Unraveling Diversity and Character Association in Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) using Different Agro-Morphological Traits

Abstract

Sesame is an important oilseed crop, carrying several beneficial properties to human kind. Given its wide-ranging applications, there is a constant need for enhancing the seed yield. Evaluation of genetic diversity and character association among various seed yield components is considered as the fundamental steps in any breeding program. Thus, the present study has been focused to investigate the diversity and character associations of twenty different sesame genotypes, using different agro-morphological traits. The diversity analysis conducted in this study, unveiled the presence of two distinct clusters. The first cluster encompassed three genotypes, while the remaining seventeen genotypes belonged to the second cluster. Furthermore, character associations were explored through correlation analysis, and subsequently partitioned into direct and indirect effects through path analysis. Correlation study revealed that seed yield per plant (SYP) was positively correlated with the capsules per plant (CPP), biological yield per plant (BYP) and harvest index (HI), while negative correlation was observed with days to 50% flowering (DFF) and days to maturity (DM). Through path analysis, we found that positive direct effects on SYP were observed for BYP, HI, DM, plant height (PH) and test weight (TW). Conversely, negative direct effects on SYP were noted for CPP, BPP and DFF. These findings highlighted the importance of focusing on BYP, HI, and CPP during the selection process, as these factors were identified as important components for seed yield. The insights gained from this study will not only aid in the selection of suitable parents for hybridization, but also assist in determining the key seed yield components for sesame improvement.