GENETIC VARIABILITY AND DIVERGENCE STUDIES IN OKRA [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) MOENCH]
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Date
2015-06
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University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot (COLLEGE OF HORTICULTURE, BAGALKOT)
Abstract
Fifty two okra accessions were evaluated in randomized block design with two replications at Department of Vegetable Science, College of Horticulture, Bagalkot (Haveli), during Rabi 2014 and assessed for their genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance for twenty six parameters concerned with growth, earliness, yield, quality and seed. The genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variability were high for plant height at 90 DAS, number of nodes per plant, number of fruits per plant, rind thickness, crude fiber content, vitamin C content, seed yield per fruit and number of seeds per fruit. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance over mean was observed for plant height both at 45 and 90 DAS, number of leaves at 90 DAS, first flowering node, number of nodes per plant, number of fruits per plant, fruit yield per plant, average fruit weight, fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit yield per hectare, rind thickness, number of ridges on fruit surface, crude fiber content, vitamin C content, seed yield per fruit and number of seeds per fruit indicating predominant additive gene action offering scope for improvement of these characters through direct selection.
Correlation studies revealed significant and positive association of fruit yield per plant with number of leaves both at 45 and 90 DAS and number of fruits per plant. Path analysis studies revealed high direct effect of number of fruits per plant on total yield per plant.
Mahalanobis D2 analysis grouped 52 genotypes of okra into nine clusters. The cluster III showed maximum intra-cluster distance and maximum inter-cluster distance was observed between clusters IV and VII. Number of ridges on fruit surface contributed maximum (32.5 %) to the genetic diversity followed by rind thickness (16.67 %) and seed yield per fruit (12.22 %). Heterosis studies can be planned by involving genotypes belonging to cluster IV and cluster VII. In the present investigation it can be concluded that the genotypes BGKB-4 and BGKB-12 recorded higher fruit yield per plant with superior quality parameters compared to other genotypes.