Okra is India’s most widely grown tropical and subtropical vegetable crop. Despite widespread cultivation, crop yield and productivity remain subpar. Yellow vein mosaic virus (YVMV) disease is a serious threat to Indian okra production, causing yield losses ranging from 17.09 to 96.49 per cent. In this context, the present study was aimed to assess the variability and character association of 74 elite germplasm accessions for thirteen quantitative and quality traits. High phenotypic and genotypic coefficient of variation (PCV and GCV) were observed among all evaluated traits except fruit diameter, which showed a moderate PCV and GCV. All traits had high heritability and high genetic advance, implying that the heritability was most likely due to additive gene effects. Direct selection of these traits would be advantageous for okra improvement, especially in developing a YVMV resistant genotype. Fruit yield per plant exhibited a significant and positive genotypic as well as phenotypic correlation with fruit weight, fruit length, peroxidase activity, polyphenol activity, fruit diameter, total phenolic content and plant height, whereas node at which the first flower appeared and YVMV were negatively correlated to fruit yield per plant. Correlation studies indicated YVMV resistance towards high total phenolic content, polyphenol oxidase, and peroxidase. The high positive direct effects on fruit yield per plant were observed for fruit weight followed by number of fruit per plant and total phenolic content. This study revealed that simultaneous selection of these traits can help in increasing yield and YVMV resistance.
Character association and path analysis in garlic (Allium sativum L) for yield and its attributes