Character Association and Path Coefficient Studies in Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.): Experimental Investigation
Usha Rani Veera *
Department of Vegetable Science, College of Agriculture, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, India and Faculty of Agriculture, GIET University, Gunupur, Odisha, India.
Gouri Shankar Sahu
Department of Vegetable Science, College of Agriculture, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, India.
Pradyumna Tripathy
Department of Vegetable Science, College of Agriculture, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, India.
Swarnalata Das
AICRP on Vegetable Crops, OUAT, Bhubaneswar-751003, India.
Manasi Dash
Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, OUAT, Bhubaneswar, India.
Gargi Gautami Padhiary
Department of Vegetable Science, College of Agriculture, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Thirty two cucumber genotypes were collected from different states of India and were evaluated for yield and quality characters at Bhubaneswar, Odisha during Rabi season of 2019. The relationships between fruit yield and yield components in cucumber genotypes were investigated and correlation studies revealed that yield per plant had positive and significant association with vine length, number of fruits per plant, fruit length, fruit diameter and average fruit weight, while significant negative correlations were observed with node at which first female flower appears, number of days to first female flower production, days to first harvest and severity of downy mildew percentage both at phenotypic and genotypic levels. Path coefficient analysis revealed that fruit diameter had maximum positive direct effect on yield per plant followed by fruit length, number of fruits per plant, days to first harvest, average fruit weight while, negative direct effect of number of days to first female flower production and severity of downy mildew percentage was observed on yield per plant. Future breeding should focus on selecting the characters having direct effects to improve yield per plant.
Keywords: Cucumber, genotypic correlation, phenotypic correlation, path analysis