Study of direct and indirect effects on different characters of jatropha (Jatropha curcas Linn.)

Abstract

The experiment was conducted for two years (2013-15) which were grown at Experiment Station Farm Department of Horticulture, N.D. University of Agriculture & Technology, Kumarganj, Faizabad to assess the path coefficient on phenotypic as well as genotypic levels to resolve the direct and indirect effects of the various character and to access the performance of 16 genotypes of jatropha. This study investigated 30 farms, -15 organic and 15 inorganic/conventional agricultural fields with varying agro-forestry species composition and degree of commercialization in Randomized Block Design with five replications through interviews among selected farmers and 20 utilized species were identified and species retention is governed by species relative importance. The results revealed that the agro-forestry is highly adaptable and applicable among a wide range of physical and social conditions as it enhances stability and productivity of agro-ecosystems and alleviate environmental stresses. Hence this practice plays substantial ecological and socioeconomic roles in farmer’s livelihood. This paper is an attempt to elucidate the relationships between biodiversity and income generation from agro-forestry systems, in order to identify the optimum sustainable agricultural practices that are ecologically sustainable and socioeconomic feasible in local context.