GENETIC DIVERSITY AND CHARACTER ASSOCIATION IN YIELD AND YIELD CONTRIBUTING TRAITS OF PUMPKIN (Cucurbita moschata Duchesne ex Poir.)

Abstract

The experiment was conducted with twenty genotypes of pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Duchesne ex Poir.) at the experimental field of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University during April 2014 to September 2014. Vegetables play a vital role in the overall economic performance of Bangladesh. Pumpkin is a very popular and one of the most important vegetable crops grown extensively throughout the tropical and subtropical countries. Due to its high nutritional content and lucrative market price, pumpkin may be considered as a high value crop. Pumpkins are rich in carbohydrate and minerals and cheaper source of vitamins, especially carotenoid pigments, which have a major role in nutrition in the form of pro-vitamin-A, antioxidants, when used at ripening stage. Thus, this vegetable can contribute to improve nutritional status of the people of Bangladesh, particularly the vulnerable group in respect of vitamin- A requirement. Lack of high yielding, disease and pest tolerant varieties are the main constrains towards its production. The objective of the study was to measure the variability among the genotypes for yield and yield contributing characters of pumpkin. This helps to choose desirable parents for establishing new breeding population. High genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) was observed in fruit yield per plant, pedicel length of male flower, number of male flower per plant. Low GCV was observed in days to first male flowering and days to first female flowering. High heritability with high genetic advance in percent of mean was observed in yield per plant, pedicel length of male and female flower and fruit weight indicated these traits would be effective. Highly significant positive correlation was found between fruit length and fruit weight. Path co efficient analysis revealed that maximum direct contribution toward yield per plant was found fruit length followed by fruit weight. The highest intra cluster distance was found in cluster IV and the lowest was found in cluster I. Among five clusters the highest inter cluster distance was observed between cluster II and cluster V and the lowest between cluster I and cluster II. Considering all the characters G14 (BD 246) and G6 (BD 309) G12 (9492) and G11 (BD 9494) may be selected for future breeding program.