Variability and correlation studies in f3 progenies of bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl.)

Introduction

Bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria [Molina] Standl.), a member of the Cucurbitaceae family with a chromosome number of 2n=22, is widely cultivated and valued as a vegetable crop. Its monoecious and andromonoecious flowering behavior contributes to a high degree of crosspollination (Swiander and Maccollum, 1994) [24] . Originally domesticated in Africa (Singh, 1990) [20] , the species is believed to have dispersed to the Indian subcontinent via oceanic drift. Over time, it has diversified into numerous indigenous landraces and has further spread to countries like China, Indonesia, and even as far as New Zealand. Despite its increasing cultivation and production, bottle gourd remains relatively underexploited in terms of systematic genetic improvement. There is a pressing need for the development of improved cultivars exhibiting traits such as early fruit maturity, enhanced yield, favorable female-to-male flower ratio, medium-sized cylindrical fruits with green coloration and pubescence, and resistance to common pests and diseases such as fruit fly, downy mildew, powdery mildew, gummosis, and fusarium wilt. In pursuit of these goals, the present study aimed to evaluate F₃ progenies for genetic variability, heritability, expected genetic advance, and trait correlations to identify promising genotypes for future breeding endeavors.

Material and Methods

The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design with three replications at the All India Coordinated Research Project on Vegetable Crops, Department of Horticulture, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Dist. Ahmednagar (Maharashtra). The experimental material consisted of five F3 progenies from cross DBG-5 x Bhagirati each having 20 plants along with their parents. Plants of each F3 progeny were maintained with a plant spacing of 3 x 1 m. The Observations were recorded on various growth and yield parameters from randomly selected plants of F3 generation such as length of vine (m), Number of primary branches per vine, days required for appearance of first female flower, sex ratio, node at which first female flower appeared, days required for first fruit harvest, number of fruits per vine, yield per vine (kg), average weight of fruit (g), average length of International Journal of Advanced Biochemistry Research 2025; 9(6): 307-310 fruit (cm), fruit diameter at center, pedicel and stylar end. Estimation of components of variations and genetic advance was done following Johnson et al., (1955) [7] , coefficient of variations following Burton and De Vane (1953) [4] and heritability following (Lush, 1949). The correlation coefficient was estimated as suggested by Snedecor and Cochran, 1967) [23] . [13] , Arvindkumar et al. (2011) [2] , and Yadav et al. (2008) [26] . Significant genotypic, phenotypic, and environmental coefficients of variation (GCV, PCV, and ECV, respectively) were observed across all characters. The traits showing high GCV and PCV included number of primary branches per vine (11.28% and 18.17%), number of fruits per vine (24.78% and 28.38%), and yield per vine (20.84% and 23.83%). These traits are considered highly variable and governed largely by additive gene effects, making them amenable to improvement through simple selection.

Moderate GCV and PCV values were observed for traits such as sex ratio (10.97% and 11.72%), average fruit weight (08.18% and 09.18%), average fruit length (11.07% and 13.21%), and fruit diameters at the center (10.05% and 14.09%) and stylar end (7.62% and 9.48%). Traits like days to first female flower appearance (6.41% and 9.64%) and days to first fruit harvest (3.95% and 5.52%) showed relatively low GCV and PCV values. These findings are consistent with previous studies by Reddy (1989) [18] , Munshi et al. (2005) [11] , and Singh et al. (2008) [20] , who reported similar trends in bottle gourd. For all traits studied, the phenotypic coefficient of variation was slightly higher than the genotypic coefficient, indicating a limited influence of the environment. This trend has also been reported by Rakhi and Rajamony (2005) [16] , Torkadi and Musmade (2007) [25] , and Mali (2015) [10] in muskmelon. Heritability estimates in the broad sense ranged from 36% to 88%, with high heritability observed for most traits. High heritability combined with high genetic advance as percent of mean was recorded for number of fruits per vine (76% and 55.40%), yield per vine (88% and 45.90%), average fruit length (70% and 25.38%), and fruit diameter at pedicel (68% and 30.32% [2] , Yadav and Kumar (2012) [27] in bottle gourd, and by Ibrahim (2012) [6] , Reddy et al. (2013) [17] , and Mali (2015) [10] in muskmelon. Correlation analysis revealed that genotypic correlations were generally of higher magnitude than phenotypic correlations, emphasizing the predominant role of genetic factors. Yield per vine exhibited significant and strong positive correlations both at genotypic and phenotypic levels with traits such as sex ratio, node at which the first female flower appeared, average fruit length, and fruit diameter at the pedicel, center, and stylar end, as well as with the number of fruits per vine. These traits are important contributors to yield and should be prioritized in selection programs.

Conversely, traits such as vine length, days to first fruit harvest, and average fruit weight showed significant negative correlations with yield per vine. These associations suggest that reduced vine length and early fruiting may favor yield improvement. Similar findings have been reported by Sharma and Dhankar (1993)

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