Research Article

Study of the variability and association of the different agronomic traits in segregating population of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench) for yield and its contributing traits

 ¹Abhishek, ²Halesh G K, ¹Lakshmidevamma T N, ³B Fakruddin, ¹Shivpriya Manchali and ¹Ramchandra R K

¹Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding

²Department of Plant Biotechnology

³Director of Research

University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot, Karnataka, India

*Corresponding author e-mail: abhisheks72048@gmail.com

(Received: 12/03/2026; Revised: 15/05/2026; Accepted: 15/06/2026; Published: 20/06/2026)

ABSTRACT

The experiment on variability and correlation studies in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench) was carried out at the Department of Biotechnology and Crop Improvement (BCI), College of Horticulture, Bengaluru, Karnataka during the Kharif 2024. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was observed for plant height, number of branches, stem girth, fruit diameter and yield per plant, indicating additive gene action. Traits such as fruit length, internodal length and number of nodes also showed high variability, suggesting ample scope for improvement through simple selection. The correlation analysis of the F₃ okra population revealed significant relationships among yield and its components. Total yield per plant (TYPP) showed strong positive correlations with fruit length (r = 0.876*), fruit diameter (r = 0.906**), average fruit weight (r = 0.804**), number of branches per plant (r = 0.687**) and days to first flowering (negative, r = -0.749**). Fruit diameter (FD) was highly positively associated with fruit length (r = 0.754**) and average fruit weight (r = 0.606**), while internodal length (IL) showed strong negative correlation with fruit diameter (r = -0.677**) and total yield (r = -0.705**). These correlations indicate that selection for higher fruit size and branching could directly improve yield, whereas longer internodes and delayed flowering might reduce productivity. The path coefficient analysis of the F₃ okra population revealed the direct and indirect effects of various traits on total yield per plant (TYPP). Total yield (TYPP) was most strongly influenced directly by fruit diameter (FD, 0.906), fruit length (FL, 0.876), average fruit weight (AFW, 0.804) and number of branches per plant (NBPP, 0.687). Days to first flowering (DFF) and internodal length (IL) had strong negative direct effects on yield (-0.749 and -0.705, respectively). Other traits, such as plant height (PH), stem girth (SG), number of fruits per plant (NFPP) and number of seeds per fruit (NSF), showed moderate to low direct effects on yield.

Keywords: Okra; Genetic variability; Heritability; Correlation coefficient; Path analysis; Yield components

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