Genetic variability and character association for some important morphological, physiological and biochemical traits of table potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Abstract

An experiment was carried out at the Research Farm of AICRP on Potato under Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar to study variability and character association among twenty morphologically distinguishable potato genotypes. Data on morphological traits like plant height, shoots/plant, haulm dry matter and leaf chlorophyll content were recorded from five randomly selected plants per plot. A total of 11 morphological and physio-biochemical traits were analyzed for genetic variability, heritability, genetic advance, correlation coefficient and path analysis. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences among the genotypes for all the characters. Out of 20 genotypes under study, Kufri Ganga (24.24 t/ha), AICRP P-22 (22.60 t/ha), AICRP P-7 (19.50 t/ha), Kufri Mohan (18.58 t/ha), Kufri Lima (18.14 t/ha) and AICRP P-31 (18.06 t/ha) were observed to be high yielding. High values of phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) and genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) were observed for reducing sugar content (41.91, 41.75) and shoots per plant (39.60, 38.96). Highest heritability (99.17%) was recorded for reducing sugar content. Traits like reducing sugar content (73.11), shoots per plant (67.44), chlorophyll content (52.39) and plant height (38.76) exhibited high values for genetic advance as percentage of mean. Significant positive correlation of total tuber yield was recorded with reducing sugars both at phenotypic and genotypic levels. Foliage senescence was negatively correlated with tuber dry matter both at phenotypic and genotypic levels. Path analysis revealed that maximum positive and direct effect on total tuber yield was exerted by plant height (0.509), followed by tuber dry matter (0.385), reducing sugars (0.339), haulm dry matter (0.325) and emergence percentage (0.198).