Gene action studies for fruit yield and horticultural traits in okra Abelmoschus esculentus L Moench

Abstract

The present investigation entitled Gene action studies for fruit yield and horticultural traits in newlineokra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) was carried out at the Experimental Farm of the newlineDepartment of Vegetable Science and Floriculture, CSK HPKV Palampur to gather information on newlinegenetic architecture for fruit yield and horticultural traits in okra. The experimental material comprised newlineof 51 triple test cross progenies derived by mating 12 lines with three testers namely, 9801 (L1), newlineHisar Unnat (L2) and their single cross F1 (L3). This genetic material was evaluated in Randomized newlineComplete Block Design with three replications during May to October, 2018. The observations were newlinerecorded on ten randomly selected plants in each entry over the replications on different quantitative newlinetraits [days to 50 per cent flowering, days to first picking, first fruit producing node, nodes per plant, newlineinternodal length (cm), fruit length (cm), fruit diameter (cm), average fruit weight (g), plant height newline(cm), harvest duration (days), fruits per plant and fruit yield per plant (g)], quality traits [immature fruit newlinecolour, fruit pubescence, ridges per fruit, dry matter (%) and mucilage (%)] and screening for yellow newlinevein mosaic disease. Epistasis was found to be an integral part of genetic variation for majority of the newlinetraits including fruit yield per plant. Epistatic interaction for most of the traits was j+l type except first newlinefruit producing node, nodes per plant, internodal length, fruit length, fruit diameter, average fruit newlineweight, fruits per plant, ridges per fruit and dry matter whereas harvest duration, fruit yield per plant newlineand mucilage carried both iand#8223; and j+land#8223; type with predominance of iand#8223; type except fruit yield per plant. newlineAdditive component (D) was more pronounced than dominance component (H) for most of the traits newlineexcept mucilage. Both additive and dominance components were of almost equal magnitude for newlinemucilage indicating the importance of both additive and dominance type of gene action. Degree of newlinedominance was in the r