Character Association and Path Coefficient Studies in Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.): Experimental Investigation

Abstract

Thirty two cucumber genotypes were collected from different states of India and were evaluated for yield and quality characters at Bhubaneswar, Odisha during Rabi season of 2019. The relationships between fruit yield and yield components in cucumber genotypes were investigated and correlation  studies  revealed  that  yield  per  plant had  positive  and  significant  association  with vine length, number of fruits per plant, fruit length, fruit diameter and average fruit weight, while significant negative  correlations were  observed with  node at which first female flower appears, number of days to first female flower production, days to  first harvest and severity of downy mildew percentage both at phenotypic and genotypic levels.  Path  coefficient  analysis  revealed  that  fruit diameter had  maximum positive  direct  effect  on  yield per plant followed  by fruit length, number of fruits per plant, days to first harvest, average fruit weight while, negative direct effect of number of days to first female flower production and severity of downy mildew percentage was observed on yield per plant. Future breeding should focus on selecting the characters having direct effects to improve yield per plant.