Genetic Analysis of Seed Traits in Pre-breeding Lines of Blackgram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper

Abstract

Background: Visual polymorphism of the seeds is supposed to play an important role in breeding programme. Hence this study helps to estimate the genetic parameters in pre breeding lines of blackgram. Methods: One hundred and eighty nine pre breeding lines obtained from the cross VBN (Bg) 5 × Vigna mungo var. silvestris were evaluated during kharif, 2019 and rabi, 2019-20 in a replicated trial. The seed related traits such as seed length, seed width, thickness, length width ratio, seed volume, bulk density and hundred seed weight were taken for analysis. Result: The values of PCV were higher than the GCV indicating the environmental influence over these traits. Moderate GCV was observed for seed volume (13.03%) and hundred seed weight (10.55%). Low GCV was observed for length width ratio (5.21%), seed width (4.47%), bulk density (4.08%), seed thickness (3.54%) and seed length (2.96%). The difference between PCV and GCV was high for seed volume (6.84) followed by seed thickness (2.03) indicating the higher environmental influence over these traits. High heritability was noticed for the traits viz., hundred seed weight (96.22%), seed width (96.03%), length width ratio (93.13%), bulk density (91.13%) and seed length (88.11%). High heritability along with high genetic advance as per cent of mean was observed for hundred seed weight (96.22 and 21.32 respectively) which defines the additive gene action that would help in the selection of these traits. Correlation analysis revealed that bulk density, seed thickness, seed volume, seed length and seed width had significant and positive correlation with hundred seed weight. Seed thickness and bulk density had high direct effect on hundred seed weight. Thus, results from the present study could be used to obtain bold seeded variety in blackgram.