Correlation and association of characters in Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) from Kerala part of Peninsular India T.K. Hrideek 1* , A.V. Raghu 2 and K.V. Mohanan 3 1 Department of Genetcs and Tree Breeding, Kerala Forest Research Insttute, Peechi, Thrissur, Kerala-680 653, India. 2 Extension and Training Division, Kerala Forest Research Insttute, Peechi, Thrissur, Kerala-680 653, India. 3 Genetcs and Plant Breeding Division, Department of Botany, University of Calicut, Kerala-673635, India. *Corresponding author: hrideek@kfri.res.in Paper No. 314 Received: 26 March 2014 Accepted: 27 April 2015 Published: 28 June 2015 Abstract Selection of appropriate genotypes based on characters that show good genetic strength is a very important tool in crop improvement since selection could not be carried out based on all characters. Study of interrelationship and association of characters is essential to identify the variables which show maximum relationship with others. Correlation analysis was carried out presently in the case of 12 morphometric characters in vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides) so as to study the relationship between them. The present study revealed varying degrees of interrelationship between the morphometric characters studied. Character association was also studied so as to group the characters based on gene sharing and to identify the lead characters that could be used in further breeding programmes. Plant height showed the highest factor loading followed by leaf breadth, root length, leaves per tiller and fresh root weight showing their higher contribution towards the variability of the population and their usability in breeding programmes as lead characters. Highlights • Correlation of the characters and association of agronomic characters have been studied in 14 varieties of Vetiveria zizanioides. • Character association leads to grouping the characters based on gene sharing. • Characters showing highest factor loading contribute maximum variability of the population and these characters can be used in further selection programmes. • Agronomic characters of plants show diferent levels of association since they are polygenic. Keywords: Vetiver, genotypes, interrelationship, correlation analysis, morphometric characters Vetiveria zizanioides, commonly known as vetiver grass, is a perennial species belonging to the family Gramineae. It originated from India and Africa (Xia et al. 1998). Vetiver is an economically, pharmaceutically and ecologically important plant. Roots of vetiver yield essential oil that is used as a basic material for perfumery and cosmetics (Champagnet et al. 2006; Massardo et al. 2006). It has strong ecological adaptability and resistance to drought, water logging, cold, heat, acidity and alkalinity. Meanwhile, it has some other good traits such as a strong root system, fast growth, easy planting and high survival rate, and it never turns into a weed, because it cannot be pollinated and fertilized. In the past, the utilization of the vetiver grass was limited to the extraction of the fragrant oil from the root (Cheng 1998). GENETICS GENETICS International Journal of Agriculture, Environment and Biotechnology Citation: IJAEB: 8(2): 237-243 June 2015 DOI Number: 10.5958/2230-732X.2015.00030.3 ©2015 New Delhi Publishers. All rights reserved