Genetic variability, character associations and path coefficient studies in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) grown under terai region of West Bengal

Abstract

The present study was carried out at the Instructional Farm, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Pundibari, Cooch Behar, West Bengal, India during 2017-2018. The material for the present study comprised of 37 genotypes of tomato. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design (RBD) with three replications for each treatment. Quantitative character were recorded such as plant height (cm), Number of primary branch, Days to 1st flower, fruit weight (g), equatorial diameter (cm), polar diameter (cm), pericarp thickness (mm), locule number, fruit yield plant-1 (kg). On the basis of Analysis of variance, significant differences were observed among the genotypes for all the characters under study. The high (> 30%) Genotypic Coefficient of Variation (GCV) and Phenotypic Coefficient of Variation (PCV) were observed for yield per plant (i.e., 57.31% and 58.14%, respectively) followed by fruit weight (i.e., 35.27% and 35.49%, respectively). The presence of high GCV for fruit yield per plant and fruit weight suggested the possibility of improving and fixing these characters through employing selection breeding. high heritability (>60%) coupled with high genetic advance as per cent of mean (>20%) were evident for all the characters under study indicated possibility of improvement of those traits through selection due to existence of additive gene effect. From combined study of correlation and path analysis suggested the characters viz., polar diameter, number of primary branches and equatorial diameter found to be most important selection criteria in crop improvement of tomato.