Correlation and path coefficient analysis of fruit yield and quality related traits of custard apple (Annona squamosa L.). Indigenous accessions from Northern Bastar of Chhattisgarh

Abstract

The field experiment was conducted at Research cum Instructional Farm, College of Agriculture & Research Station, Singarbhat, Kanker, Indira Gandhi Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Raipur (Chhattisgarh) during Kharif 2013-14. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Complete Design with four replication, in-situ sixty genotypes of about 10 year age were selected for investigation, which were found as wild seedling plants on forest land and rice bunds in Kanker District- (Chhattisgarh). The treatments comprised of sixty genotypes for with different qualitative character viz total soluble solid, total sugar, reducing sugar, non-reducing sugar, titration acetic acid, keeping days, pulp ratio, pulp seed ratio, peel percentage and fruit yield per plant. Correlation coefficient analysis revealed that direct selection for quantitative traits i.e., length of pedicel, number of seeds per fruits, number of fruits per tree, areole weight, pulp weight, fruit yield per plant and qualitative traits viz., reducing sugar, pulp-seed ratio, peel percentage and pulp ratio may lead to the development of high-yielding custard apple genotypes. Peel percentage showed negligible positive direct effect on fruit yield per plant due to low positive indirect effect via total sugar, reducing sugar and negligible positive indirect effect via keeping days, pulp ratio. The result acidity and non-reducing sugar have negligible negative indirect effect.