Analysis of genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance in Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Genotypes under Eastern Uttar Pradesh

Introduction

The potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a crucial food crop worldwide, ranking fourth after wheat, rice and maize, providing essential nutrition to billions (Aishwarya et al., 2024; FAOSTAT, 2021) [1, 5] . As a member of the Solanaceae family, it is often referred to as the "King of Vegetables" due to its significant utility (Reddy et al., 2018) [15] . The cultivated potato is a tetraploid species (2n = 4x = 48), with wild relatives showing varied ploidy levels. Potatoes, originating from the Andes in Peru and Bolivia, were introduced to India in the 17th century by the Portuguese (Singh et al., 2024) [17] . In 2024, global potato production reached approximately 390.429 million metric tons, with China and India as the leading producers, contributing around 93.49 million and 60.18 million metric tons, respectively (FAO, 2025) [5] . In India according to final report 2024-2025, potatoes is grown on 2.32 million hectares, yielding about 57.05 million metric tons, with Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar being the top-producing states (MoA & FW, 2024-2025). Potato play a crucial part in improving food security by 2050 due to the estimated 10 billion people on the planet. Potato is a major staple in food-deficit nations, providing an inexpensive source of calories and being rich in vital micronutrients including vitamin C, iron and fiber. Particularly in areas with limited resources, its nutritional advantages and versatility make it essential for alleviating hunger and malnutrition and diversifying diets (Qasim et al.,2013) [13] . Genetic variability is essential for crop improvement, particularly in enhancing growth, yield and nutritional quality. In potatoes, narrow genetic diversity limits progress, necessitating the exploration of diverse germplasm to develop superior genotypes (Shekhawat, 2001) [16] . Estimates of heritability and genetic advance help identify traits for effective transmission to future generations, supporting targeted genetic enhancements. The investigation assessed genetic variability and heritability among potato genotypes for growth and yield traits, aiming to identify promising genotypes for hybridization programmes to enhance yield potential (Kumar et al., 2023) [10] .

Materials and Methods

The present investigation was conducted during the Rabi season 2024-25 at the Main Experiment Station, Department of Vegetable Science, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya (U.P.). Thirty-five potato genotypes were selected from the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP), Department of Vegetable Science, ANDUA&T, Kumarganj, Ayodhya. The experimental material was evaluated in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Each genotype was planted in a plot of 3.0m × 2.4m, maintaining a spacing of 60 cm between rows and 20 cm between plants. Standard agronomic practices were followed. Observations were recorded on eighteen growth, yield and quality traits, namely Plant emergence (%), number of shoots per plant, number of compound leaves per plant, leaf length (cm), leaf width (cm), plant height (cm), tuber length (cm), tuber width (cm), average tuber weight (g), total soluble solids (°Brix), starch content (%), dry matter content (%), reducing sugar (%), non-reducing sugar (%), total sugar (%), tuber yield per plant (g), tuber yield per plot (kg) and total tuber yield (q/ha). Harvesting was carried out in February 2024 for the Rabi season. Statistical analysis was performed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) following the procedure described by Panse and Sukhatme (2000) [12] to determine the significance of differences among genotypes. The genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) were estimated according to the method of Burton and DeVane (1953) [4] . Broadsense heritability (h²bs) was computed following Hanson et al. (1956) [8] , while genetic advance (GA) and genetic advance as per cent of mean were calculated using the methodology proposed by Johnson et al. (1955) [9] all performed using R statistical software (Rahman et al.,2024) [14] .

Results and Discussion

The analysis of variance (Table 1) revealed highly significant differences among the thirty-five potato genotypes for all eighteen traits studied, indicating the existence of substantial genetic variability in the experimental material. The mean sum of squares for genotypes exceeded the error mean squares, underscoring genetic influence over environmental factors. The presence of significant variation among genotypes suggests ample scope for selection and genetic improvement of tuber yield and associated traits in potato. Similar findings of significant genetic variability among potato genotypes have been documented by Hajam et al., 2018 [7] ; Kumar et al., 2023 [10] ; Aishwarya et al., 2024 [1] and Singh et al., 2024 [17] . The mean performance of thirty-five genotypes for eighteen characters is presented in Table 2. The estimates of genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) for the eighteen characters are presented in Table 3. In general, PCV values were slightly higher than the corresponding GCV values for all traits, indicating the influence of environmental factors on trait expression. However, the narrow disparities between GCV and PCV for most traits indicate that environmental effects were negligible and that observed variability was primarily due to genetic factors. High estimates (>20%) of both GCV and PCV were observed for reducing sugar (53.59% and 66.32%), non-reducing sugar (52.71% and 64.59%), total sugar (52.84% and 58.94%) and average tuber weight (21.81% and 22.59%), indicating significant genetic variability for these traits. Moderate estimates (10-20%) were recorded for tuber width (19.85% and 21.05%), total tuber yield (q/ha) (17.05% and 18.57%), tuber yield per plot (16.79% and 18.36%), tuber yield per plant (16.25% and 17.66%), tuber length (14.17% and 16.16%), total soluble solids (12.36% and 12.81%), plant height (11.13% and 12.36%) and starch content (10.58% and 11.00%). Low estimates were reported for dry matter content (9.40% and 9.91%), number of shoots per plant (9.30% and 10.95%), number of compound leaves (10.68% and 12.53%), leaf length (8.77% and 10.31%), leaf breadth (8.39% and 10.16%) and plant emergence (2.57% and 3.58%). The broad-sense heritability estimates ranged from 51.56% for plant emergence to 93.25% for average tuber weight. Only plant emergence (51.56%) showed moderate heritability, while all other variables had high heritability values. Average tuber weight (93.25%), total soluble solids (93.08%), starch content (92.48%), dry matter content (89.91%), tuber width (88.91%), tuber yield per plant (84.68%), total tuber yield (84.24%), tuber yield per plot (83.70%), plant height (80.97%), total sugar (80.36%), tuber length (76.89%), number of compound leaves (72.62%), leaf length (72.23%), number of shoots per plant (72.06%), nonreducing sugar (66.60%) and reducing sugar (65.29%) all showed high heritability estimates. High heritability indicates that a large proportion of the observed variation in these traits is genetically controlled and less influenced by environmental factors. Similar findings were reported by Hajam et al., 2018 [7] ; Kumar et al., 2023 [10] and Singh et al., 2024 [18] . Genetic advance as a percentage of mean ranged from 3.80% for plant emergence to 97.57% for total sugar. High genetic advance (>20%) was observed for total sugar (97.57%), reducing sugar (89.21%), non-reducing sugar (88.61%), average tuber weight (43.39%), tuber width (38.55%), total tuber yield (32.23%), tuber yield per plot (31.65%), tuber yield per plant (30.81%), tuber length (25.59%), total soluble solids (24.56%), starch content (20.96%) and plant height (20.62%). Moderate genetic advance (10-20%) was recorded for number of compound leaves (18.75%), dry matter content (18.35%), number of shoots per plant (16.26%), leaf length (15.35%) and leaf breadth (14.29%), while plant emergence (3.80%) demonstrated low genetic advance. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as per cent of mean was observed for average tuber weight, tuber width, starch content, total soluble solids, tuber yield per plant, tuber yield per plot, total tuber yield, total sugar, non-reducing sugar and reducing sugar. This combination indicates the predominance of additive gene action governing these traits and suggests that direct phenotypic selection would be highly effective for their improvement. Similar results were reported by Hajam et al. (2018) [7] , Kumar et al. (2023) [10] and Singh et al. (2024) [18] . Plant emergence showed moderate heritability but poor genetic advance, indicating that selection based on yield-contributing characteristics and quality metrics will be extremely useful for potato genetic development in Eastern Uttar Pradesh environments.

Conclusion

The research revealed high genetic variability among thirty-five potato genotypes in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, with notable differences across eighteen growth, yield and quality parameters. The phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) was consistently higher than the genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) for all traits; however, the narrow differences between PCV and GCV for most traits indicated that the observed variability was predominantly genetic in nature. High estimates of both GCV and PCV were recorded for average tuber weight, reducing sugar, non-reducing sugar and total sugar, reflecting substantial genetic variability and greater scope for improvement through selection. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as per cent of mean for average tuber weight, tuber width, starch content, total soluble solids, tuber yield per plant, tuber yield per plot, total tuber yield, total sugar, non-reducing sugar and reducing sugar indicates the predominance of additive gene action. Therefore, direct phenotypic selection for these traits is likely to be highly effective and may be used in future potato improvement programmes in Eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Acknowledgement

AcknowledgementThe first authors like to acknowledge the AICRP, CPRI, Shimla providing valuable germplasms for the study and Department of vegetable science, ANDUAT, Kumarganj, Ayodhya for providing facilities and support.

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