Genetic Variability, Correlation and Path-Coefficient Studies in Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) for Plant Growth, Panicle and Yield Attributes

Abstract

Studies were carried out in National Active Germplasm Site (NAGS) at ICAR-NRC on Litchi, Muzaffarpur, Bihar, India during 2018 and 2019 to find out the association between different characters and magnitude of association of different characters with yield (kg plant-1) in nine clones of litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.). Result revealed that genotypic coefficient were higher than their corresponding phenotypic ones implying an inherent relationship among them. The differences between genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV and GCV) were found narrow for all traits indicate least influence of environment on traits. Heritability was more than 80% for all the parameters studied except seed weight (34.90%) and TSS (73.20%). Correlation analysis quantifies only the degree of association between two characters and non-significant correlation coefficient value cannot be taken to imply absence of functional relationship between the two variables but path coefficient analysis reveals this by breaking the total correlation coefficient into components of direct and indirect effects. The number of leaflet, leaf length, leaf width, rachis length, petiole length, length of panicle, fruit weight, pulp weight, TSS, total sugar and seed weight exhibited positive correlation. Among the character studied, leaf length (1.646), TSS (0.975), length of panicle (0.900), petiole length (0.639), and number of fruit per panicle (0.601), seed weight (0.465) and pulp weight (0.370) recorded maximum positive direct effect towards yield at both the level. This study revealed that leaf length, panicle length, number of fruit per panicle and seed weight could form a selection criterion for yield improvement in litchi.

Effects of Tree Trunk, Branch and Leaf Traits On Morphological Diversity of Litchi Chinensis Sonn.

“…High values of heritability for the traits clarified that they were least affected by environmental modification and selection based on phenotypic performance would be reliable. Similar findings were also reported by several workers (Srivastava et al 2014, Lal et al 2022 who reported high heritability with high genetic gain for different attributes in other fruits crops. It may be concluded that higher values of both PCV and GCV for various traits such as tree volume, leaf area and leaf thickness indicate that more improvement can be achieved by selection based on these traits.…”

Assessment of variability and genetic divergence of longan genotypes (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) based on qualitative and quantitative traits

“…Furthermore, Singh et al (1999) has reported that the genetic characteristics of leaf is an essential parameter which will help in identi cation and classi cation of litchi cultivars. Similarly, the ndings of this study are in accordance with Lal et al (2022) and Lal et al (2023) for qualitative traits in litchi. However, above studied these qualitative traits can be utilized e ciently for identi cation and discrimination of longan genotypes.…”

“…Arora et al (1996) have also reported signi cant variability in litchi genotypes with regard to fruit, aril, and seed characters at different locations. The variation observed among the litchi genotypes were might be due to the genetic make-up of plant (Lal et al, 2022); nutrition and climatic conditions (Cronje et al, 2009). Wall (2006) has reported that the same cultivar of longan may differ in ascorbic acid and TSS at different locations.…”

“…Heritability be an effective tool for determining the potential for improvement through selection because the majority of desired traits, like yield, are quantitative in nature, complex in their inheritance, and signi cantly in uenced by environmental factors (Lal et al, 2022). The most important role of heritability in the genetic study of quantitative traits is to predict the validity of the phenotypic value as a guide to breeding value (Dabholkar, 1992).…”

“…The component of genetic variability viz., genotypic and phenotypic coe cient of variation, heritability and genetic advance are the essential biometric tools to assess the existed genetic variability among the genotypes which would help to selection of superior variety (Lal et al, 2022). Understanding the existing genetic variation and the origins of cultivated varieties will assist in choosing suitable parents for an e cient hybridization project.…”