Genetic Variability and Heritability in Bitter Gourd for better Yield and Quality under Sodic Soil
K. Kumanan
Department of Horticulture, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Kudumiyanmalai -622 104, India.
K.R. Vijayalatha *
Department of Vegetable Science, Horticultural College and Research Institute for Women, Tiruchirappalli – 620 027, India.
A. Sabir Ahamed
Department of Vegetable Science, Horticultural College and Research Institute for Women, Tiruchirappalli – 620 027, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia) is a tropical and subtropical vine widely grown in Asian and African countries. This study evaluates thirty genotypes of bitter gourd for about eight quantitative characters under sodic soil during 2022-23. The evaluation was carried out using Randomized Block Design with three replications. All the parameters exhibited significant differences among the genotypes. The genotype MCPKM-04 recorded for the highest number of fruits and fruit yield while MCPKM-19 recorded superiority in terms of earliness. The quality parameters viz., ascorbic acid and phenol content observed highest in the genotype MCPKM-05. Yield parameters viz., number of fruits, fruit weight and fruit yield exhibited higher GCV, while close association of GCV and PCV were observed in all the studied parameters suggesting that the variations are only due to genetic differences and not due to environment.
Keywords: Bitter gourd, earliness, sodic soil, variations