Associations Among Agronomic Traits and Path Analysis in Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Miller)

Abstract

ABSTRACT The nature and amount of genetic variability, genetic associations, co-heritability, and path coefficients were studied in the eight quantitative traits of 37 genotypes of fennel. The highest genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variations was recorded for umbels/plant followed by seed yield/plot and lowest for plant height. All the traits showed high heritability in broad sense (∧h2 BS), the highest being for seed yield/plot (99.96%) and lowest for plant height (97.50%). Genetic advance as percentage of mean was the highest for umbels/plant (99.19) followed by seed yield/plot (89.86) and oil content (51.22). Seed yield/ plot was significantly and positively correlated with oil content at both genotypic and phenotypic level. Seed yield was negatively correlated with days to flower 50%. But only diameter of main stem and oil content made the highest amount of direct and indirect contribution to t-anethole content. The diameter of main stem and seed yield/plant exhibited high co-heritability with plant height and umbels on main stalk, and hence it may form a good selection criterion for valuable economic traits but no trait is as dependable as the t-anethole content per se. Seed yield/plant showed the largest heritability in broad sense (∧h2 BS), genetic advance (GA), and co-heritability with t-anethole content than the other traits. Therefore, seed yield and oil content could serve as better selection criteria to improve t-anethole content in fennel.