Character association and path analysis studies in guava (Psidium guajava L.) for bioactive and antioxidant attributes

Abstract

Character association and path analysis in fifty diverse indigenous genotypes of guava were studied during the year 2011 & 2012 for eleven major bioactive and antioxidant compound. The phenotypic and genotypic as-sociation of reducing and non reducing sugar was significantly positive with total sugar content, titrable acidity revealed positive and significant association with reducing sugar and ascorbic acid. Lycopene had positive and highly significant correlation with ascorbic acid, acidity and pectin. In path analysis pectin showed the highest positive direct effect (G 0.780, P 0.762) on total antioxidant followed by anthocyanin (G 0.16380, P 0.16438), lycopene (G 0.144, P 0.146), total soluble solid (G 0.136, P 0.138), non reducing sugar (G 0.129, P 0.078) and ascorbic acid (G-0.302, P-0.272), sugar: acid ratio (G 0.272, P-0.242), total sugar (G-0.196, P-0.120), acidity (G-0.020, P-0.013), and reducing sugar (G-0.017, P-0.043) showed negative direct effects on total antioxidant (μmol TE/100 g). Overall the path analysis confined that direct effect of pectin, anthocyanin, lycopene, TSS, non reducing sugar whereas indirect effect of ascorbic acid, sugar: acid ratio, total sugar, acidity, and reducing sugar should be considered simultaneously for amenability in bioactive and antioxidant compounds of guava.