Genetic Analysis for Fruit Yield and its Contributing Characters in Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench)
Authors: M. P. Gawai  , B. N. Patel  , D. J. Parmar  , M. M. Pandya  , Kalyanrao  , R. R. Acharya  
Published: February 2025

The components of gene effects for yield and its components in okra were studied using generation mean analysis from twelve generations (P1, P2, F1, F2, B1, B2, B11, B12, B21, B22, B1S and B2S) derived from eight different genotypes. The analysis of variance between generations within family revealed that all the four crosses exhibited significant differences for days to initiation of flowering, fruit length, fruit girth, fruits per plant, fruit yield per plant, plant height, length of internode and total soluble solids brix. Mean performance of F1 hybrids exceeded the value of their better parent in desired direction in the cross AOL 16-01 x AOL 18- 08 for fruit weight, fruits per plant. In the cross GAO 5 x Red One Long for fruit length, fruit weight, fruits per plant, fruit yield per plant, branches per plant, plant height, internodes on main stem. In the cross AOL 19- 10 x AOL 20-03 for fruit length, fruit girth, fruit weight, fruits per plant, fruit yield per plant, internodes on main stem, total soluble solids. In the cross Phule Prajatika x GAO 5 for plant height, internodes on main stem, length of internode, while for days to initiation of flowering, none of the F1 per se performance was lower than its better parent. Mean performance of backcross progenies was not consistent in different crosses for different traits. The additive (d) gene effect found significant for all the four crosses for the traits viz., days to initiation of flowering, fruit length, fruits per plant and total soluble solid; crosses II, III and IV for the traits fruits per plant, fruit yield per plant and internode on main stem, crosses I, III, IV for traits fruit girth, crosses II and IV for the trait plant height, crosses III, IV for trait length of internode and cross I for the trait branches on main stem, cross III for trait fruit weight. When traits are controlled by such fixable type of gene effects, these could be improved through simple selection or a single seed descent method. Dominance (h), dominance x dominance (l) and dominance x dominance x dominance (z) gene effect governs days to initiation of flowering, fruit length, fruit girth, plant height, total soluble solid whereas dominance(h) and dominance x dominance (l) gene effect governs fruit yield per plant, dominance x dominance x dominance (z) gene effect governs fruit weight, fruit per plant, plant height, internode on main stem, length of internode. In a crop like okra, particularly dominance gene effects viz., (h) as well as (l) and (z) can be utilized in the form of hybrid variety. 10-parameter model was adequate to explain the inheritance of the traits indicating non- allelic interactions, such as first order and second order played important role to control the inheritance of most of the traits. Yield component traits in all crosses were governed by additive. dominance and digenic and/or trigenic epistasis gene effects. When additive and non-additive gene effects involved, a breeding scheme efficient in exploiting both types of gene effects should be employed. Reciprocal recurrent selection could be followed which would facilitate exploitation of both gene effects. Duplicate type of gene action would be difficult for a plant breeder to get promising segregants through conventional breeding methods, so breeding procedures involving biparental mating may be used to restore transgressive segregants.