes were examined to assess genetic variability, heritability, and correlations for sevengrain quality traits, eight nutritional elements, and protein. ANOVA revealed significant differences for the quality traits studied. For every trait under study, the phenotypic coefficient of variation was higher than the correspondence genotypic coefficient of variation. Heritability in a broad sense varied from 29.75% for grain length to 98.31% for the elongation trait. Hulling percentage recovery had a highly significant positive correlation with milling and head rice percentage. Consequently, milling percentage had a highly positive correlation with head rice percentage. In amylose percentage, all the genotypes belonged to low amylose except the Hassawi-1 variety, which had intermediate amylose content. Mineral nutrition contents of magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), or protein percentage gave different variations for 24 rice genotypes under all the nutritional elements. Among the 24 genotypes, ten rice genotypes- HighNutrient-6, Hassawi-1, and HighNutrient-4-had the highest heist value for all nutritional and protein contents, and could be used as a donor to improving new varieties. There was a positive and significant correlation between magnesium Mg, K, Zn and Fe. Consequently, K had a positive correlation with zinc Zn, Fe, and protein percentage. Clustering analysis was divided into two groups: the first group included all genotypes rich in nutrients, while the remaining genotypes with low nutritional content were included in the second group.