SCREENING OF YIELD CONTRIBUTING TRAITS OF CHILLI (Capsicum sp.) GENOTYPES AGAINST SALINITY

Abstract

Salinity stress is one of the major threat of agricultural production. A pot experiment was conveyed at the experimental net house of the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding Sher-e Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka from November to April, 2019 to investigate the effect of Salinity stress on the growth, physiology and yield and the mollification capacity of Salinity in Chilli on different genotypes. The genotypes were DEB 1302 (G 1 ), Bogra Zhal Morich, (G 2 ), Bogra Special Morich (G 3 ), Black Lady (G 4 ), CO 525 G59 SRC04 (G 6 ), SRC07 (G 7 ), SRC03 (G 8 ), SRC06 (G 9 ) and SRC10 (G 10 ) Three salinity treatments viz. T 1 (control), T 2 (4 dS/m, mild salinity), T 3 (8 dS/m, moderate salinity), The genotypes were collected from genetics and plant breeding department and treatments were T 1 (control), T 2 (4 dS/m, T 3 (8dS/m). Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications was followed in both experiments Salinity treatment affected almost all traits of chilli negatively except days to first flowering, first fruit setting, relative water content and chlorophyll content. Early flowering (38.00 DAT) was found in G 9 and early fruit setting (51.55 DAT) was found in G6 at moderate and severe salinity respectively. Phenotypic variance was higher than the genotypic variance for all the characters under all the treatments. Phenotypic coefficient

of variation and genotypic co-efficient of variation was high in all the characters except number of branches per plant under T 2 treatment and fruits diameter (mm) under T 2 and T 3 treatments. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance and genetic advance in percentage of mean was found in days to first flowering, days to first fruit setting, root length, number of leaves per plant under all the treatments indicated that this characters are controlled by the additive gene action and direct selection may be effective through this characters. From the research findings of salinity experiment, the following could be recommended G 9 could be suggested for early flowering and fruit setting for mild to moderate saline prone area G 7 could be suggested for maximum leaf area, number of branches per plant, fruit diameter at mild to moderate saline prone area G 6 could be suggested for yield per plant, number of fruit per plant and maximum number of leaves per plant higher for mild to moderate saline prone area.