Phenotypic variability and trait-specific selection in Aegle marmelos Correa genotypes based on morphological and quality traits.

This study aimed to assess the genetic variability in Aegle marmelos Correa to develop trait-specific genotypes based on morphological and qualitative traits. The evaluation focused on both morphological and qualitative characteristics within the gene pool of this species. High phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) and genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) were observed for traits such as shell weight, fruit weight, and pulp weight, indicating substantial genetic diversity and strong potential for selective breeding within the germplasm. Heritability estimates ranged widely, with fruit weight showing a low 0.07% and shell weight a high 92.23%, reflecting the significant impact of environmental factors on trait expression. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that the first principal component (PC1) explained 40.19% of the total variation, with an eigenvalue of 8.12. The first six principal components collectively accounted for 80.77% of total variability. Genotypes CHESB-25 and CHESB-29 exhibited the highest positive PC scores for PC1 and PC2, identifying them as superior selections. Cluster analysis identified six distinct clusters of genotypes, with Cluster V being the largest and Cluster VI the smallest. This clustering highlights the genetic diversity among the bael genotypes and provides a basis for breeding and selection strategies. Cluster IV emerged as the most promising, consistently showing the highest values for key attributes such as shell weight, fruit weight, and fruit yield per plant. Therefore, prioritizing Cluster IV is recommended for selecting superior varieties and developing new cultivars. The study also noted that fruit yield per plant positively correlated with traits like shell weight and fruit weight, emphasizing the importance of these traits for yield improvement. Conversely, negative correlations with seed percent, shell percent, and phenolic content suggest these traits may be less beneficial for enhancing yield. The hierarchical clustering heat map of the 101 bael germplasms offers a detailed perspective on the relationships between various traits and germplasms. The results offer vital information for creating A. marmelos cultivars with higher yields and better quality. For breeding programs, targeted selection is made possible by the discovery of important clusters and superior genotypes (CHESB-25 and CHESB-29). Given the high level of genetic variation found, hybridization may be able to improve desired characteristics like fruit output and weight. Overall, the findings offer important insights for selecting elite genotypes and advancing breeding programs.

The present investigation was conducted at Horticulture Research Centre, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut (UP) 250110 during rabi season in 2018-19 and 2019-2020. During the study the analysis of variance for 36 genotypes of tomato in the randomized block design and revealed significant difference for all the 10 characters, this indicated the presence of wide spectrum of variability among the genotypes. The phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) was higher than the respective genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) for all the traits, a narrow difference between PCV and GCV were recorded for most of the traits except for days to 50% flowering and number of branches. The high GCV(>25%) was recorded for the traits number of fruits per plant (69.33). and The high PCV (>25%) was recorded for the traits number of fruits per plant (69.67). High heritability and genetic advance as per cent of mean were observed for all ten characters. The highest heritability was recorded in number of fruits per plant (99.02) and lowest for number of branches (70.27). Highest genetic advance as per cent of mean was highest for fruit yield per plant (96.73). Variability studies suggest that the characters like days to 50% flowering, days to first fruit set, days to first fruit maturity, plant height (cm), number of fruits per plant (g), fruit weight (g) and fruit yield per plant (g) can be used in hybridization programme for obtaining superior and desired recombinants for particular trait in tomato crop.

A country's okra production is vital for its economic and nutritional well-being, so selecting genotypes with high yields is crucial. A crop's potential for improvement is determined by the magnitude of genetic variability present in genotypes, along with genetic advancement, character association, and direct and indirect effects on yield and yield attributes; however, crop variability in this country is not well studied. Thus, sixty-three okra genotypes were evaluated using an alpha lattice (7 x 9) design to estimate the extent of their variability, heritability, and genetic advance. The data were collected from 15 quantitative traits. Analyses of variance revealed that all genotypes were highly significant for all traits. Overall, there was a slightly higher phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) compared to a genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) for all traits. A wide range of variation was also observed within genotypes, with most traits exhibiting high coefficients of variation. Days to 50% flowering had the lowest GCV (4.93%) and PCV (6.37%), while secondary branch numbers per plant had the highest GCV (94.60%) and PCV (97.19%). A wide range of heritability and genetic advancement was observed, ranging from 46.44% (number of nodes per plant) to 97.42% (fruit yield per plant) and 8.13% (days to 50% flowering) to 94.99% (fruit yield per plant), respectively. High heritability (broad sense) along with high genetic advance was observed for fruit yield per plant, number of secondary branches per plant, number of fruit per plant, fruit weight, fruit length, plant height, and fruit diameter. Traits like plant spread in East-West direction, plant spread in North-South direction, number of ridges per fruit, and number of fruited-nodes per plant were also showed high heritability (broad sense) along with high genetic advance, which showing a diverse genetic background and predominance of additive gene control for these traits, thereby providing a great scope for selection.

Forty nine hot pepper accessions collected from different agroecologies were compared in a 7x7 simple lattice design to estimate genetic variability and understand the association of characters. Plant characters and yield components were evaluated and analyzed accordingly. The values of genotypic correlation coefficients were higher in magnitude than phenotypic values in most instances in which fruit yield per plant showed high positive significant genotypic correlation value with pericarp thickness (r = 0.91) and number of fruits per plant (r = 0.61). On the other hand, significant negative associations were registered with days to flowering (r = -0.73) and 50% fruiting period (r = -0.75). The phenotypic correlation coefficient of most characters with yield was not significant except for flowering period, fruit length and number of fruits per plant. The path coefficient analysis indicated that pericarp thickness (mm) (5.5), fruit diameter (mm) (1.4), number of fruits per plant (0.8), number of branches (0.33) and flowering period (0.2) had the highest direct positive effect. However, fruit weight (-2.8), number of internodes (-1.66), leaf area index (-1.6) and plant height (-0.4) had a high negative direct effect on yield. The genetic component analysis indicated that phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) was higher in magnitude than genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) for most characters except pericarp thickness and leaf area index. Higher magnitude of GCV was observed in leaf area index (67%) followed by pericarp thickness (34%), number of branches, internode length (23%) and plant height. Close estimates of GCV and PCV were recorded from fruit and internode length, pericarp thickness and fruiting period. Very high PCV and very low GCV estimates were obtained from fruit weight and number of fruits, fruit yield, plant height and canopy width. Broad sense heritability was high for fruiting date, fruit length, plant height, internode length and fruit diameter. However, genetic advance as percent of the mean (GAM) was high to moderate for length and number of internodes, number of branches, fruit diameter and weight, pericarp thickness and leaf area index. Therefore, from this study, fruit diameter, pericarp thickness, leaf area index and internode length exhibited high to moderate genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation along with medium to high heritability and genetic advance and can be used as a selection criterion for pepper improvement program.

The crop improvement program's success depends largely on the availability, nature and effective utilization of genetic variability in plant species. Variability is a fundamental need for almost every crop improvement program. The total variability observed in the germplasm can be classified into heritable and non-heritable components based on genetic parameters such as phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV), genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV), heritability and genetic advance. This investigation assessed genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance among 36 brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) genotypes for important quantitative traits, aiming to select parameters precisely for varietal improvement. The experiment was conducted in the Kharif 2022 season at the instructional farm of SKN College of Agriculture, SKNAU, Jobner, using a randomized block design (RBD) with three replications and 60 X 60 cm spacing. Variance analysis showed a highly significant genotypic difference for all evaluated characters, indicating substantial variability. Phenotypic coefficients of variation (PCV) exceeded genotypic coefficients of variation (GCV) across traits, suggesting environmental influence on the trait expression. Findings elevated PCV and GCV were noted for the root-knot index (42.49% PCV; 42.11% GCV), fruit volume (42.12% PCV; 41.82% GCV) and fruit yield per plant (39.06% PCV; 35.30% GCV). Broad-sense heritability was high for all traits, ranging from 63.12% (moisture content) to 99.47% (number of flowers per cluster). High heritability, coupled with high genetic advance as a percentage of the mean, was observed for root-knot index (85.96%), fruit volume (85.54%), and fruit yield per plant (65.73%), indicating the predominance of additive gene action. The findings reveal substantial genetic potential among brinjal genotypes. Traits exhibiting high heritability and genetic advance can be effectively improved through direct selection, making them reliable targets for breeding programs aimed at developing high-yielding and superior genotypes. The identification of traits that are mainly influenced by additive gene action is also valuable for selection programs for high-performing and stress-resistant brinjal genotypes.

This study investigated the genetic diversity of 25 okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) genotypes using phenotypic and molecular characterization methods. Phenotypic analysis of 11 quantitative traits revealed significant divergence among accessions, particularly for traits such as the coefficient of infection, average fruit weight, fruit yield and number of fruits per plant. High Phenotypic Coefficient of Variation (PCV) and Genotypic Coefficient of Variation (GCV) values were observed for plant height, number of branches per plant, number of nodes per plant, average fruit weight, fruit yield and coefficient of infection. High heritability with genetic advance as a percentage of mean was observed for plant height, number of branches per plant, number of nodes per plant, internodal length, number of fruits per plant, fruit length, fruit girth, average fruit weight, fruit yield and coefficient of infection. The germplasm was categorised into six groups after Mahalanobis D2 analysis. Molecular characterisation of the 50 SSR markers identified substantial genetic diversity. 21 markers were polymorphic, exhibiting 2-4 alleles per locus. Fifteen SSR markers showed high polymorphism information content values exceeding 0.5, with a range of 0.41 to 0.8. Jaccard's similarity coefficient ranged from 0.17 to 0.86 (average 0.63). Phenotypic and molecular analyses clustered the genotypes into six distinct groups, underscoring the considerable genetic variability within the studied okra germplasm. These findings provide valuable resources for future okra breeding programs.

Genetic diversity is essential to a plant species' ability to survive, adapt, and thrive in a constantly shifting environment. It also forms the basis for crop development's efficient selection process. Therefore, breeding programs that present a high level of genetic variability in germplasm collections benefit significantly from an understanding of the genetic processes responsible for the inheritance of this trait. Therefore, this research aims to estimate the genetic analysis and variability of Bambara groundnut based on vegetative components using multivariate analyses. A randomized complete block design, including three replications, was utilized to evaluate five genotypes of Bambara groundnuts. The seeds were divided into three groups: large, medium, and small seed sizes. Statistical analysis was conducted in SAS version 9.4 to estimate ten vegetative characters' variance components and heritability. Most vegetative variables in the current study showed significant variations between the five genotypes, fifteen combinations of seed size and genotypes, seed size categories, and the interaction between genotype and seed size categories. The estimation of the genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) varied from 0 to 20.36%. Moreover, the high values of GCV (20.36%) and PCV (28.18%) resulted from the wide canopy trait, while moderate GCV and high PCV were registered from the number of petioles, number of leaves, number of branches, and dried biomass. The low GCV and high PCV were recorded for fresh biomass and high plant growth. More research should be conducted to enhance these Bambara genotypes in various environments.

An experiment was undertaken on twenty genotypes and fifteen characters of Okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] to evaluate variability, genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV), phenotypic coefficients of variation (PCV), heritability and genetic advance in all genotypes. The wide range of variability was observedamong fifteen characters of all genotypes. The (PCV) were generally higher than their respective genotypic coefficient of variance, thus revealing the role of environmental factors. High PCV was exhibited by plant height (14.92 %), first branching node (37.38 %), number of branches per plant (36.06 %), number of seeds per fruit (22.43 %), first fruiting node (19.07 %), first flowering node (18.03 %) and yield (16.65 %) per hectare. High GCV were observed for number of branches per plant (29.80 %), first branching node(29.75 %), number of seeds per fruit(17.30 %), first fruiting node (15.27 %) and plant height (14.51 %). High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was observed for plant height (94.0 and 29.05 %), stem diameter (94.0 and 27.81 %), fruit weight (94.0 and 21.64 %), number of branches per plant (68.0 and 50.74) and first branching node (63.0 and 48.76 %).

In the selection phase of melon breeding programs, genetic variability is a critical component for yield improvement. The goals of this study were to discover the variables that affect melon fruit weight and examine genetic variability, correlation, and path analysis of eight melon varieties. The experiment was arranged as a completely randomized block design with 4 blocks. It was conducted between July and September 2021 at the School of Agricultural Technology, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand. The result found that stem diameter and length, leaf length, width, number, and chlorophyll, day to 50% male and female flowering, and fruit perimeter, height, and weight were highly significant across the varieties. The genotypic coefficients of variation (GCV) of observed variables were all lower than phenotypic coefficients of variation (PCV). Fruit weight (15.462 and 19.865%) had the highest GCV and PCV. High broad-sense heritability was linked to high (H) or moderate (M) genetic advance as a percentage of the mean from stem length (67.606%: H and 21.992%: H), fruit weight (60.586%: H and 24.793%: H), fruit perimeter (76.395%: H and 12.258%: M), and fruit height (69.828%: H and 12.122%: M). The maximum and significant genotypic correlation value was obtained between leaf length and leaf width (r = 1.000). Fruit weight is positively correlated with fruit perimeter (r = 0.940) and fruit height (r = 0.831). According to correlation and path analyses, stem diameter and length, leaf chlorophyll, and fruit perimeter and height were considered variables for fruit weight improvement in the breeding programs. It suggests that the increase in traits with a favorable direct influence on fruit weight may directly contribute to fruit weight.

A field experiment titled “Genetic variability, Heritability and Genetic Advance in F5 generation of chilli (Capsicum annum L.)” was carried out during the 2024-25 growing season at the experimental farm of the Department of Horticulture, VNMKV, Parbhani. The study involved ten genotypes, including the check varieties Parbhani Mirchi and Pusa Jwala and was laid out in a randomized block design with three replications. The primary objective was to evaluate variability, heritability, genetic advance and trait correlations to facilitate the selection of superior genotypes. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed highly significant differences among the genotypes for all the traits observed, indicating substantial genetic diversity. Among the evaluated lines, PBNC-5-W4-2-3 and PBNC-6-W4-1-2 demonstrated superior performance in terms of green fruit yield and key horticultural characteristics, outperforming the standard check varieties. The phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) exceeded the corresponding genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) for all the traits evaluated. However, the differences between PCV and GCV were relatively small for the majority of the characters. The highest values for phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation were found in green fruit yield per hectare, followed closely by green fruit yield per plot and green fruit yield per plant. Likewise, high PCV and GCV values were observed for powdery mildew incidence, thrips infestation, whitefly infestation, number of fruits per plant, pedicel length and pericarp thickness. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as percent of mean was observed for number of fruits per plant, green fruit yield per plant, per plot, per hectare, pericarp thickness, pedicel length, plant spread N-S and plant spread E-W, indicating strong additive gene action and scope for improvement through phenotypic selection.

This experiment was conducted at Mandouri farm, Horticultural Research Station, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyala (BCKV), West Bengal, India during March, 2014 to July, 2018. The objectives of the research were to determine genetic variability, phenotypic performance and diversity for yield and 17 yield attributing traits of the 45 sponge gourd germplasm. To study the heterosis and combining ability of parental lines with half diallel analysis for earliness and yield contributing characters. PCV (phenotypic coefficient of variation) was higher than GCV (genotypic coefficient of variation) for all the traits studied. Higher PCV and GCV were recorded for traits namely number of primary branches plant-1, number of fruiting nodes on main stem, sex ratio (male/female), fruits plant-1 and fruit yield plant-1. Based on Mahalanobis’ D2 statistic, the genotypes of sponge gourd were grouped into 7 different clusters. Fruit yield plant-1, weight of fruit and number of fruiting nodes on main stem had maximum contribution towards genetic divergence. Among the parents, Patna Local, IC-336759 and IC-284795 showed high significant positive GCA effects as well as per se performance for yield and yield related attributes. Additive as well as non-additive gene action regulating the different traits. The traits under non additive gene action. The magnitude of standard heterosis was found in desirable direction for early and yield traits viz., days to first pistillate flower appearance in the cross IC284795×Patna Loca (-23.07%), for 50% flowering in the cross IC-284795×Patna Local (-18.89%), sex ratio in the cross IC-336759×Patna Local (-53.41%), for number of fruit vine-1 in the cross IC-284795×Patna Local (34.56%) and average fruit weight in the cross IC336759×Patna Local (110.09%). Promising germplasm Patna Local may be subjected for regional yield trail along with released variety with a view to develop new variety of sponge gourd. The superior hybrids can be exploited for hybridization programme.

The present investigation was conducted to estimate genetic parameters such as genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV), phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV), heritability and genetic advance (GA) along with correlations and path coefficients from data collected on 52 okra genotypes collected from the IIHR, Bengaluru, India. Analysis of variance indicated significant differences among the genotypes for different morphological characters. High GCV and PCV were observed for yield per plant, no. of fruits per plant, no. of seeds per fruit, where as moderate GCV and PCV was observed for average fruit weight. High heritability coupled with high GAM were observed for almost all the characters studied, except days to 50% flowering and days to 80 % maturity shows low heritability with low GAM. The yield per plant, plant height and number of seeds per fruit showed high genetic advance that helped in effective and reliable selection through these characters for crop improvement. Fruit yield per plant showed positive association with stem girth, number of branches per plant, plant height, first fruit producing node, fruit length, fruit diameter, average fruit weight, number of fruits per plant, number of seeds per fruit and 100 seed weight while, negative association with days to 50% flowering, number of locules per fruit and days to 80 % maturity. The number of fruits per plant had maximum direct effect on fruit yield per plant followed by average fruit weight. Number of branches per plant, plant height and first fruit producing node contributed to fruit yield per plant indirectly via stem girth, average fruit weight, and number of fruits per plant. Hence, number of fruits and average fruit weight are identified as key traits for developing high fruit yielding genotypes of okra for future breeding programme.

The present research investigation was carried out to estimate the genetic variability parameters among 42 genotypes of brinjal at Horticulture Research Centre, SVPUA & T, Meerut (U.P.), India, during 2 consecutive Kharif seasons 2022 and 2023, using a 3-replication randomized complete block design. According to the analysis of variance, all the characteristics under study exhibited sufficient variability. For each character, it was found that the Phenotypic Coefficient of Variations (PCV) was greater than the related Genotypic Coefficient of Variations (GCV). For the characteristics of fruit yield per plot, fruit yield/ha, fruit yield/plant, fruit weight, fruit length, number of fruits/plant, fruit girth, pedicle length and number of primary branches, it was discovered that both GCV and PCV were high. High heritability estimates were observed for all traits under study. The fruit yield per ha, fruit yield per plot, fruit yield per plant, fruit weight, fruit length, number of fruits per plant, fruit girth, pedicle length, number of primary branches and plant height were shown to have the highest genetic improvements as a percentage of the mean. As additive gene action controls these characteristics, direct selection is the better method for enhancing these traits genetically.

The cultivated strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) is a dicotyledonous, octoploid (2n = 8x = 56) perennial herbaceous plant grown globally. In this study, 20 genotypes were evaluated for key morphological and yield-related traits. Significant phenotypic variation was observed, indicating substantial potential for selection and genetic improvement. For all traits, phenotypic coefficients of variation (PCV) exceeded genotypic coefficients of variation (GCV), suggesting environmental influence on trait expression. The highest PCV (39.13%) and GCV (38.94%) were recorded for fruit yield per plant. Fruit diameter exhibited the highest heritability (H² = 99.86%), while fruit yield per plant showed the greatest genetic advance (132.42) and genetic gain (79.85%), indicating additive gene action and effectiveness of selection. Fruit yield was positively and significantly correlated with fruit length, fruit diameter, number of fruits per plant, and berry weight at both phenotypic and genotypic levels. Principal component analysis explained 73.48% of total variability, with PC1 and PC2 contributing 28.40% and 15.90%, respectively. Mahalanobis D² analysis grouped genotypes into three distinct clusters, with maximum divergence between Cluster I and III. Crosses between genetically distant clusters are recommended to exploit heterosis and enhance genetic diversity. The observed variability offers valuable potential for breeding and hybridization programs.

Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) is an herbaceous annual crop propagated by seeds, originating from Central and South America, including Mexico, Guatemala, and possibly Bulgaria. Genetic and environmental factors influence chilli variability, crucial for breeding programs. Heritability is essential for understanding trait expression and improving selection efficiency. Yield is a complex trait shaped by multiple contributing factors, and it requires a systematic breeding approach to effectively optimise selection indices. The study aimed to estimate genetic variability, heritability, and genetic advance for 15 quantitative traits. A field experiment was conducted during 2023-2024 at the School of Agricultural Sciences (SOAS), Malla Reddy University, Hyderabad, using 51 genotypes of chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) in a Randomised Complete Block Design with two replications. Data were recorded for several traits, including plant height (cm), Number of primary and secondary branches, Days to first flowering and 50% flowering, Stem girth (mm), Fruit girth (mm) and length (cm), Number of green fruits per plant, Average green fruit weight (g), Days to first harvest, Number of seeds per fruit, 1000-seed weight (g), Ascorbic acid content (mg/100g). The analysis of variance and mean performance revealed significant differences among the genotypes for all yield-contributing traits. Both the genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) showed substantial variation across all traits, with PCV consistently higher than GCV. High GCV and PCV values were recorded for traits such as the number of secondary branches, ascorbic acid content, and fruit girth, whereas days to harvest exhibited low variability. Correlation analysis revealed that key traits influencing fruit yield include the number of green fruits per plant, fruit weight, branching, ascorbic acid, flowering time, and plant height. Path analysis indicated that the number of green fruits per plant and plant height are crucial traits for selection in yield improvement programs. A low residual effect of 0.11 suggests that the traits analysed sufficiently accounted for yield variation. Enhancing these traits collectively can significantly boost overall yield. These findings suggest strong potential for improving these traits through an effective selection program.