Studies on Heterosis and Character Association Analysis In Papaya (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 2019-20 and tested the extent of genetic variability among some cultivars of papaya and the inbred lines on the basis of genetic different parameters. The heritability of an attribute provides an idea about its transmissibility from parents to offspring, but it is the percentage of genetic advance that is more important to a breeder. For comparing different characters in respect of genetic advance expected through selection, these statistics were calculated as percentage of the mean of the respective genotype on the basis of broad sense heritability. The excepted genetic advance expressed as percent of mean varied from 5.80 (flowering at day) to 70.68 (plant height at flowering). High genetic advance (> 30%) was observed in plant height at flowering (70.68), fruit yield/plant (62.69), fruit length (37.83), fruits per plant (55.82), fruit length (37.83), and plant height (30.55). Under Genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV). High GCV (25%) was observed for plant height at flowering (34.59) and fruit yield per plant (kg) of 30.71 and fruits per plant of 27.38. High PCV (25%) was observed for plant height at flowering (34.877), fruits per plant (27.67 and fruit yield per plant (kg) 30.99. Under Path Analysis, at genotypic levels on revealed that at genotypic levels on fruit yield per plant, fruit per plant displayed a high order of direct effect (0.7851) followed by fruit weight (0.3180), flowering at day (0.3073), leaves at flowering (0.1184), plant height (0.0793), plant girth (0.0778), fruit girth (0.0703), TSS (0.0547), pulp thickness (0.009). Under Heterosis, at the time of our trail, I have found positively significant varieties in the case of plant height in the case of Heterobeltiosis (Better parent BP) and Average parent (MP) as well as CC, which is a highly significant variety in the case of CC. Pant papaya-1 x Pusa Dwarf-1 (49.10), Pant papaya-1 x Pusa Dwarf-1 (96.04), PS-1x Pusa Majesty (269.69). PS-1x Pusa Majesty (48.96), Pusa Nanha x Surya (89.37), PS-1 x Red Leady (269.31) 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 TSS. So, PS 1 x Surya, PS 1 x Red Lady, Pusa Giant x Pusa Delicious, Pant papaya 1 x Washington, Pant Papaya 1 x Red Lady, Pant papaya 1 x Washington, Pusa Giant x Washington, PS 1 x Red Lady, PS 1 x Pusa Majesty were found promising for commercial cultivation.