Studies on Genetic divergence in Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Duch. ex Poir.)
Abstract
25 cultivars of Pumpkin are evaluated systematically during kharif season of 2013-14. Analysis of variance studies indicates significant differences among all the genotypes for all the characters under study. Majority of the characters like fruit diameter, seed cavity length, flesh thickness, placenta weight exhibit moderate PCV, GCV values and fruit weight exhibits higher GCV and PCV values. All the characters exhibited high broad sense heritability. High heritability coupled with high GCA for the characters fruit weight, fruit diameter, seed cavity length suggesting that they can be improved through direct selection due to predominant additive variation. Genetic diversity worked out using Mahalanobis D2 statistic. Based on D2analysis, the genotypes were grouped into 5 different clusters, where the cluster V possessed higher number (8) of genotypes followed by the cluster I (5) cluster IV (5), III (3), II(2) and VI (2). The maximum inter-cluster distance was observed between the clusters III, VI and cluster II, III that of minimum in between the Clusters V and Cluster VI.
Key words: Genetic diversity, Genetic advance, Heritability, Genetic variability, D2analysis.
It is certified that:
- The corresponding author is fully responsible for any disputes arising due to the publication of his/her manuscript.
- The article has been seen by all the authors who are satisfied with its form and content.
- The sequence of names of authors in the by-line is as per their relative contribution to this experiment, giving due credit to all scientists who made notable contribution to it.
- All the authors fully understand that inclusion of any other co-authors or exclusion of any co-authors is not possible once the article has been submitted to the journal.
- The corresponding author takes full responsibility for this article.
- The address of the organization where the research was conducted is given.
- The article is exclusive for this journal, and the results reported here have not been sent (and will not be sent during its consideration by this journal) for publication in any other journal.
- Authors agree to abide by the objective comments of referees and do agree to modify the article into a short note as per the recommendation, for publication in the Electronic Journal of Plant Breeding.
- If published in Electronic Journal of Plant Breeding, the copyright of this article would vest with the Indian Society of Plant Breeders, who will have the right to enter into any agreement with any organization in India or abroad engaged in reprography, photocopying, storage and dissemination of information contained in it, and neither we nor our legal heirs will have any claims on royalty.
