Direct selection based on crop yields is often a paradox in breeding programmes because yield is a complex polygenically inherited character, influenced by its component traits. Breeding programmes should, therefore, take into consideration character association of various component traits with yield and among themselves. In this study, fourteen rice (
Oryza sativa
L.) genotypes at the Gezira Research Station Farm (GRSF), Sudan were assessed for genetic variability and correlations between yield and yield components among phenotypic markers and polygenic trait analysis. A wider genetic variability was observed among the genotypes for most of the characters studied. The highest genotypic coefficient of varation was recorded for grain yield, percent unfilled grain panicle
-1, number of grains panicle
-1 and number of filled grain panicle
-1. Phenotypic correlations between grain yield and number of filled grain panicle
-1, number of panicle m
-2 and 1000 grain weight were 0.52, 0.36 and 0.27, respectively. These results suggested that improvement in yield could be attained by selecting rice plants for higher number of filled grain panicle
-1, number of panicle m
-2, and 1000 grain weight. The path analysis revelead that number of filled grains panicle
-1 had direct positive (0.87) contribution to the grain yield ha
-1 and positive (0.33) indirect effect on grain yield ha
-1 through days to 50% maturity and number of grains panicle
-1 (0.089); while number of filled grains per particle had negative (-0.30) and (-0.21) indirect effect on grain yield ha
-1 through number of tillers plant-1 and number of panicles m
-2, respectively. The relative contribution of characters towards variability and results of correlation and path coefficient indicated the importance of number of grain panicle
-1, number of filled grain panicle
-1 and number of panicle m
-2. Genotypes having these characters would offer a good possibility for the improvement of rice through conventional selection.