Mean Performance, Genetic Variability and Correlation Analysis of Parthenocarpic Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) under Protected Cultivation

Abstract

The present study was conducted under naturally ventilated polyhouse conditions at Department of vegetable science, College of Agriculture, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur, during the period of 2023-2024. Eleven gynoeciousparthenocarpic cucumber lines were evaluated, with the leading private sector variety Sania as a check, focusing on growth, parthenocarpic fruit set and yield parameters. Significant differences were observed among all the evaluated lines for all traits under study. The character association studies revealed that yield per plant had significant positive correlation with node of clustered fruit appearance, parthenocarpic fruit set percentage, parthenocarpic fruit expansion percentage and number of fruits per plant. Among the evaluated lines, CS 136 recorded the highest parthenocarpic fruit set (37.35 %) and fruit expansion percentage (31.75 %) and yield per plant (4.44 kg), outperforming the check variety Sania (2.97 kg). Phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) was found higher than genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) for all the characters under study. Among the observed traits, node of first female flower emergence, node of parthenocarpic expression, parthenocarpic fruit set percentage, and parthenocarpic fruit expansion percentage showed high phenotypic and genotypic coefficient of variation, high heritability and high genetic advance, making them more reliable for effective selection in future crop improvement programmes.