Evaluation of fenugreek collections for growth, yield and yield-attributing traits in Northern Dry Zone of Karnataka

Abstract

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.), a valuable legume with economic and nutritional importance, holds significant potential for genetic improvement. The present investigation was carried out during two consecutive rabi seasons of 2023-24 and 2024-25 in the Department of Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic crops, College of Horticulture, Bagalkot, to identify high-yielding collections suitable for the Northern Dry Zone of Karnataka. Based on the pooled data over both seasons, the 55 collections evaluated in the experiment exhibited highly significant variation for growth, yield and yield-attributing traits. Among the collections, the minimum days to germination was recorded in HUB-3 (3.25 days), while the maximum plant height was observed in DFC-5 (65.47 cm). DFC-24 recorded the maximum plant spread (682.73 cm²) and the highest number of branches per plant (12.10). With respect to reproductive traits, the earliest days to first flowering (34.25 days), days to 50 per cent flowering (38.25 days) and days to seed maturity (99.25 days) were recorded in DFC-3. Among the yield attributes, DFC-24 registered the highest number of pods per plant (55.30), longest pod length (12.23 cm), maximum number of seeds per pod (13.86), highest test weight (16.69 g) and superior seed yield (7.54 g/plant, 412.61 g/plot and 18.34 q/ha). The collections DFC-20, DFC-3 and HUB-3 also exhibited superior performance with respect to growth, yield and yield-related traits compared to the check varieties (Bagalkot local, DFC-21 and Afg-1). Consequently, DFC-24, DFC-20, DFC-3 and HUB-3 were identified as promising and economically viable collections for seed yield under the Northern Dry Zone of Karnataka.