Prolonged flash floods in South and Southeast Asia cause substantial crop yield reductions, but improved breeding techniques enhance resilience. The F2 population derived from the cross between ASD 16 and the NIL of CO 51 Sub1 was evaluated to study genetic variability, trait associations, and direct/indirect effects on yield. The Indel marker ART 5 revealed distinct segregation patterns in progenies (Homozygous:22; Heterozygous:72). The investigation unveiled high PCV, GCV and heritability, accompanied by high genetic advances, in pivotal traits such as the number of productive tillers per plant, flag leaf length, number of filled grains per panicle, number of chaffy grains per panicle, and single plant yield. These findings indicate the prevalence of additive genetic effects and underscore the substantial contributions of these traits to the observed variability within the population. The results of the correlation analysis indicated a highly significant positive correlation between single plant yield and four important traits: days to fifty percent flowering, plant height, panicle length, and number of filled grains per panicle. The path coefficient analysis indicated that the number of productive tillers per plant exerted the most substantial positive direct influence on the single plant yield. Similarly, spikelet fertility, number of chaffy grains per panicle, and plant height demonstrated significant positive effects as well. The findings indicate that the selection of specific traits viz., plant height, panicle length, number of filled grains per panicle and number of productive tillers per plant can enhance breeding outcomes.