Forty nine hot pepper accessions collected from different agroecologies were
compared in a 7x7 simple lattice design to estimate genetic variability and
understand the association of characters. Plant characters and yield
components were evaluated and analyzed accordingly. The values of genotypic
correlation coefficients were higher in magnitude than phenotypic values in
most instances in which fruit yield per plant showed high positive
significant genotypic correlation value with pericarp thickness (r = 0.91)
and number of fruits per plant (r = 0.61). On the other hand, significant
negative associations were registered with days to flowering (r = -0.73) and
50% fruiting period (r = -0.75). The phenotypic correlation coefficient of
most characters with yield was not significant except for flowering period,
fruit length and number of fruits per plant. The path coefficient analysis
indicated that pericarp thickness (mm) (5.5), fruit diameter (mm) (1.4),
number of fruits per plant (0.8), number of branches (0.33) and flowering
period (0.2) had the highest direct positive effect. However, fruit weight
(-2.8), number of internodes (-1.66), leaf area index (-1.6) and plant height
(-0.4) had a high negative direct effect on yield. The genetic component
analysis indicated that phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) was higher
in magnitude than genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) for most
characters except pericarp thickness and leaf area index. Higher magnitude of
GCV was observed in leaf area index (67%) followed by pericarp thickness
(34%), number of branches, internode length (23%) and plant height. Close
estimates of GCV and PCV were recorded from fruit and internode length,
pericarp thickness and fruiting period. Very high PCV and very low GCV
estimates were obtained from fruit weight and number of fruits, fruit yield,
plant height and canopy width. Broad sense heritability was high for fruiting
date, fruit length, plant height, internode length and fruit diameter.
However, genetic advance as percent of the mean (GAM) was high to moderate
for length and number of internodes, number of branches, fruit diameter and
weight, pericarp thickness and leaf area index. Therefore, from this study,
fruit diameter, pericarp thickness, leaf area index and internode length
exhibited high to moderate genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation
along with medium to high heritability and genetic advance and can be used as
a selection criterion for pepper improvement program.
PLANT SPACING OF `CALYPSO' AND LITTLE LEAF GENOTYPES OF CUCUMBERS
