Genetic Variability, Correlation and Path Coefficient Analysis for Yield and Yield Attributing Traits in Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia L.)

Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) is an important commercial cucurbit of family Cucurbitaceae. For rational improvement of yield and its components in Bitter gourd, the understanding of nature and magnitude of variation in the available material and association of characters with yield and among themselves and the extent of environmental influence on the characters which is statistically determined by correlation coefficient is although useful in determining the relative influence of the various characters on yield they do not provide an exact picture of the relative importance of the direct and indirect influences of each of the characters towards the yield. Path coefficient analysis proved helpful in partitioning the correlation coefficient into direct and indirect effects. It gives an idea about the contribution of each independent character on dependent character i.e. yield. An experiment was conducted during 2017-18 at Vegetable Research farm, Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour (Bhagalpur) to study the existing genetic variability and to assess interrelationship among sixteen yield and its contributing traits in twenty eight genotypes of bitter gourd of Bihar. The analysis of variance revealed highly significant differences among the genotypes for all the sixteen characters studied indicating that a significant amount of genetic variability present in the material. High GCV and PCV were recorded for chlorophyll content, vine length and fruit weight. High estimates of heritability were observed for chlorophyll content, TSS, ascorbic acid, number of seeds per fruit, fruit weight, fruit length, fruit girth and number of fruit per plant is the characters under the study. High heritability accompanied with high genetic advance as percent of the mean were recorded for chlorophyll content this means that improvement in this trait made by simple selection. Correlation analysis revealed that total chlorophyll content; fruit weight and fruit length had a significant and positive association with yield per plant. Path analysis revealed that ascorbic acid, number of seeds per fruit, vine length, TSS, fruit weight, chlorophyll content, node number at which first female flower appear and days to 50% flowering had a positive direct effect on fruit yield. Correlation and path-coefficient analysis, concluded that, ascorbic acid, number of seeds per fruit, vine length, TSS, fruit weight, chlorophyll content, node number at which first female flower appear and days to 50% flowering exhibited maximum positive direct effect on grain yield seems to be primary yield contributing characters and could be relied upon for selection of genotypes to improve genetic yield potential of Bitter gourd. Hence, utmost importance should be given to these characters during selection for yield improvement.