Genetic Variability, Heritability, Genetic Advance and Association of Agronomic Traits of Early Flushing Tea (Camellia sinensis L) Clones at the Nursery Stage

Abstract

T ea (Camellia sinensis L.) is one of the important healthy beverages used globally and being cultivated in more than thirty countries in different tropical and subtropical zones of the World (Adnan et al., 2013) having above eighty two genetically distinct species (Sultana et al., 2008). Tea cultivation contributes manifolds in improving the economy and job opportunities status in various Asian and African Abstract | The present study was conducted at the tea nursery farm of PARC-National Tea and High Value Crops Research Institute, Shinkiari, Mansehra, Pakistan during the years 2014-16 to assess genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance as percent of mean for various growth attributing traits of fifteen early flushing tea (Camellia sinensis L) clones. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replication and 100 plants per replication. Data were recorded on plant height (PH), number of branches per plant (NBP), number of leaves per plant (NLP), stem diameter (SD), main root length (MRL), root diameter (RD), number of lateral roots per plant (NLRP), dry shoot weight (DRW) and dry root weight (DRW). The highest plant height (78.66 cm) was produced by clone BP 2 -2, followed by Clones BP 1 -4, BP 1 -3, BP 3 -1 and BP 2 -5 with plant height of 70.46, 67.60, 67.20 and 66.36 cm respectively. Clone BP 2 -2 also produced highest number of leaves per plant (34.66), stem diameter (6.53 mm), root length (35.10 cm), root diameter (6.55 mm), number of lateral roots per plant (6.35), Dry shoot weight (17.56 g) and dry root weight (11.57 g). Number of branches per plant in the early flushing tea clones ranged from 1.33 (BP 2 -4) to 6.00 (BP 6 -1 ). The phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) was higher than genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV), but the difference between PCV and GCV was minimal for most of the traits revealing little influence of the environment in the expression of these traits.