Studies on Genetic Divergence and Character Association Analysis in Papay a {carica Papaya L.)

Abstract

The present investigation was carried out with eleven parents (five lines and six testers) in a line x tester mating design. All parents and their thirty F1s were grown at Horticultural Research Centre, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, in Complete Randomized Block Design with three replications during 2014-15 and tested the extent of genetic variability among some cultivars of papaya and the inbred lines on the basis of genetic different parameters. High range of plant height (I 19.33cm in Pusa Nanha to 180.33cm in Pusa Giant), Initiation of flowering .( days) (21 0.67 in Pusa Nanha to 229 days in Pusa Giant), fruit length ( 17.67 em in Pusa Nanha to 36 em in Red Lady), fruit girth (29.11 em in Pusa Nanha to 45.64 em in Papaya P S I xRed Lady), pulp thickness ( 1.71 em in Pusa Nanha to 2.36 em Pusa Dwarf x Washington), TSS ( 11.60° Brix in Pusa Gaint x Red Lady to 13.48° Brix in Pant Papaya I x Red Lady), fruits per plant (21 in Pusa Nanha to 54.33 Pusa Gaint x Surya), fruit weight (822.67 g in Pant Papaya 1 x Surya to 1357.67 g in Pusa Gaint) fruit yield per plant (27.33 kg in Pusa Nanha to 66 kg in Pusa Gaint x Surya) were recorded. High heritability (> 80%) was observed for plant height (98). High GCV (~25%) was observed for plant height at flowering (41.18). High PCV (~25%) was observed for plant height at flowering ( 41.27). Under Path Analysis, at genotypic levels on fruit yield per plant, fruit weight displayed high order of direct effect (1 0 172.8) followed by plant height at flowering (665.32), plant height (194.74), fruit per plant (47.77), fruit length (23.43), flower initiation (15.47), fruit girth (14.26), leaves at flowering (4.90), plant girth (4.14), TSS (0.1933) and pulp thickness (0.0151 ). Under Heterosis, The highest significant and positive valueFruit yield/plant (kg) was noted for cross Pusa Giant x Surya ( 46.67) followed by Pusa Dwarf x Surya (21.26), Pusa Giant x Pink Fleshed Sweet ( 16.30), Pusa Giant x Pusa Majesty ( 15.11) and Pusa Giant x Washington ( 14.07). For improvement in yield, emphasis may be given to the characters like central cavity, plant girth, fruit girth, days at flowering, plant height, pulp thickness, fruit weight, fruit length and T~S. So, Pusa Giant x Surya, Papaya P S 1 x Surya, Pusa Dwarf x Washington, Pusa Dwarf x Pmk Fleshed Sweet and Pant Papaya 1 x Red Lady were found promising for commercial cultivation