Estimation of direct and indirect association of independent traits with seed yield in bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Standl.)

Abstract

An experiment was executed at Main Experiment Station of Department of Vegetable Science, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Narendra Nagar (Kumarganj), Ayodhya (U.P.) during Zaid 2019, path analysis among different character. Experimental material for the study consisted of 36 genotypes including two checks (Pusa Naveen and Narendra Rashmi). The experiment was conducted in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Single row plot of 3 m length spaced 3 m apart with 50 cm plant to plant distance was maintained. Observations were recorded on 14 quantitative traits viz. days to first staminate flower and pistillate flower anthesis, node number to first staminate and pistillate flower appearance, days to first fruit harvest, green fruit length (cm), green fruit circumstances (cm), mature fruit length (cm), mature fruit circumstances (cm), mature fruit weight(kg), seed weight per fruit(g), number of seed per fruit(g), 100-seed weight(g), seed yield per plant(g). Seed weight per fruit and days to first fruit harvest, node number to staminate flower appearance were identified as most important traits with positive direct effect on seed yield per plant. However, no of seed per fruit and mature fruit weight were found as important indirect contributor towards high seed yield per plant via seed weight per fruit at both phenotypic and genotypic level.