Correlation and path coefficient analysis for certain metric traits in bottle gourd (Lagenaria Siceraria M.) using line x tester analysis

The present investigation was conducted to find out the correlation and Path coefficient effects in bottle gourd to identifying desirable combiners. The experiment comprising 24 hybrids obtain by crossing using 11 parents (eight lines viz. C-29, C-37, C-74, C-78, C-4, C-55, C-34, C-26 and three tester viz. C-12 (Azad Harit), C-21 (PSPL) and C-35 (KLG). The observation were recorded on days to germination, days to fruit setting, fruit length (cm), fruit diameter (cm), number of branches per plant, vine length (m), number of seeds per fruit, number of fruits per plant, days to maturity, fruit yield per plant were worked out through line x tester analysis All the hybrids along with their parents were grown in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replication at Horticultural Research Center of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology-Meerut, during Kharif 2008 and 2009. Results pertaining that, fruit yield per plant showed highly significant positive association with days to fruit setting, days to maturity and number of fruits per plant at genotypic and phenotypic levels in F1s. The path coefficient analysis was done to determine the direct and indirect effects on fruit yield per plant viz., days to germination, days to fruit setting, fruit length (cm), fruit diameter (cm), number of branches per plant, vine length (m), number of seeds per fruit, number of fruits per plant and days to maturity.